Motohistory Quiz #76

(2/28/2010)

You Motohistorians never fail to surprise me.  I was sure this would be a tough one, and that I would get a lot of readers telling me this is an Indian Scout.  However, five of the first seven respondents correctly identified it as a Mabeco, made in Germany.  Two correct answers came from Germany, one from France, and one from Sweden, but the first person to give us the correct answer was American author, historian, and Indian expert Jerry Hatfield.

Mabeco was a brand built in Berlin from 1922 through 1927.  The name came from Max Bernhardt & Co, and was backed by the big Siemens & Haske firm, which built many parts for airplanes prior to the First World War.  The model pictured here was a frank copy of the Indian Scout.  The Mabeco logo was even rendered in a script similar to Indian’s. 

Early on, Mabeco’s color was green, but even this was changed to Indian red, which is when the Wigwam decided, “While imitation may be the sincerest form of flatter, this is just too much!”  Indian sued Mabeco, and as a result of the suit, the company was liquidated.  It was reformed as Mabeco-Werke GMBH and resumed motorcycle production, still with Siemens & Haske as the main shareholder.  However, under the terms of the court settlement, Bernhardt was no longer allowed to serve on its board of directors, and he lost his job as business manager, though he still continued to hold stock in the company and function as an outside consultant.  Mabeco-Werke changed the product in many ways, but they still looked like Indians.

 

During its five years of operation, Mabeco built 3,400 motorcycles, and like many German motorcycle companies of the era, sought publicity through competition in national races.  Mabeco built a four-valve, twin-plug head, which was not a copy of Indian (pictured here), and provided engines to some Germany’s leading riders, who built their own chassis, an example of which is pictured below.  In this way, Mabeco won national championships in 1925 and 1926.  Mabeco also built a 346cc two-stroke “twingle,” a design licensed by Garelli.

Congrats, Jerry, your Motohistory Know-It-All Diploma is on its way.  To read our previously published feature about Jerry Hatfield, go to Motohistory News & Views 1/30/2009.

 

Thanks to Ralf Kruger and Peter Gysser for providing research and photos for this quiz. 

 

Motohistory Quiz #76

(2/28/2010)

 

What is it?  Be careful.  Don’t jump to conclusions.  This one may not be as easy as it looks.

 

Be the first to identify the brand and nation of origin of this motorcycle, and you will receive a personalized Motohistory Know-It-All Diploma, guaranteed to raise your self esteem enormously.

 

Send your answer right away to Ed@Motohistory.net.  

 

Eustis is biggest yet

(2/28/2010)

 

The 2010 Sunshine Chapter Antique Motorcycle Club of America National Meet, referred to by its fans simply as “Eustis,” produced its biggest turnout in its 15-year history February 26 through 28.  While Eustis is not one of the larger meets in the nation, it has a unique and welcoming quality since it always signals the beginning of the new season by offering Florida sunshine while snows still cover many of the northern states.  This year, Florida had experienced unseasonably cold weather during the winter months, and heavy rains in the weeks prior to the meet.  But chilly weather, a soggy fairground, and a persistent bad economy did not seem to deter the AMCA crowd, since vendors and collectors turned out in record numbers.  By noon on Friday, over 230 vendors had set up shop, and others still stood in line to register and find a space to display their wares. Meet director JoAnn Keller was quick to credit the vendors for a successful weekend.  She explained, "They have not only been understanding and patient, but many have pitched in and worked hard to help our club members sort out the problems caused by wet conditions on the fairground."   To access the web site of the AMCA Sunshine Chapter, click here.  To access the AMCA national web site, click here.   

 

Feet forward design:

Still searching for a foothold. 

(2/27/2010)

 

In the late 19th century, when men dreamed of speed and mobility through the then-new miracle of internal combustion, they already had a useful conveyance at hand.  It was the so-called safety bicycle, introduced in 1885.  With its equal sized wheels and ample unused space between the legs of the rider, it begged for the addition of a small motor.  And as we all know, the match-up was so natural, early motorcycle builders did not even bother to get rid of the pedal mechanism, which would come in handy when a struggling, wheezing little engine couldn’t make it over the next hill, or decided to die outright.  Thus, as motorcycles became larger, faster, and more powerful, the muscular drive mechanism was rendered obsolete, but for the most part designers never departed from the basic architecture of the bicycle.  Still today, the operator sits astride the frame and engine, operating the machine with handlebars. 

 

But there is a different concept that has been with us from the earliest days of motorcycling as well, offering an alternative that attracts advocates for a variety of reasons, including comfort, gentility, safety, speed, and economy.  This alternative can be defined broadly as “feet forward design,” (hereinafter designated “FF”) though its interpretations have been wide and varied.  Such vehicles have two main wheels in a single track, just like a motorcycle, but the rider is seated in a chair, or more “chair like,” rather than astride the machine.  (If it were a bicycle, it would go by the term “recumbent.”)  Most often, the engine is located behind the operator, and sometimes there are smaller outrigger wheels to keep the vehicle vertical when at rest.  While conventional motorcycle design has shunted the FF motorcycle off into a category of curiosity, its faithful proponents continue to refine the concept, and many argue that it will become a dominant design as the motorcycle of the future. 

 

An early example of FF design was the New Era (pictured right), manufactured in Dayton, Ohio from 1908 through 1913.  Its operator sat in a bucket seat above the engine, and its gas tank was mounted at the rear, leaving nothing to interfere with the operator’s legs and feet.  A passenger seat could be added behind the operator, perched above the rear wheel.  Presumably, it was a concept that would appeal to a gentleman.  Rather than having his shoes and good trousers fouled by a hot, oily, dripping engine, he could sit upright in dignity, perhaps smoking his fashionable Meerschaum pipe, if he pleased.  It was an early effort to broaden the market by attracting people who might not find it dignified to straddle a machine. 

 

As with the New Era, FF designers are often seeking to distance the operator from the engine, but in every case it is not necessary to place the engine rearward.  If operator protection is the goal, then the Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo (picured above), built in Detroit in 1913, did this in spades!  With its girder frame and full coachwork, it weighed 3,200 pounds and was powered by a liquid-cooled, 300 cubic inch V-8 engine placed forward in the frame.  This behemoth was either the world’s largest motorcycle or the world’s ugliest two-wheeled car (a designation that could be supported by the fact that it was operated through a steering wheel).  Intended for exclusive production for a discriminating and upscale clientele, only one was built.  With passengers fully enclosed, surrounded by a strong chassis, and carrying such weight, safety must have been the hallmark of this monstrosity.  Surely, only a large truck would have come off better in a collision with it.  It possessed a brutish kind of elegance, except that its sleek styling is interrupted by the bays required for the large retractable outriggers.  It was designated by Time magazine as one of the 50 worst automobiles of all time (sure glad they didn’t consider it a motorcycle!).  But, before we ridicule the Bi-Autogo off the stage, we should note that it contained the first V-8 engine ever built in Detroit, a configuration that would later define the great American musclecar for many decades.

 

Similar to the Bi-Autogo in concept, but on a much more practical scale came the Monotrace (pictured right), built in France from 1925 through 1928 under license from the German arms firm Mauser.  In Germany, the vehicle was called Einspurauto, meaning “single-tack car.” (French for single-track is Monotrace.)  Powered by a side-valve, liquid cooled, single cylinder engine of approximately 500cc, the Monotrace had room for one passenger directly behind the operator.  Its outrigger wheels were operated by a long lever, and they were cleverly placed so that if the driver forgot to lower them upon stopping (it could have happened!), the vehicle would tilt, but not fall entirely over on its side.  The Bi-Autogo and the Monotrace reveal some of the basic thinking about FF design.  When the rider is not astride the engine and chassis, it becomes more feasible to create bodywork that will provide comfort, better weather protection, and theoretically improved safety.  Also, with enclosing bodywork it becomes possible for designers to streamline an FF motorcycle.  FF can offer a lower profile and smaller frontal area, which are key to effective streamlining.  But this will come later, as the years unfold.   

