Ok, consensus needed here.

[mini-me]

Bank holiday question for the housebound and/or bored.

My wife does copy editing, and for this job in hand needs to be accurate,and  has come across a pedantic problem.

I always say one rides a motorcycle, as opposed to driving one.

But this point concerns a story with  a sidecar outfit,  does one ride a side car out fit? or drive one?

I would contend one rides IN the side car but the whole outfit is "driven"  by the person at the controls.

[iansoady]

Drives. At least that was always how the blue and green 'uns described it.

What sort of proofreading job is she doing that introduces such arcane terms?

[Rex]

Rides. Look at side car enthusiasts pages and they always refer to "riding techniques".
"Driving techniques"  always infers cars rather combo's to me.

[TGR90B]

Whether the bike has a chair or not it's still being ridden.

[mini-me]

What sort of proofreading job is she doing that introduces such arcane terms?

Don't ask me, 90% of what she does is well over my head ,I just let her get on with it apart from the occasional question like this.

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
Whether correct or not I have often heard the term of "pilot" used for the person in control or otherwise of an outfit 

John

[TGR90B]

That certainly rings a bell John.

[mini-me]

I think that term 'pilot' belongs to the days when the comics would refer to  'the model', 'the stable' or the 'winter hack'

[iansoady]

Not to mention "the plot", "the bogwheel", "the bolide" (mostly referring to Vincents)

[mini-me]

yep, had forgotten those.

[Rex]

Or the one that still seems to be used by certain mags, "instrument" for a carb.
Then there's rather strange US terms of "gear bag" and "oil bag" for gearbox and oil tank.