Neil Keen and the two-stroke revolution

(4/25/2006)

 

At 16, Neil Keen won the first race he ever entered, riding a 125cc Harley to victory on the paved surface of Atlanta's Peach Bowl Speedway. That convinced Keen that turning left was what he wanted to do, and in 1953 he set out for California with two buddies in a new Ford convertible with a dismantled Gold Star in the trunk. His friends soon returned home, but Neil stayed. He got a job shagging blueprints for $2.00 an hour, started racing in 1954, and applied for his AMA Novice professional license in 1955. Keen recalls, “My first race in California was a road race at Willow Springs, and I ran off the track. My next was a TT at Deanza, and I never really caught on to TT racing.”   Rather, where Keen found his form was on the fast half-mile ovals at Gardena, Culver City, and Carroll Speedway. By 1961 he was the terror of Ascot, winning more than half the weekly events of the 29-race season. He recalls, “Except for two races, Al Gunter and I won every race that year. I won the first two races, Gunter won the next two, then I won eleven in a row.” Keen finished the season with a remarkable 16 victories.

 

Originally, Keen had not even wanted to be a great racer. He aspired to be one of the great tuners in the sport, and built motorcycles for George Everett. But when Everett was killed in 1959, Keen reevaluated his career. He says, “Everett was one of the most talented riders ever, and I wanted to take him to the top of the sport aboard the best equipment I could give him. When he died, I looked around and didn't see anyone even close to his ability. There was no one I wanted to build for, so I decided it was time to get serious about riding. Jimmy Phillips became my mentor and taught me how to race.”

Though he earned AMA National Number 10, Keen never chose the path to glory. He raced the odd national championship when it was convenient, but he preferred to stick to the local weekly venues where he could race frequently, experiment with improvements to his Gold Stars, and make a decent living. Such opportunities were available in Southern California, the Kansas county fair circuit, and Illinois, a hotbed of short track racing where one could race several times a week between Santa Fe Speedway in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, and Granite City on the opposite side of the state just across the river from St. Louis.

Pictured at the head of this story is Keen celebrating one of his many Santa Fe victories, flanked by crew members Jerry and Ray Thompson and an officer of the Maywood Mustangs Motorcycle Club presenting the trophy.

 

By 1967, Keen started spending much of the year in Illinois, riding out of John Lund's shop in Decatur. Lund was a Bultaco dealer, and it was his opinion that a properly set up two-stroke would make a good short track racer. In the early 1960s -- thanks to the invention of the expansion chamber -- two-strokes had revolutionized motocross, and Lund could not see why the same should not be true on circle tracks. He built two Bultaco-powered machines which Keen towed to Daytona in 1967 where Dick Mann rode one of the bikes to victory and Neil finished second.

 

In collaboration with Ray Hensley, Keen started building his own specialty frames later that year in preparation for the 1968 season. He recalls, “I sold my trail bike and a 38 pistol to buy enough tubing to get started.” Hensley assembled the traditional rigid frames at a shop called Sonic Weld, and they quickly became a must-have item for serious racers. When the shop was relocated in 1969, Keen and Hensley adopted the brand name “Trackmaster” and began to offer swinging arm rear suspension. Keen's knowledge of frames and good bike setup was a great asset on the lightning-quick short tracks of the Midwest, and he began to develop the motorcycles and riding techniques that would eventually drive the Italian and British four-strokes into oblivion. He pioneered the use of a compression release to achieve rapid deceleration into the turns. Later, the four-stroke contingent would battle this technique through the rule book, having it declared an illegal braking device.