 

In fact, the enclosed FF motorcycle—or “cabin motorcycle”--has a name, though you don’t hear it often in traditional motorcycle circles.  It is “Dalnik,” coined by Czech aircraft engineer Jan Anderle.  It is a combination of Czech words “Dalka,” meaning “faraway,” and “Dalnice,” meaning “highway,” suggesting distance, future, adventure, or the mythical road, as with the American fascination with Route 66.  Anderle built his first FF cabin motorcycle (pictured here) in the late 1930s, and over time designed and built many more.  The idea of a car-motorcycle hybrid caught on in Eastern Europe, leading to a kind of golden age of Dalniks during the 1950s and ‘60s.  Anderle and his wife defected to Western Europe, but she later persuaded him to return to Czechoslovakia.  Ignoring his brilliant career as an engineer, the government arrested Anderle as a traitor and sent him to work in the uranium mines.  He died in relative obscurity in 1982.  Toward the end of his life, Anderle was hired by Arnold Wagner to help with the design of his Ecomobile, which will be discussed later in this article.

 

One class of two-wheeled vehicle that has embraced and aggressively developed FF design is the scooter, represented by the Salsbury Model 85 pictured here.  For the most part, however, scooter designers have not taken advantage of the FF position to lower the profile of the vehicle and rider.  In most cases, the rider remains sitting bolt upright.  Still, a scooter can lend itself well to the addition of safety enclosures, as with the BMW C1, which we shall return to below. 

 

In the 60 years since the Second World War, a rapidly overpopulating world has brought new pressures on society that some believe can be addressed through FF design.  The proliferation of highways and personal vehicles has forced our attention toward safety.  Even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. once advocated FF design as a theoretically safer motorcycle platform.  Oddly, the NHTSA contractors left the engine up front, with chain drive to the front wheel.  And, they moved the steering to the rear (who knows why!), to create a treacherously unmanageable vehicle that was ridiculed as the “NHTSA backward bike.”  Shown above is a cartoon that appeared in American Motorcyclist in June, 1979.  It was the NHTSA’s desire to use FF design to put a cage around the rider, and how they could have utterly ignored nearly a century of learning about vehicle dynamics is inexplicable.  Since this wrong-headed proposal, leading motorcycle manufacturers—namely BMW and Honda—have applied FF design and a safety cage create scooter-like vehicles intended to improve operator protection, both from weather and collisions.  The BMW C1 (pictured here) was not widely sold in Europe and never introduced to the United States, but rumors persist that the German manufacture will return a similar vehicle to the market soon, promoting both safety and fuel economy (to read more about BMW’s scooter history, go to Motohistory News & Views 1/13/2008).

 

Fuel economy is the other socio-economic issue that has gotten the attention of FF designers.  Over 70 years ago, visionary designer Buckminster Fuller proposed that the mission of any responsible designer or inventor was to do more with less, but relatively few have heeded his words.  This is changing as energy costs increase and natural resources come in shorter supply.  While little is still being done to make internal combustion engines truly efficient, an international group of independent motorcycle designers has set out to get better results by working with what they have available through FF design.  Conspicuous among these is American designer Craig Vetter, who as early as 1981 sponsored a fuel economy contest.  In its first year, participants achieved results approaching 200 mpg, using streamlining and serial production engines. 

 

Through these efforts, FF design has emerged as the most effective path to motorcycle fuel efficiency, largely because it can provide a lower profile and less frontal area to facilitate streamlining.  Designers have also achieved good results with a conventional motorcycle-type chassis inside a streamlined shell, but these are too uncomfortable for the operator to be used on a day-to-day basis.  Pictured above is Joe Minton, piloting a Vetter-designed FF streamlined bike that participated in the inaugural Vetter Economy Run.  Vetter has continued to vigorously promote the philosophy of Buckminster Fuller, and has continued to experiment with streamlining, seeking FF designs that will both get results and be acceptable for practical daily use by the public at large.  Vetter has focused on getting better results with lower horsepower, since less power requires less fuel consumption.  He believes that a serviceable daily-use vehicle can be developed on only 20 horsepower, provided people become environmentally conscious and sacrifice a little of their desire to get there quicker.  Using his design based on a 19 horsepower Honda Helix scooter chassis (pictured above). Vetter has learned he can maintain highway speeds on a level service with a 19-hp vehicle.  With such low power, it is on hills that a rider must exercise a little more patience.

 

Streamlined FF design can be taken in two directions, toward lower fuel consumption as pursued by Craig Vetter, or toward higher performance as pursued by Denis Manning, designer of speed racing machines.  In fact, since the 1950s, most streamlined land speed record motorcycles have used FF design, as is the case with the BUB Seven streamliner, which currently holds the world record for a wheel-driven motorcycle with a two-way average speed of 376 mph at Bonneville on September 24, 2009, with pilot Chris Carr at the controls.  Just how much FF design can reduce frontal area was demonstrated by the German firm NSU with its speed record machines of the 1950s (pictured above; yes, there’s a man inside that thing!).  Of course, this extreme adaptation of FF design is not practical on a day-to-day basis, as is the case also with Manning’s BUB Seven (pictured above).  At 1,600 pounds, 400 horsepower, and 21 feet in length, the machine makes no pretense to address the transportation needs of the man on the street!

 

While most of history’s FF or Dalnik motorcycles have been experimental one-off designs (with the exception of scooters), a few have been put into limited production for public sale.  And most of these have been built for performance, not primarily for economy.  One was the Quasar (pictured above), developed by Englishmen Malcolm Newell and Ken Leaman in 1968.  Powered by an 850cc Reliant engine and capable of cruising at 90 to 100 mph, the Quasar featured a partially enclosed cabin, complete with automotive-type windshield with windshield wipers, including a roof over the rider.  The first commercial sale of a Quasar took place in 1976, after which about 20 were built with the Reliant engine, and a few more with a variety of motorcycle engines.  There appeared to be enough interest to support a boutique market, but enough money was never raised to ramp up production. 

 

Perhaps the best known modern FF Dalnik is the Ecomobile, designed by Swiss airline pilot Arnold Wagner and first prototyped in 1982.  While first named “The Rocket,” Wagner later renamed it Ecomobile, making claims that it was a greener alternative to vehicles of comparable performance.  Suggesting the there is anything “eco” about the Ecomobile is hard to support, since the vehicle is powered by a 130 hp BMW K1200RS engine, is capable of 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds, and boasts a top speed of 165 mph.  Its proponents point out that at 60 mpg at legal speed on the highway, its streamlining achieves superior mileage when compared to sport bike in its power range, but this achievement is still a long way from being “green,” by modern standards.  For example, it weighs almost half as much as a Honda Fit automobile and has a six-inch longer wheelbase, whereas the Honda can carry four people with mileage of 35 mph.  But it is probably erroneous to compare the Ecomobile to anything else on the road.  It is an exciting vehicle with great panache, and it may be history’s first dalnik to have a valid claim to improved passenger safety, since its Kevlar structure has been crash tested and approved for sale in the United States by U.S. Department of Transportation.  One look at a video of the Ecomobile in action is likely to make you want to own one.  But this exciting experience comes at a high price, since Ecos were built in only very limited quantities, keeping retail at $65,000 or higher.

