The Veteran owned and operated Texas Sidecar Company celebrated their Grand Opening and joining of the Teague Chamber of Commerce with at Ribbon Cutting on Saturday morning, April 6, 2024 (at top).
Owners Kent and Ana Silk welcomed people from all over the U.S., along with family, friends, city officials, and community members to their factory in downtown Teague for a tour.
Texas Sidecar Company manufactures high-quality sidecars for motorcycles and scooters, with the majority of their materials sourced from within the United States. Their creations are customizable and made complete from fiberglass to finish, then attached to the client’s ride.
How did Texas Sidecar Company end up in Teague? Well, here’s the story…
Kent, originally from Vermont (and a self-proclaimed child of the world), started riding motorcycles at the young age of 8, following his older brothers’ lead. When he was 16, in 1976, an older man in the neighborhood gave him a side car to attach to his KZ900 so he would be safe.
“He saw this 16-year-old kid on a bike that could run 180 miles per hour without any modifications and told me to put the sidecar on it so I wouldn’t kill myself,” explains Kent with a smile.
Ana, originally from Manhattan, New York, met Kent while both were in Georgia. She says that she has always loved motorcycles.
“When I met Kent and found out he had one and actually rode, I was in love. My ex-husband claimed to ride but couldn’t even ride a bicycle,” she says with a laugh.
The couple married and eventually wound up moving to Texas.
In 2019, the Silks purchased The Texas Sidecar Company, established in 2000. It was a small company located in Leonard, Texas (Northeast of Plano). It had only three models of sidecars at that time.
When the Silks acquired it, they dropped ‘The’ from the name, relocated all the equipment to Houston, and opened their doors on July 4, 2019.
“We instantly had so much business, despite covid, and we just kept growing,” says Kent. “We had to expand, so we searched and ended up buying the Whitaker Place out in Donie and relocated. We opened up shop there on January 1, 2021.”
They continued rapidly growing and ended up purchasing DMC Sidecar out of Washington State, a larger competitor, and acquired three of the employees, which have been relocated to Texas.
In March of 2023, due to bursting at the seams, they decided to purchase the factory in Teague, which they opened in June of 2023.
Kent runs the factory in Teague while Ana runs the upholstery shop in Donie with their 10-plus employees.
The Silks were recently contacted by the world’s largest sidecar manufacturer, Watsonian Squire, based in England, to build for them American side.
“It’s an honor to have been selected,” says Kent. “We are getting to add four of their designs to our list. We had 27 models, now we will have 31. It’s very exciting!”
The company makes sure that all their buyers are trained to ride a bike with a sidecar. They are taken on a 12-mile loop ride through Donie before leaving with their new sidecar.
The Silks have clients from all over Texas, the United States, and the World. They credit the internet, social media, and word of mouth for their quick growth.
They are able to produce 150 to 200 sidecars per year and are completely booked with orders through the end of September 2024.
The Silks say that their focus is on customer service and great quality over quantity.
“Our success is due to hard work and the good Lord,” explains Kent. “He knows we will be good stewards of our God-given talents.”
“Because we’ve been given much, we must bless,” says Ana. “We love supporting our communities, friends, and family.”
Texas Sidecar Company’s factory is located at the corner of South 4th Street and Elm Street in Teague.
They can be reached by calling 833-897-4332 or by emailing info@texassidecars.com. You can also find them online at TexasSidecars.com and on Facebook.