 

Keen and Lund proved their point with the Bultacos, but real opportunity came knocking in 1968 in the form of Yamaha's robust and versatile DT1. Dennis Mahan had helped Keen maintain his equipment back in the Ascot days, and now he was helping Yamaha launch a serious American racing program. Mahan supplied Keen with pre-production versions of the DT1 engine. Keen recalls, “They didn't even have real serial numbers. My engines just had #1, #3, and #4 stamped in the cases.” Keen also had access to other unobtanium Yamaha parts, such as sand cast magnesium carburetors that had been used for grand prix racing in Europe. Using Sonic Weld frames and reconfiguring standard Yamaha motocross expansion chambers for flat track competition, Keen debuted two of the bikes at the Houston national short track in 1968, with Elliott Schultz riding the second machine. For 1969 the bikes were rebuilt in Trackmaster swinging arm frames, and Keen rode the DT1 short trackers to high-point seasons at Santa Fe Speedway in both 1969 and 1970. He also practically owned the podium at Granite City where he won a large majority of the weekly races. Pictured above is a classic photo of the era of short track transition – taken at the 1970 Santa Fe short track national -- with Keen aboard the Yamaha, running under Jim Rice and his four-stroke BSA single.

 

Neil Keen retired from active competition in 1974, but he continued to heavily influence the sport through Neil Keen Performance, a company he established in 1969. In support of his old friend Dennis Mahan, he helped with the development of the XS650 four-stroke twin when Yamaha pitted it against the dominant Harley and Brit bike dirt trackers in 1970. Keen consulted on chassis design, speed tuning, and development of the engine to 750cc capacity, and though the Yamaha never achieved parity with the other brands, in the hands of Kenny Roberts it delivered enough valuable points to help him earn his 1973 and '74 Grand National Championships.

 

Recently, Neil Keen's DT1 Trackmaster chassis (pictured above) was rediscovered, and it is being restored to original condition by his father-in-law, St. Louis multibrand dealer Carl Donelson, with the help of dirt track historian and restoration expert Bill Milburn. There is no doubt it is the correct chassis, because Trackmaster often welded leading rider's names and national numbers on the steering head gusset when custom building a chassis, and on this frame there is clearly visible Keen's name and his distinctive, stylized number 10 (pictured above). Donelson and Milburn have even located the correct fuel tank and one of the rare magnesium carburetors. Milburn, a stickler for detail, says, “The Yamaha logos on the gas tank proved to be a problem. Keen used Yamaha snowmobile logos, and I had to search dealerships all the way to Canada to find the correct ones.”

 

Regrettably, the rare pre-production engines with no serial numbers have not been found. Keen says, “They are probably in a landfill somewhere. Boy, do I wish now I had kept one of them.” Instead, Donelson is assembling the motorcycle with a production DT1 engine, modified as Keen did the originals. For example, the intake has been offset to make room for the special carburetor and an oversized air cleaner. When finished, the motorcycle which successfully fought a two-stroke revolution will take its place in Donelson's museum, alongside one of Keen's BSA Gold Stars that he rode to eleven consecutive victories at Ascot.

Photos of Neil Keen and Jim Rice at Santa Fe provided by Bill Milburn.

 

To Neil Keen

 

High-point at Hinsdale,

Dominant at Ascot Park,

Neil was keen for speed.

 

Another Johnny O'Hannah sighting

(4/25/2006)

 

When Johnny O'Hannah, the self-proclaimed “Uncle of American Motocross,” appeared on the pages of Racer X Illustrated a couple of years ago, we declared him fake history. However, recently we had to reevaluate our position when Johnny launched his own web site. Given the inherent veracity of the Internet, we reasoned that anyone with his own web site has got to be real. Now, as further proof of O'Hannah's legitimacy, the editors of Racer X have hired him to review a new DVD entitled “The World's Greatest Supercross Races.” In his review, which appears in the just-released June 2006 issue, O'Hannah gives the product high marks, but complains that his own image was edited out of the 1984 Dallas Supercross where he was running fourth, just behind David Bailey and Broc Glover. This, O'Hannah asserts, is proof that the pervasive anti-O'Hannah conspiracy that plagued his career is still alive and well.