 

Recently, Peraves, the company that launched the Ecomobile, has reengineered, restyled, and renamed it the Monotracer, hearkening back to the French Monotrace of the 1920s.  Creature comfort has been improved with a plush interior, and it is hoped that the redesign will enable the company to bring the product to market at a significantly lower price.  Peraves has also begun to prototype electric and hybrid models, is working on a revolutionary Kugelmotor—called a “Superball Motor” in English—and has announced it intends to aggressively pursue a “green” policy by entering X-Prize competition where it will vie with other manufacturers to win $10 million for producing the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the planet. 

 

Without a doubt, Peraves has gone farther than any other company to make the FF Dalnik concept viable, and taken seriously by the media and in the marketplace.  Yet, as long as the major manufacturers remain wedded to the age-old bicycle architecture of conventional motorcycles (can the Honda DN-01 be regarded a cautious departure?) and obsessed with speed, horsepower, and performance, the virtues of FF design will continue to be largely ignored by all but a faithful few.  Perhaps it is because they are considered awkward, clunky, quirky, and even ugly (Indeed, it is hard to erase the image of something like the Bi-Autogo).  So, within the world of conventional motorcycling, FF design is still seeking a foothold, but if an equal amount of resources had been poured into it over the past century, imagine what production motorcycles might be today.  Note here, for example, the latter day Mototrace (pictured above), built by French designer Pierre Gillet in 1999.  Isn’t she a beauty?

 

To reach more FF links, click here.  To view a recumbent motorcycle gallery, click here.  For other FF images, click here.  To access a forum on FF design, click here.  To join the FF Web, click here.  For another image of the Bi-Autogo, click here.  For more images of the Monotrace, click here.  For more about Jan Anderle and Dalniks, click here.  For more about pioneer FF designers, click here.  To read Craig Vetter’s thoughts on fuel economy, click here.  For information on fuel economy and streamlining on Vetter’s web site, click here.  To read about the Vetter economy runs, click here, or to order his DVD on how 470 mpg was achieved through streamlining, click here.  For more about the Quasar venture, click here.  For a review of the Quasar, click here.  To access the Peraves web site, containing information about the Ecomobile and the Monotracer, click here.  For Treehugger’s report on the Ecomobile, click here.  To access the official Monotracer web site, click here.  For the Monotracer at speed, click here.

Thanks to Dan Whitfield and Craig Vetter for photos and assistance with research.              

 

Aldana did it first

and did it better

(2/26/2010)

 

Belgian figure skater Kevin van der Perren created a sensation when he skated onto the ice wearing a skeleton costume (pictured here) at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada earlier this month.  But it was not the reaction he would have liked since the intense, tradition-bound, and humorless figure skating community generally carped and sniped about the outfit.  After all, the Olympics should not be taken lightly, ahem!  To read the story, click here. 

 

Fans responded more positively 39 years ago when David Aldana showed up at the Astrodome in his black-and-white “Mr. Bones” leathers (pictured below).  After a sensational season as a BSA factory rider in 1970, Aldana was dismissed by the foundering British firm on the eve of the 1971 season, leaving him and others without support.  Needing riding gear for the fast-approaching season opener at the Houston Astrodome, Aldana dug deep into his imagination and came up with the idea for his skeleton suit. When Bates Leathers told him they did not have a clue how to design such a suit, Aldana went out to the five-and-dime and bought one of those cardboard, articulated hanging skeletons used for decoration at Halloween.  The Bates crew took the skeleton apart and laid the pieces out as a makeshift pattern in appropriate locations on a black suit already cut to Aldana’s measurements.  It was rumored at the time that some AMA officials, being intense, tradition-bound, and humorless, were not amused.  But still today, racers copy the design and leather motorcycle jackets inspired by Mr. Bones Aldana are available on the market. 

Eat your heart out, Kevin.  Good idea, but a little late.  To read David Aldana’s official Hall of Fame biography, click here.  To access Kevin van der Perren's official web site, click here.   

 

Aldana image from the Bates Custom Leathers web site.             

 

Thoughts about

the mysterious Traub

By Ralf Kruger

(2/23/2010)

 

Regular readers of Motohistory may recall our big journey, which Ed, my editor in chief, and I called our Museum Monster Tour (see Motohistory News & Views August 3 through August 16, 2009).  In the course of this tour, which led us through half of the U.S last summer, we visited  many of the finest motorcycle museums in America, learning a lot about American motorcycle history.  This wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of open-minded museum owners and staff who shared a lot of their time and knowledge with us about the old motorcycles and artifacts on display.  One of these stories springs to my mind nearly every other day.  It's premise is as venturesome and improbable as you can imagine; only real life could dictate such a story. It is the story of the mysterious Traub, pictured above.

 

After pleasurable hours of study in Dale Walksler's Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, I discovered an old motorcycle which instantly got my attention.  Painted in unusual ochre and tan color, it stood out in the crowd of many other rarities.  "Traub" was painted on its tank.  John Dills, who guided the tour, introduced it as a one-off product.  The absolutely fabulous story about this bike goes approximately as follows: The bike was brought to light when discovered during the demolition of a house in Chicago around 1968.  It had been bricked up in a wall about 50 year ago, and nothing further is known of its origin.

 

Totally hooked by the appearance of this bike and its unusual story, I danced around it, taking dozens of pictures.  I was confused.  It seemed so uncharacteristic of the other motorcycles in the museum, about 99 percent of which are of American origin.   Traub is a German name.  Its discovery in Chicago, within a region to which so many Germans emigrated, suggested the builder might have been an American with German roots. In an effort to gather any hint of its origin, I studied its details.  The first thing you recognize about such a bike is its engine.  It is a big side-valve V-twin, 80 cubic inches in capacity.  Wow, in 1917 (the date has been established by dating several of the bike’s components, such as magneto, carburetor, and seat)?  The screws which mount the timing case cover to the crankcase are slotted with a blind hole for alignment of the screwdriver.  These are special and not commonly seen on motorcycles.  Also special are the knurled screw heads that have to be moved by hand, such as the oil level control screw on the gearbox, for example.  I conclude that the man or woman who designed this bike must have been an absolute expert, a true professional, and a god's given machinist.

 

I continued to study the machine and noted that the crankcases are accurately cast, but no hint of its origin has been included except the name “Traub.”  I discovered one more detail: a small copper tube on the left side of the crankcase embedded into the aluminum casting that works as a pressure release valve, for ventilation, and for oil overflow.  It looks just like a coolant carrying tube common on lathes or milling machines.  High five!  This designer must have been a professional machinist or patternmaker.  But let’s not yet jump to a conclusion until we study other details.  On the right hand side of the motorcycle a larger diameter copper tube doubles as the gearbox vent. I know these copper tubes could have been chosen by chance, but if YOU had to build a one-off motorcycle and were a machinist by profession, what kind of tube would you pick?  Probably one that is capable and that you have ready at hand.  In addition, the coupling nuts on the pipeline from the oil tank to the engine crankcase depict pure machine tool design.   

 

The magneto is mounted in front of the engine.  It is a Bosch unit, not an American Splitdorf.  Not an English or French magneto, but a German Bosch! Hmmm.  Back to the gearbox : It's drive is a very advanced design for 1917 with no belts but all chains for both primary and secondary drives.  The gearbox's positive stop gear change mechanism is a brilliantly simple design, and cleverly executed.   It appears to me that the three-speed gearbox is manufactured by the builder himself, since there is no apparent name in its casting of a known manufacturer of the era, either American or German.