 

Was O'Hannah edited out of these vintage videos, or is he just a guy in an aging JT jump suit who has hoodwinked the young and impressionable editors of Racer X Illustrated? Motohistory will continue its research into this important question. In fact, we are currently pursuing O'Hannah for an exclusive interview, which we hope to publish in a future update. For more about the Uncle of American motocross, click here. To acquire “The Best of Supercross” and other classic DVDs, click here.

 

New York trials include vintage classes

(4/23/2006)

 

AMA District Four, consisting of central and western New York, has announced a 12-round observed trials program for 2006 that will include a vintage class for pre-1979 motorcycles, and a twin shock class for post-1978 machines. For the complete schedule, click here. For more information on the vintage classes, E-mail inquiries to ronbors@yahoo.com .

 

Fastest Indian going to DVD

(4/20/2006)

 

Almost everyone who as seen “The World's Fastest Indian” has come away with raves. However, due to limited distribution, many still have not seen the movie. Never fear, it is scheduled to come out on DVD in mid-June, and will be available through Whitehorse Press. For more information, click here.

 

Motohistory Feedback

Don't blame Ogle

(4/18/2006)

 

Recently we published a story about the Triumph and BSA triples and the demise of BSA, stating that Ogle Design was responsible for their styling, as well as the styling of the last generation of BSA twins (pictured below) with their overly tall and unattractive gray-painted frames and untraditional styling (Motohistory News & Views 4/9/2006). No less than two experts promptly corrected us, explaining that the twins were styled in house at the BSA engineering and design center at Umberslade Hall. And while Ogle indeed designed the heavy-looking triples, we should not forget that BSA brass approved each and every detail after reviewing many design suggestions submitted by Ogle. British motorcycle historian Mick Duckworth writes in considerable detail:

 

I don't believe Ogle Design styled the BSA/Triumph group 650s for 1971. That job was done by the group's R & D centre at Umberslade Hall, a large country house bought and converted for the purpose at the instigation of Lionel Jofeh, who had come in as the top man in 1967. Jofeh was ex-aviation industry (being decimated in the UK at the time) and he felt that the British motorcycle industry was archaic. He called the BSA plant “that muck heap.” Unfortunately, he gave the established engineers the impression that he did not respect their experience and knew better than they about what was required. Aviation people were hired at Umberslade Hall and some were effective: witness the efficient aerodynamic fairings used at Daytona in 1970-1971, developed with the use of the wind tunnel at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. However other Umberslade ideas were less good, like having a throttle twistgrip that turned away from the rider to speed up and a gas tank styling exercise that forgot to allow for the steering action of the front fork!

 

The 1971 range was designed to try to make the British machines look more modern in the face of foreign competition. The conical wheel hubs were adopted because cafe racer customisers always went for Manx Norton conical hubs if they could get them. The new fork was copied from the Italian Ceriani type fitted in the US for dirt track racing. The tall frame was a complete mess-up, even without grey paint, especially as the Triumph 650 engine would not go in without a costly rocker box redesign that fell to Meriden to complete.

My own reflection on the Rocket 3's styling is that they should have hired Leopoldo Tartarini. He designed the Clymer Velo and Enfield, plus the Ducati 750 Sport and Desmo singles, still lauded as masterpieces. In the mid-sixties, Taratarini and his Italjet factory had a tie with Triumph. He designed for them a Minarelli-engined lightweight (the prototype is in Britain ) and sold a small number of  650 Triumph-powered bikes as the Italjet Grifon.

 

And Lindsay Brooke, Senior Editor of Automotive Engineers International, wrote:

Ogle Design did not have any involvement in styling for the 1971 Triumph and BSA 650 twins. Ogle was only employed for the 1969 triples' project. The '71 twins were styled in house. I have this from both ex-Triumph and BSA executive sources and ex-Ogle design staff, as reported in my various Triumph histories.

Ogle gets blamed for the Buck Rogers triples but their designs were approved by BSA management. Somebody checked off on the funky sheetmetal. As you know the P1 and P2 prototype Tridents (1965-66) looked like Bonnevilles. Interestingly, while the ray gun silencers were widely panned, they are extremely efficient and were race-proven on a number of winning proddy-racer Tridents and R3s including the iconic Slippery Sam. Function doesn't always follow form.

Thanks much to Mick and Lindsay. We are interested in accuracy and pleased to note that such authorities are reading Motohistory close enough to catch our errors.  We have made appropriate revisions.

Photo of 1971 BSA twin provided by Mick Duckworth.

 

(4/16/2006)

BMW expert Jeff Dean has posted on his web site a story about San Diegan Tim Stafford and his beautiful BMW restorations. The posting includes many excellent photographs. The read it, click here. And speaking of things BMW, Duane Ausherman is selling off 150 pounds of BMW literature. To review what is available, click here.

Photographer Dawn Deppi describes her work as “alternative art photography which brings a new perspective to items from everyday life to precious possessions." She says, “We capture the unseen and bring it to the forefront through photography.” Among those everyday precious things Dawn photographs are motorcycles. To check out her work, click here.

 

Motorcycle Hall of Fame goes triple gold

(4/14/2006)

 

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum has won no less than three Gold Awards from the Ohio Museums Association. Awards were given for the catalog for the Motocross America exhibit, for a poster promoting last year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and for the Museum's 2004 annual report. To read the whole story, click here.

 

Seeking all things MV

(4/12/2006)

 

Vicki Smith, who supervised the superb Ducati exhibit at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in 2005 will be doing the same with this year's commemoration of MV Agusta. If you have or know about MV bikes and artifacts you think should be considered for the display, contact Smith at veloce916@aol.com.

 

The Triples

(4/9/2006)

 

From the Donelson collection:

The BSA that never was

It didn't take long for BSA and Triumph to realize their triples would not be adequate to compete with Honda's 750 Four in the high-performance street bike market. Traditionally, the British had offered 500 and 650cc capacities, and when the Honda CB750 arrived in 1969, it raised the stakes in terms of both size and technology. Road testers immediately compared the triples – which amounted to one and a half 500 twins – to the Honda Four and found them wanting. They retained the old pushrod design and verticaliy-split engine case that had doomed British bikes to a reputation of oil leakers. And then there was the styling; that slab-sided fuel tank, huge side covers that looked like butcher's blocks, and big mufflers with three little tail pipes that one editor described as England's answer to America's three-hole Buick.  They were styled by Ogle Design, a leading British firm that had created some industrial design icons. Sadly, this was not the case for their motorcycles. Despite some outstanding achievements on the race track (Daytona 1971 and later at the Isle of Man), BSA's effort to compete with Honda's Four was pretty much stillborn in the American market.

 

BSA's American distributor immediately knew that in many ways the Rocket Three was a mistake. One could not do much in short order to modernize the engineering, but one might do something about its appearance. Thus, Craig Vetter was commissioned to give the Rocket Three a major makeover. For the full story in great detail, as told by Vetter and Don Brown, the man who hired him, click here  to read “The Hurricane Dialogue.”

 

As it turns out, the home office in Great Britain also realized it had taken the wrong road, not only with the triple, but with those drably-painted, gray-framed twins. In the late 1960s, BSA had been regarded by many the most beautiful motorcycle on the road, possessing sleek lines, bright colors, a beautifully-shaped engine, and graceful, chrome-paneled gas tanks. In an effort to reverse course from its styling disasters, in the fall of 1971 BSA showed its dealers a restyled – one might say “retro-styled” – 750cc twin (pictured here). With this bike, it seemed BSA was ready to roll back its engineering and styling clocks to something more traditionally British than its ill-fated, three-cylinder machine.