 

Having studied the details of this mysterious motorcycle, I began a logical process to seek more information about its history.  There is a German machine tool company named Traub.  Is it possible that this company built a prototype or sample motorcycle to demonstrate its capability as a machine tool company, and displayed that bike at a World’s Fair in the United States?  These kinds of demonstrations as advertising were quite usual at that time, and there were World’s Fairs in San Francisco in 1917, and in New York and Chicago in 1918.  But wait, the San Francisco and New York events were described as “Allied War Expositions,” which reminds us that 1917 was right in the middle of the First World War, and the year during which America entered the war.  It seems quite unlikely that a German company would be allowed to display any products in the USA at that time.  Furthermore, an 80cid engine was not at all characteristic of German motorcycles of the day.  Indeed, it would seem that the person who built this dream machine might have been working in the context of the leading American rivals—namely Indian and Harley-Davidson—to desire such a large engine.  But could there have still been a connection between the genius machinist who built this motorcycle and the Traub Company in Germany?  Maybe a brother of the founder of Traub?  Perhaps a relative who left Germany before World War I in pursuit of the American Dream?

 

Back in Germany after our Museum Monster Tour, I found myself with more questions than answers about the fascinating Traub.  So, one day in January I decided to visit Traub, now a subsidiary of Index, a company near Stuttgart specializing in automatic lathes (its logo is pictured here).  I had not announced my visit, so I was grateful for any answers I might find.  With the help of the internet, I had already learned that the founder of the company was Mr. Hermann Traub from Esslingen (pictured below), who had died in 1980, so there unfortunately would be no "first hand" information available to me.  But today's factory manager, Mr.Ziegler, took time to listen to me when I told him about the Traub motorcycle I had seen in America.  Sadly, he did not know anything about the founder or the Traub family, or anything that could shed some light on my questions.  Instead, he gave me the telephone number of his executive secretary, Ms. Misselbeck.  She had been an employee since the foundation of Traub in 1938!  This late date, of course, put a big hole in some of my theories, since there could clearly be no connection between a pre-1920 motorcycle and the modern Traub concern.  But Ms. Misselbeck was a real gem of perseverance, and promised to scan the firm's archive in search of a motorcycle.  It came as no surprise that nothing was found, since the motorcycle in question was built two decades before the founding of Traub. 

 

With the modern Traub Company eliminated from any connection, I was still interested in the family itself.  I was looking for a missing link, a brother maybe who had preferred to leave Esslingen for America to seek his fortune.  This could have been possible, because a) This part of Germany was very poor during the late 19th century; b) Hermann Traub was born in 1896, as Ms. Misselbeck reported to me, so it is plausible that there may have been a brother of the appropriate age.  But this proved to be another dead end for the moment, because Ms. Misselbeck did not know anything about her former boss's life before the founding of Traub.  His legal heirs—three children—had left the family firm to outsiders, and M. Misselbeck did not know them or how to contact them.

 

So this was it.  I had failed to find a direct or indirect origin of the mysterious Traub motorcycle in Germany.  But am I disappointed?  Not really.  The hunt will continue, and eventually we will learn more, and over time perhaps the Traub will become less of a mystery.  We’ll continue to give history a chance to reveal her secrets. 

 

For more detail about the quality and unique features of the Traub, plus additional photos, click here.  For more information about the curious history of the Traub, click here.  For a video of the Traub running, click here.  To learn more about the Wheels Through Time Museum, the home of the mysterious Traub, click here.  To read about the Traub on the Wheels Through Time Museum web site, click here.

Photography by Ralf Kruger.

 

(2/20/2010)

 

Jeff Dean, who produces the “Dean of BMW web sites,” has moved to a new URL.  To stay in touch with his fine work, click here. 

 

Last month Motohistory featured a huge Sarolea gathering in Berlare, Belgium (see Motohistory News & Views 1/31/2010).  For video from this once-only event, click here. 

 

If you are interested in those awesome machines from the dawn of superbike racing, you’ll like Brian O’Shea’s vintage superbike web site.  Click here.

 

For some very cool bobbers, check out BikeEfix.  Click here.

 

For history attempting to repeat itself, go to the web site of Evelwannabe Mad Mike Hughes.  Click here.

 

For news about the big Road America Vintage Motorcycle Weekend and other upcoming Classic Swap Meet dates, click here.

 

The Antique Motorcycle Club of America will be hosting its popular bike show and kick-start demos at Limpnickie Lot at 1848 South Ridgewood Avenue in South Daytona Beach on March 3.  The club is also sponsoring an antique class at the Cycle Source Ride-in Bike Show at the same location on March 5.  For more information, click here.

Wheels Through Time, one of the most popular motorcycle museums in North America, has announced weekend openings for March 19 through 22, and March 26 through 28.  For more information on additional 2010 weekend openings, For more information about WTTM, click here.

For images from Germany’s Dieburger Drieksrennen, a street festival for vintage cars and motorcycles, click here.  For video of the event, click here. 

Bator International reports that a huge stock of Italian parts and memorabilia has been consigned to the Daytona Auction, and will be sold at no reserve on March 6. For more information, click here.

The AMCA Southern National—a new event—will be held at Denton FarmPark in Denton, North Carolina May 14 through 16.  For more information, click here. 

The Wisconsin State Legislature has proposed to name Harley-Davidson the official state motorcycle.  This might seem like a no-brainer (what would you expert?  Simplex?), but the advocacy group Noise Free America is opposing the bill.  Ain’t nuthin easy!  To read the story, click here. 

For images from the Penton Owners Group exhibit at the recent Cleveland Cycle World Show, click here.

 

The volume of material that has been compiled on Eddie Boomhower’s Racer Reunion web site in a short period of time is simply astonishing.  To check it out, click here.

 

The Arbuthnot Trophy:

In memory of a Naval hero

and TT pioneer

By David Wright

(2/18/2010)

 

When spectators opened their Programmes at the 1908 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy meeting, many would have looked twice at entry number 24, for it showed a Captain of the Royal Navy as down to ride a Triumph.  Not only was it unusual to have a serving sea captain engaging in motorcycle racing, but those who understood the niceties of British life recognised that he held the title of Baronet, for his entry read Captain Sir R.K. Arbuthnot, Bt.  However, what those watching could not have known was that the heroic deeds of this man, both on and off of two-wheels, would see his name endure in the world of motorcycling for a century and more.

 

Coming from a distinguished family, Robert Keith Arbuthnot entered the Navy as a midshipman at the age of 13.  He progressed in rank and survived a catastrophe on HMS Royal Sovereign in 1901 when a heavy gun exploded at the breech, killing six and leaving him as one of 20 with serious injuries.

 

How and when he developed an interest in motorcycles is not known, but at the comparatively old age of 44 he joined fellow entrants at historic Tynwald Hill, St Johns, on the Isle of Man, for the start of the 1908 TT.  This was only the second running of the event and it was scheduled for 10 laps of a 15½ mile course on the west side of the Island.  This ‘Short Course’ was used from 1907-1910, before the 37¾ mile Mountain Course was adopted for the TT in 1911.  Shown below, in stout leather jacket and breeches, topped with an early leather flying-helmet and goggles, the Captain is waiting to do battle on his single-cylinder Triumph with 36 other competitors over the 158 mile race distance.  

A substantial tool box can be seen on the rear carrier, and a spare drive-belt is below the saddle, for early TT races demanded not only riding skills from participants, but also sufficient mechanical skills to be able to repair a belt-drive, mend a puncture, or even change a valve out on the course.  Another requirement was a good level of physical fitness and although not a young man, Captain Arbuthnot was still active in boxing and athletic competitions organised by the Navy, and this ensured that he was fit enough to cope with physical challenges such as the much feared Creg Wyllies Hill, which competitors encountered some two miles from the start.  With everyone riding primitive single-speeders over the loose-surfaced roads of the day, this formidable hill was preceded by the speed-sapping bends of Glen Helen and Sarah’s Cottage, the combined effects of which forced some riders to dismount and run alongside their bikes on the upper reaches of the hill, as revs dropped away and engines threatened to stall.  It was all seen as part of the demands of early racing by those pioneers of 1908, but it must have been a wearying business if done in full riding-kit on each of the 15 laps.

 

Captain Arbuthnot and his Triumph finished in a fine third place in the single-cylinder TT of 1908, after racing for four hours and seven minutes at an average speed of 38.22 mph, compared to winner Jack Marshall (Triumph) at 40.49 mph and second-placed Charlie Collier (Matchless) at 40.01 mph.  However, despite this success, it was the only TT he contested, even though he retained a strong interest in motorcycling affairs.

 

Looking set for a successful naval career, he suffered a setback in 1910 after being too outspoken for the Lords of the Admiralty’s liking on what he perceptively saw as a military threat to Britain from another European country.  Surprisingly, it was in a speech to the ACU (controlling body for British motorcycle sport) that he wandered off the subject of motorcycles and onto international politics, as a result of which he found himself disciplined and looking for command of another ship.  Fortunately, his career soon got back on course and by 1916 he was Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Keith Arbuthnot, Bart, K.C.B., M.V.O.  It was the time of the First World War, during which he gave distinguished service, but then came disaster, for while commanding HMS Defence during the Battle of Jutland, he attempted a bold manoeuvre that brought him under heavy enemy fire, and his vessel was sunk with all 903 hands aboard.

 

Rear-Admiral Arbuthnot went down with his ship—and legend says his TT Triumph went down with him—but his name lives on in the world of motorcycling, for immediately after the First World War the Arbuthnot Trophy Trial was created by friends to honour his memory.  First held in 1919, it was an event for sporting motorcycles and was open to Flag Officers, Captains and Officers of Wardroom or Gunroom rank of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, or Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on the active list. The Trophy was a bronze statuette of the Rear-Admiral in early motorcycle riding gear, and although the event achieved prominence in Britain and ran through the 1920s and 1930s, it ceased sometime around 1937.

 

After laying dormant on a shelf at ACU headquarters for some 45 years, the Arbuthnot Trophy was returned to competition in 1982 as the premier award in a Trial for old style rigid-framed motorcycles.  Run over a course of nearly 80 miles in the Salisbury area, much of which was over trails, it was a successful attempt to re-enact the type of long-distance trial that was popular between the two World Wars.

Having re-established itself, the Arbuthnot Trophy Trial continues to run on an annual basis, but entry is no longer restricted to members of the Senior Service (as the Royal Navy calls itself), for it is now open to anyone with a suitably old bike who wants a good ride over reasonable off-road going.

 

Relatively little is made of the origin and history surrounding the Arbuthnot title at the present event, but it would be nice to think that at sometime during their day’s sport, current participants spare a thought for the former TT rider and war hero who gave his life for his country and his name to their Trial.

Lead photo by FoTTofinders. 

Trophy photo courtesy of David Wright.

 

Coming out parties

planned for the GL1000

(2/15/2010)

 

According to the rules of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, a motorcycle becomes eligible for judging as a bona fide antique when it is 35 years old.  This standard makes 2010 a landmark year for Japanese collectible motorcycles since it is the 35th birthday of the Honda Gold Wing, which was introduced in 1975.  With its car-like liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine, shaft drive, and fuel tank located under the seat, the GL1000 broke the mold for touring motorcycles and served notice that Honda would challenge its competitors in every single market niche.  For reliability, quiet running, and smooth operation, the Gold Wing brought a higher standard of luxury to the big bike market.  Delivered first as a stripped-down motorcycle, Honda may have thought it appropriate for the high-performance market, but American riders soon taught the company that is was more to their liking as a touring machine. 

 

The GL’s coming out as an AMCA-qualified antique will be celebrated this year with special recognition at three of the most prestigious motorcycle concours events in the U.S. These will include the Quail Motorcycle Gathering at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California on May 8, the Riding into History Concours at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida on May 15, and AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days July 9 through 11.  In addition to a special invitation to display GL1000s, each of these events will offer a special award for the best Vetter-equipped Gold Wing, sponsored by Craig Vetter, the man whose company helped redefine the motorcycle as a long-distance touring machine. 

 

For more information about the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, click

here.  For more information about the Riding into History Concours, click here.  For more information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, click here.  To read our prior feature about the GL1000, go to Motohistory News & Views 9/29/2006.

 

The Vetter/GL connection

History would suggest that Honda became a direct competitor against American designer and aftermarket supplier Vetter Fairings when it brought out its fully-dressed Gold Wing Interstate in 1980.  This is true, but there is a back story that has never been told about active cooperation between Vetter and Honda to deliver a better touring motorcycle to America’s touring rider. 

Following its introduction in 1972, the Vetter Windjammer fairing became an instant success.  With bracketry making the Windjammer mountable to almost every motorcycle on the market, within two years 35,000 of the popular fairing had been manufactured and sold.  By constantly improving and updating his products, Vetter introduced its Windjammer III with lower panels in the autumn of 1974, on the eve of the introduction of the GL1000.  At that time, Craig Vetter was invited by Honda to fly to Japan to discuss manufacturing a fairing of Honda’s own design.  He recalls, “It looked like a slimmed-down Windjammer, but they would give me no idea which bike it was intended for.  A month later at the Las Vegas Show I found out when the GL1000, complete with Hondaline fairing (pictured above), was unveiled at Las Vegas.” 

Again, the fairing’s narrower frontal area suggested that Honda may have been thinking of the GL for a performance market.  But Vetter had a different vision.  He explains, “After seeing their fairing on this monstrous new Honda, I told them that I thought the design would be a mistake because it was too small for the bike.”  He continues, “I explained that the bigger Windjammer fairing was more appropriate for the way Americans rode.   They insisted that this was what they wanted.  Reluctantly, I agreed to produce it for them with the understanding that if they ever decided that it wasn’t right, they would come to me first for the next design.”  Honda delivered three new GLs to the Vetter shop in Illinois, and work began to bring the Hondaline design into production.  Honda also allowed Vetter to use the GLs to develop bracketry for its Windjammer product line.  Pictured above is the Vetter fully-equipped Gold Wing.

As circumstances and timing would have it, Vetter captured the emerging GL dresser market before a Hondaline aftermarket fairing could be effectively launched.  Vetter states, “My wife Carol, who was then in charge of the Vetter dealer network, informed me that Honda customers were not taking delivery of their bikes until Windjammers were installed.”  Later, a fire destroyed the Vetter factory, including the Hondaline fairing molds.  Vetter says, “By then it was clear that the Hondaline fairing was not competitive with the Windjammer.  Only about 50 were ever built, and all went to Japan, except one which I saved and is now in the collections at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.”  By 1978, Vetter had introduced the Windjammer SS in addition to color-matched luggage for the Gold Wing.  By then, Honda had learned a lot about how Americans used their Gold Wings, and in 1980 introduced its fully-dressed GL1100 Interstate (pictured above).  Vetter smiles and says, “It was, in every respect, a Windjammer from Japan.” 

To read this previously untold story in Craig Vetters own words, click here.

Images from Craig Vetter's web site.