 

St. Louis BSA expert Carl Donelson reports that only two of these motorcycles were ever built. They sported a classic, rounded, chrome-plated tank with brilliant candy red paint. Donelson, pictured above, tracked one down years later and lovingly restored it to original condition. It is on display at his museum, along with a wide range of makes and models, including fine examples of 1960s and ‘70s dirt track racing machinery. For more information about Donelson's, click here.

 

Unfortunately, for BSA the clock had run out. Craig Vetter's American solution went into production as the celebrated Triumph Hurricane, and may have been a significant factor in keeping the brand viable. The British solution in the 750cc category – a restyled 750 BSA twin – was never produced. As the company went into bankruptcy, it became the BSA that never was.

 

From the British National Motorcycle Museum :

The Triple that still is

Sometimes it happens that a failure on the street will be coaxed by skilled and devoted tuners to sterling performance on the race track. Witness, for example, the Harley-Davidson K model. Such is the case also with the British triples. In America, the BSA was introduced in 1970 with a speed and endurance record set at Daytona International Speedway by Yvon DuHamel who covered 150 miles at an average speed of 127.53 mph. Later that year, Dave Aldana put a Triple into the winner's circle at Talladega, Alabama. Then the Rocket Three utterly dominated the 1971 AMA road racing sason. Dick Mann won Daytona, then followed up with victories at Kent, Washington and Pocono, Pennsylvania. Brit John Cooper finished off the year with a victory at Ontario, California. Together, Mann and Cooper's bikes won more than half the schedule of races. Across the pond, Slippery Sam, the most famous Triple of all, achieved five consecutive victories at the Isle of Man Production TT, winning every year from 1971 through 1975.

 

One of the men who contributed to that racing success was Norman Hyde, pictured above on the left.  Hyde worked under Chief Engineer Doug Hele at Triumph for eight years at Meriden, then for two more years at Norton Triumph International in Birmingham. Hyde's development work began with to the 500cc Daytona Triumphs, then continued with the 750 Triples. He created his own tuning and performance parts business in 1976, then in 1988 introduced a high-performance motorcycle of his own design – the Hyde Harrier – based on the T160 Triumph Trident power train. Hyde Harriers are supplied as a rolling chassis kit for approximately $14,000, or can be built to spec. Hyde also offers a 1,000cc kit for the Triumph engine. Harriers can be prepared for competition, or outfitted with lighting for use on the street, as pictured above.

 

Recently, Hyde presented one of his Harriers to the National Motorcycle Museum near the Birmingham, England. There it will be displayed among more than 700 British machines dating from 1898 to 2005. About the bike, museum owner Roy Richards (pictured above to the right) said, “This is a beautifully crafted bike that brings together the best of old and new in British motorcycle engineering. The Hyde Harrier will be a highly valued addition to our collection.” For more information about Great Britain's National Motorcycle Museum, click here. For more information about the Hyde Harrier, click here.

 

Motohistory Feedback

(4/8/2006)

 

More about Husqvarna's big twin

Our recent story about the Husqvarna Baja Invader reported that the big 500 twin was intended for production for the U.S. off-road market, but we failed to explain why that never happened (see Motohistory News & Views 3/28/2006).

The reason was the motorcycle's less-than-adequate gearbox. Husqvarna's motocrossers, first introduced as works production machines in 1963, had evolved from the Silver Pilen, a little 175cc street bike. The gearbox Husky had available was never designed for the punishment of a high-performance motocross engine. Motohistory reader Gunnar Lindstron, who was a Husqvarna engineer at the time, writes:

 

The four speed gearbox and clutch was marginal even on the 400 single. By the time the five speed became available in 1972, technology had advanced, water cooling was a must, and the Japanese were participating.

 

Lindstrom reports that while some five-speed twins were successful in road racing in Europe where they were pumped up to as large as 720cc for sidecar racing, the width and weight of the big engine was deemed unsuitable for off-road use where the market was moving toward more compact liquid-cooled singles.