See Stella emerge on canvas
(2/12/2010)

Last month we reported on the release of “Stella,” David Uhl’s latest painting in his biannual series of Harley-Davidson women (see Motohistory News & Views 1/27/2010).  Stella is a departure from Uhl’s previous women, and for the first time the artist has shared with us how his paintings emerge.  Using time-lapse photography, Uhl took still shots of the canvas while he painted, then compiled them into a video that transforms “Stella” from a sketch to the final fine oil, right before your eyes.  To experience the emergence of “Stella,” click here.  For those of you already in love with Stella, be aware that the original is long gone, and prints are selling fast.  To acquire one of the remaining prints, click here. 

 

Mark Mederski talks about the past,

the future, and what’s important now

(2/10/2010)

 

MH:  Mark, you spent a great deal of your career with the AMA.  You joined the staff in 1982 to create a marketing department that developed techniques that have maintained consistent growth in membership.   In late 1999, you became Director of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at its expanded facility in Pickerington, Ohio.  After retiring from that position in 2009, you launched your own consultancy, and now have an important job with the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.  Tell us a bit about your background before you began your long career with the AMA.

 

MM: I liked cars from the time I was a little kid.  In picking a career, I decided dentistry would be good.  I was good with my hands as a scale model builder, could make a lot of money, buy very cool cars.  After about five quarters at Ohio University, I learned about Industrial Design and decided I was more suited for this path; designing good looking manufactured products using my established knowledge and what I could learn about materials, finishes, adhesives, fasteners, and such.  I switched to ID and made the Dean's list through my senior year.  Just out of school, I went to work for the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio.  Originally, I did small scale diorama work for a transportation museum, the National Road Museum in Zanesville, then moved on to exhibition design and museum planning and marketing.  Little did I know how valuable this ten years of experience would be going forward.  I had applied my ID education, learned a lot about museums, and gained considerable knowledge about decorative arts (antiques, including furniture) and other historic objects from the 18th and 19th centuries.  I became very fascinated with a range of historic objects and related technology and oooops, became a collector.  Even an old Hendee lathe or iron bridge is worth studying.

 

MH:  Tell us about the kind of consulting work you are doing now.

 

MM: Actually, I have been full-time staff at the National Motorcycle Museum since August 2009.  While the main project is moving the Museum to a new, bigger, and better location with enhanced exhibitions, I am also working on marketing, membership, and fundraising programs for the Museum.  I completely threw myself into my work for the AMA and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, and I feel I did a lot to build both brands.  But this is a very different gig I have with John Parham, the president of the National Motorcycle Museum Foundation. Most know him as the principal in J&P Cycles.  Along with his wife Jill, they have for the last 30 years built an incredible business, noted by Dealernews as the biggest motorcycle parts retailer on the planet.  John has parlayed his success into building a killer motorcycle collection, and I get to manage the project of putting them all on display with a bit more space, better lighting, and themed exhibits.  About 225 bikes, including four Flying Merkels, three Brough Superiors, and more than half a dozen Vincents, plus about 10 board track racers. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

MH:  How does one get in touch with you for advice or consultation?

 

MM:  I am a certified personal property appraiser and can help people figure out what they've got and how to insure it.  I am also promoting that we aging collectors get our collections in order.  We have all heard of the widow left with twenty bikes, getting nagged to sell by her husband's old buddies, and she doesn't know where to turn.  This circumstance is preventable with a little planning and documentation.  I also know too many collectors who have fantastic stories about their bikes and the machine's provenance.  Unfortunately, they are not committing their stories to paper, and this valuable data will pass with the death of the owner.  I'm not a fatalist, but we owe it to our loved ones and future generations to get the information organized, substantiated with tape interviews, magazines stories, and paperwork and photos that came with the bike.  I love computers, but print the information and file it.

 

Right now my time is totally consumed with work for the National Motorcycle Museum and I am not seeking other work at the moment. But I am always interested in helping collectors get their stuff organized, appraised if necessary for insurance, etc. Contact me by e-mail at motormark@columbus.rr.com and I can respond evenings and weekends. 

 

MH:  What more can you tell us about the National Motorcycle Museum expansion?  When will the new museum be open? 

(Editor's Note: Mederski is pictured below inside the new museum, overlooking a model of its future floor plan and exhibits.)

 

MM:  While we will have a preview opening in time for J&P Cycles annual customer appreciation open house June 26 and 27 this year, it will likely be autumn before we are into the new 36,000 square-foot space and the current downtown Anamosa location is closed.  John Parham and Jeff Carstensen, the Museum director, brought me in to “take the Museum up a few notches,” as John expresses it.  If you go to the Museum's website, you can see the biggest problem we are attacking; space!  At the AMA Museum we typically showed about 50 bikes in 8,000 square feet, for example.  The current 16,000 square-foot National Motorcycle Museum displays about 250 bikes.  Five times the bikes in twice the space!  Just the additional space will help, but we will also bring you more motorcycling stories in addition to better lighting and space around the bikes.  Did I mention that the collection includes about 1000 graphic pieces large and small, and also at least 1,000 objects including a 450 piece motorcycle toy collection?  In general, presentation will improve, but we'll also have more exhibitions that meet the interests of younger visitors, a library, and a nice preparation and restoration shop.  The Museum Store will be nicer and we'll also have a 4,000 square-foot banquet facility, which should be a big hit in the community and provide a little operating income.  It's great to be on this project.  I really enjoy the people I am working with.  They have a vision and commitment to make a great Museum, yet one that is very personal and approachable by motorcycle enthusiasts and their friends.

 

MH:  When you joined the AMA staff in 1982, there were almost no museums in America dedicated solely to motorcycle history.  If we recall correctly, the Indian Motocycle Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts may have been the only one.  The AMA had just created the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation and was still eight years away from opening a museum.  Now there are many, and the United States boasts some of the best in the world.  And vintage and custom motorcycles have become practically an obligatory subject for shows in major museums and galleries all over the nation where they are treated as an art form.  What do you think has caused this tremendous change in attitude and interest?  Do you think the trend will continue, or will we reach some kind of saturation?

 

MM: It's kind of curious.  You hear not infrequently that the word “museum,” or the institution is dull, uninteresting, even moldy, but we motorcyclists are cranking up the preservation of our segment of transportation and sport at a helluva pace.  I think the baby boomers are behind most of it.  They began buying up the stuff of their youth at such a pace that they looked at their garage one day and wondered when they had “tipped” to becoming a museum.  Of course, I'm a little touchy on this point.  A bunch of cool motorcycles does not a museum make.  You need to put all the bikes, photos, riding gear, trophies and such in context to really tell the stories to the visitors.  If you don't, you are offering a collection for viewing, but not really within the typical mission of a museum, many of which must be in the education business to fulfill their non-profit charitable organization requirements.

 

Similar to what Jay Leno has done to popularize motorcycles, Mr. Thomas Krenz of the Guggenheim Museum created The Art of the Motorcycle.  Finally, 12 years later, mainstream museums producing motorcycle exhibitions have tapered off, but they seemed everywhere for awhile.  This has been good for us motorcyclists as we seem more hip and acceptable to a broader part of the population.  But this exhibit has also made us more aware of the two wheel conveyances we ride; in many cases motorcycles are machine art and we are now more trained to wonder at their shapes and colors, materials and manufacturing processes. Most motorcycle museums in America and perhaps in other countries have begun as private collections, then gone public.  I think this growth is great.  America is a big country, motorcycling has a long and wide-ranging history.  California is surprising however.  Virgil Elings’ Solvang Motorcycle Museum is the only California motorcycle museum I am aware of that keeps regular hours and promotes visitation.  Maybe some collectors in the LA area should pool their resources and create a great museum.

 

Until the last decade, I was no fan of custom bikes.  Most were not so well conceived and just okay in execution.  Now, some of the most fantastic design and fabrication shows up in this segment, and Bondo is no longer an essential ingredient.  And so, if they are not so rideable, they do work well as art objects and thus the stuff of museum exhibits.  Customs are not as mainstream as they were a few years ago, but that word mainstream is not about us anyway. 

 

MH:  Let’s talk about the motorcycle as a collectible.  What trends do you see in this field and how has investment in collectible motorcycles been affected by the poor economy?

 

MM:  My wife Ellice works for Garth’s Auction, a very well-established auction house near Columbus.  We compare notes on what is selling and how well.  In general, and it's always been this way, the best stuff is solid, commanding good prices, and has enough buyers to keep prices up.  On the other hand, average collectibles suffer in times like these.  There are more average than top grade items, and just not enough buyers.  But I should back up a bit and say that buying motorcycles as investments is questionable and probably full-time work if you want to be successful.  In general, buying from classifieds or at auction may not give you enough edge to make money in five or even ten years, unless you get a little lucky and anticipate trends, like collecting motocross bikes. But of course, buying at auction can help you build a collection you will be proud of. 

 

I am amazed at what parts and bikes bring on ebay.  $17,000 for a 1970 Honda 750?  $4,500 for an early ‘70s Maico?  $2,000 for a 1970s Ducati Super Sport Borrani rim?  It must be that a guy needs just that last detail part and will go the long dollar for it.  And ‘70s machines are the stuff of baby boomers when they were young, so they are still hot.  But I have doubts about some of these machines in the long haul.  Will a very nice $2,500 RD350 Yamaha have a buyer in ten or twenty years or longer?  The Vincent Black Shadow, the Harley Knucklehead, the Norton Manx or Velocette Thruxton will because they are legendary and were made in small quantities. They are investment quality if bought right, meaning they should be correct machines at the right price.  I love the “chrome fender era” Japanese stuff, but don't find it investment grade.  And by the way, Gold Stars and many motocross machines are out there and under the money.  You should always buy stock machines, and if you like a little patina, make sure they are good original un-restored machines.  When I get a bug for a certain machine, on average it takes me three years of looking, researching, and reviewing to make a selection.  But then, when the right one hits the radar, I am ready to make an informed decision.

 

MH:  The early post-war Japanese motorcycles are just now becoming of age as bona fide antiques under the rules of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America.  Literally millions of machines are becoming true collectibles, and most are still quite affordable.  How is this going to change the vintage motorcycle hobby and business in America?

 

MM:  I would say if you have the urge, it's a good thing to buy the bike you owned early in your riding experience, just for fun, not as an investment.  It's nice to recall those experiences and have the device that tattooed motorcycling into your life.  And that may be a Japanese bike.  And if you enjoy the designs and the incredible technology, gather others that make you smile and recall your early years. It's great that the AMCA will be including these bikes of the ‘60s in their judging and allowing this later equipment at swap meets.  It will give the club access to a huge potential membership base. With cars, the value of Model As and Ts is flat or slipping, I believe and the cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s are hot, similar to motorcycles.  Casual, “unsanctioned” gatherings are becoming popular.  If an organization fails to serve these popular and changing interests, it will become irrelevant. Those that wish to survive—including the AMCA—need to be responsive to change and the emerging trends.

 

MH:  Let’s move away from your profession a moment.  Tell us about your family.  Do they have similar interests?

 

MM:  As I mentioned, my wife Ellice and I like a wide range of artifacts of the past, such as architecture, furniture, and fine art.  We travel to museums for vacations and hit antique stores once in awhile.  And she actually thinks it will be cool to bring our best old motorcycle into the house soon for display. But even though I think it is she that got me hooked on collecting antiques, she is now into downsizing our stuff, especially that which resides in the attic and has been out of sight for, oh, 10 or 20 years.  My daughter is artsy, a design enthusiast and is in the profession of interior design.  My son rides an FZR600 and is heavily into politics as a profession, following in his grandfather's footsteps.  Also, he shoots great landscape photographs.  Me? I just added another bike to my collection and have two coming back from restoration. I just built a new garage so that I could create a little display of my better machines, have a place to work on bikes, and have an office with motor art on the walls.  I have not sold a bike in awhile, but need to “refine” my collection, cutting it by about eight machines, and I encourage everyone to think about doing that.

 

MH:  And what about you outside of your business?  Any hobbies not connected with motorcycles?

 

MM:  I have a wood shop I don't use enough, and I like landscape gardening with Ellice.  I like old cars a lot and have one from the early ‘60s.  I try to learn from the automotive collecting world, which is greatly advanced over motorcycling in many ways.  The auctions are refined show business, there have been many car museums in America for decades, their publications are outstanding.  And, there is tons more money in the old car hobby.  But, I feel that if you are into collecting motor vehicles for fun and investment, bikes are better.  Prices are more stable, the people are more fun, and so are the events.  The bike world is much more approachable and real.  While there have been investors coming into our world, in general it is still just us; real motorcyclists with a passion for collecting, riding, seeing America, and hanging out with our friends.

 

MH:  Any final thoughts for Motohistory readers?

 

MM: If you are a visitor to this website, my hunch is you are either side of 60, which is the new 40.  If you have the urge to do something in motorcycling, just DO IT!  For example, ride to Alaska.  Go to the Isle of Man.  You will be amazed at the incredible level of enthusiasm of the Brits and how they welcome you.  And you’ll be freaked out by the road course, which requires balls of steel, indeed.  Buy that 1969 Bonneville, but buy the best one you can find, and understand what you like and dislike about technological features.  And, it's not too late to buy a set of Snap-on wrenches so you can work with quality tools then pass them along to your grandson or granddaughter.  Most important; join and support the clubs that serve your interests, and ditto the specialized magazines.  I love the internet for its timely delivery of information and fun, such as we are having here at MotoHistory, but the club events and publications are essential to feed your passion, keep you vital, and keep you informed.  Forget the Lazy Boy and football.  Go tinker.  Go ride with your buddies.  Read a how-to article in one of those wordy British magazines.  That's what life is about!

 

Malcolm Smith will be

Grand Marshal at 2010 VMD

(2/8/2010)

 

Off-road legend Malcolm Smith has been chosen to serve as Grand Marshal at AMA Vintage Motorcycle days, scheduled to take place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio on July 9 through 11.  And Husqvarna, the competition motorcycle with which Smith’s name was linked throughout much of his career, has been selected as the event’s 2010 commemorative marque.  Smith gained fame for his accomplishments in the Baja 1000 and for his gold-medal-winning rides at the ISDT, but his notoriety reached beyond the motorcycling community when he teamed up with Mert Lawwill and Steve McQueen to star in the motion picture "On Any Sunday."

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days features vintage and post-vintage competition in motocross, trials, hare scrambles, road racing, and dirt track, plus America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, new bike demo rides, and vintage bike displays.  Proceeds from the event benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.  For more information about VMD 2010, click here.  For tickets, click here. 

 

 

Riding into History enters

its 11th year

(2/6/2010)

 

Over the past decade, Riding into History, conducted at the World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, has built itself into the premier motorcycle concours d’Elegance on the U.S. East Coast.  In addition to the concours, the May 15 event will feature a charity ride and Biker’s Ball benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project.  This year’s Grand Marshal will be motorcycle journalist and adventurer Clement Salvadori.  The event’s promotional material is always based around the fantastic paintings of motorcycle artist and collector Don Bradley.  This year’s theme, featuring the motorcycles of Great Britain, is depicted by a woman aboard a Norton Manx, chasing the elusive Isle of Man TT Replica.  To read our previous feature about artist Don Bradley, go to Motohistory News & Views 4/30/2009).  To learn more about Riding into History, click here. 

 

Celebrating Neil Keen

(2/5/2010)

 

In mid-December, more than 65 friends, fellow racers, and family came from throughout the United States to celebrate the 75th birthday of Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Neil Keen (pictured here in the foreground on the right).  The celebration was held at the Donelson Cycles Museum in St. Louis, hosted by Kim Keen, Neil’s wife and Carl and Cathy Donelson’s daughter.  Donelson sponsored Keen during much of his 23-year racing career during which he won an astonishing 354 dirt track and short track events.  Celebrants included Carroll Resweber, Sid Carlson, Jim McMurren, Darryl Dovel, Babe Demay, and many more of the men that Keen raced against on the AMA dirt track and road racing circuits.  Motorcycle collector and historian Bill Milburn said, “I have not seen so many National Experts together since the 1970s.  Keen, whose name was linked withBSA and later Yamaha, holds the record for winning 22 main eventsat the legendary Ascot track.

 

To read our previous feature about Neil Keen, go to Motohistory News & Views 4/35/2006.  To read Neil Keen’s official Motorcycle Hall of Fame bio, click here.  To see more photos from Keen’s 75th birthday celebration, click here.

Photo above from Flattrack.com.  Photo right by MahonyPhoto. 

 

    For Neil Keen at 75 

    Arm behind his back,

    Booming by on a Gold Star

    Keen of wit and wrist.

 

(2/4/2010)

Eighty years ago, in 1933, two students became the first to ride across the Middle East to India. Amazingly this had never been done before, largely because there were no roads, just deserts and camel tracks, vast mountains and, of course, sand flies, which carry a potentially fatal disease.  More astonishingly, they did it on a 250cc Puch, traveling two-up with some 200 pounds of luggage and spare parts!  The account of this journey has now been published as a book, “India - The Shimmering Dream,” by Max Reisch, due to be published by Panther Press in April.  At 216 pages, with 90 photos and illustrations, its is available for £12.95.  To access the publisher’s web site, click here. 

 

“The Triumph Tiger Cub Bible,” by Mike Estall, is being republished in a revised edition by Veloce.  At 208 pages with over 200 photographs and illustrations, the is the ultimate historical and technical reference book for the Triumph Tiger Cub and Terrier models.  Specs for 22 individual models, with delivery for 113,000 machines to 153 countries are included.  Due for release soon, it will be available from the publisher for £35.00 plus postage.  To contact the publisher, click here.

 

 

(2/3/2010)

Our feature about the new replica Steve McQueen Triumph-Metisse (see Motohistory News & Views 1/25/2010) got a lot of response.  Several readers were quick to tell us that McQueen was a veteran of the U.S. Marines, not the Navy, a correction we made quickly through the magic of digital publishing.  Semper Fi!

Greg Krueger of Vancouver, BC, Canada wrote:

Ed, there was at least one more Triumph Metisse owned by Steve McQueen.  It was bought at the estate auction in 1984 in Las Vegas by a Canadian.  It was British Racing Green in color, with a Bates seat and skidplate.  It came complete with the dirt it acquired when last ridden.  It was on display at the Deeley Motorcycle Museum in Richmond, B.C. for many years, but it's whereabouts to me is unknown.

 

Bevin Jones, curator at the Deeley Museum, also told us of this bike.  He wrote:

 

Hi Ed, I'm enjoying my way through your February News & Views on a slow morning at the Deeley Exhibition.  Just read Mike Jackson's Steve McQueen Metisse article. We were the caretakers of one of McQueen's former desert racing Triumphs for several years.  The owner bought it from the McQueen auction and it was stored and displayed at the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Collection until 2007 when we moved to our new venue and a new themed exhibition format.  The owner then sold the bike to a collector in the eastern U.S.  

Jones did some digging to turn up a photograph, but was unable to find one. 

Former U.S. Triumph executive and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Don Brown wrote: 

Ed, I was friends with McQueen right up to the time of his death.  He called me just two weeks before he died in Mexico.  I also had the pleasure of riding the High Mountain Enduro with Bud Ekins and Steve.  Here is how we met:

 

One day when I was still with Johnson Motors (JoMo), Bill Johnson and I were talking in his office late one day when the phone rang.  I answered it, and it was McQueen, who was interested in getting a Triumph.  The conversation continued with both Steve and his agent, and we agreed to sell him a bike at a “good price.”  Steve agreed, but said he would buy the bike only on one condition.  Triumph at a "great price" on one condition.  He wanted me to deliver the bike personally, so I agreed to bring it to him the very next morning, on the set at Warner Brothers!  Steve and I met and talked for about ten minutes, then he excused himself to shoot a scene.  I followed him to the shoot, and afterward we had lunch together, where I handed over the keys and the owner’s packet, which contained the addresses for MoJo and Bud Ekins’ dealership.  Steve said he had already visited Ekins’ place a few times, so we shook hands and I was off. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. 

 

Greg, Bevin, Don, thanks for sharing your Steve McQueen lore with our Motohistory readers.  If anyone can turn up a photo of that McQueen Triumph that went from Vancouver to a collector in the U.S. please send it along and we’ll post it.  Just send it to Ed@Motohistory.net.  

Sean Ahern wrote about our commentary about the apparent declining interest in custom motorcycles in the United States (see Motohistory News & Views 1/23/2010).  He said:

I think any future increase in the growth curve of the industry is going to have to start the same way it did in the 1970s, with small, reliable commuter bikes that don't cost as much as some new cars.  When it looks like Tata will be able to get their car EPA legal in this country and sell it for about $4,000, there will be no market for $5,000 400cc street bikes or $7,000 dirt bikes.  New players—Korea, China, and India—are already entering the market, so maybe this will be the future.  And perhaps a return to the UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) concept such as my beloved GS650/850 Suzukis or something like the Honda ST1100 (sans maybe four square yards of plastic) with low maintenance features will make a comeback.  One thing Harley did get right was a profit margin in bike sales for the dealers.

Sean, you make some interesting points.  With cheap and easy credit having become unobtanium, manufacturers are going to have to figure out how to deliver the best product they can for what the customer can really afford, and this will include enough margin to keep dealers alive on significantly fewer sales.  It will not be easy to achieve.  Modern motorcycles are wonderful examples of quality and engineering, but can bikes built to such high standards remain affordable?  

Nick Jeffery wrote from England:

 

Thank you again and again for your wonderful website.  Sorry I couldn't identify the Sarolea (Motohistory Quiz #74, 12/31/2009) which interestingly does not feature in 'La Maison Sarolea,' by Guy de Becker, which is sitting on my bookshelves.  I should have recognized the tank badge though!

 

I don’t know if you have come across the new book entitled “The World’s Fastest Indian,” which contains transcripts of tape recordings made by Roger Donaldson—director of the movie by the same name—including conversations by Burt Munro in his own voice.

 

Just back from a great biking trip around both New Zealand islands (nearly 10,000 km in under five weeks aboard a Suzuki GN250 I bought there!) where I came across the book, which was published at the end of November to coincide with the 2009 Burt Munro Challenge Rally, which I attended.  It was a great event.  I contacted Random House NZ on my return to the UK, and they said it had quickly sold out, but they are apparently reprinting.  It has lots of nice photos of the Bonneville scene.

 

Thanks, Nick.  No, this book had not yet come to our attention.  Readers who want to know more about it can click here.  For more information on the Burt Munro Challenge, click here.