 

More about Honda's little Cub

Following our story about the 50 millionth Honda Super Cub (see Motohsitory News & Views 3/26/2006),Bevin Jones, administrator for the Trevor Deeley Motorcycle Collection in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada writes:

 

Trev Deeley visited Honda in Japan in 1957 and became the first importer of Honda motorcycles in the English-speaking world. A 250cc Dream arrived in Vancouver in November, 1957, and the Super Cubs, along with Dreams and Benlys, became available in Canada in 1958.

 

Jones also directs us to an interesting article about the development of the Super Cub on Honda Worldwide's web site. To read that story, click here.

 

Hodaka Days 2006 moves to Mid-Ohio

(4/7/2006)

 

Hodaka Days, which has been celebrated for several years in Athena, Oregon, will move this year to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where it will be incorporated into AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days July 28 through 30. Ace 90s, Super Rats, Dirt Squirts, Wombats, Super Combats, Thunderdogs, and all manner of Hodaka memorabilia will be on display under a large tent. In addition, there will be a Hodaka parade, technical seminars, and meetings and greetings with some of the original Pacific Basin Trading Company employees who imported and applied an especially zany marketing approach to this late-60s and early-70s popular brand. There will be Hodaka-only competitions, including motocross and trials. For more information about Hodaka Days 2006, click here.

VMX men coming to VMD

Fans of the Australian-published VMX magazine will be pleased to learn that Ken Smith and Alistair Johnson are planning to attend AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2006.  Smith reports that VMD is considered a mecca of vintage motorcycling, and that they are very excited about their trip to America for the big event, plus the opening of the SuperMann exhibit at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.  For more about the new exhibit honoring the career of Dick Mann, see Motohistory News & Views 1/30/2006.  For more information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, keep reading Motohistory.  We will provide additional details as they are announced.  For more information about VMX, click here.

 

You too can cruise like Cruise

(4/6/2006)

 

Triumph Motorcycles has donated a motorcycle from Tom Cruise's upcoming movie, Mission Impossible III, for auction at the Legend of the Motorcycle International Concours d'Elegance, which will take place May 6 at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Half Moon Bay, California. This 2006 Triumph Scrambler 900 is one of two bikes used in filming and, compared to the standard Scrambler, features custom paint, custom exhaust, and more aggressive knobby tires. It will be auctioned by Bonhams & Butterfields, and the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics, Roots Initiative, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For the bike's future owner, FedEx Passport Auto Transport will donate one-way shipping of the motorcycle to anywhere within the continental United States. Individuals interested in registering for the auction can do so on the official Legend of the Motorcycle Concours web site. Click here.

 

To actor/Scientologist Tom Cruise

 

To triumph over

Xenu; a mission hard, but

not impossible.

 

 

Coming up

(4/4/2006)

 

The Cruz Classic Motorcycle Show will take place June 4 in Soquel, California. The event will benefit a homeless families shelter. For an entry form, click here.

 

The Massachusetts chapter of the British Iron Association will host its 16th annual British Show and Swap meet May 21 at the Singletary Rod & Gun Club near Oxford, Massachusetts. For more information, click here.

 

The Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group National Rally will be held June 16 through 18 at the Paris, Ontario fair grounds. For more information, click here.

 

The 2006 Eastern Scooter Racing Association season kicks off April 30 at Circleville, Ohio. For more information on the ESRA schedule, click here.

A Concours d'Elegance Motorcycle Show will take place May 13 at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, Montana. For more information, E-mail motorcycle@bresnan.net .

Rocky's Spring Fling and open house for Indian enthusiasts will take place May 6 at Rocky's Antique Cycle Parts in Massillon, Ohio. For more information, call Rocky Halter at 330-892-1989.

A Vintage Motocross Motorcycle Show will take place June 3 in Hemet, California.  For information and entry forms, call Cody Tellis at 951-929-2135.

 

New IJMS published
(4/3/2006)

The March 2006 issue of the on-line International Journal of Motorcycle Studies, highlighting women and motorcycling, has been posted. To check it out, click here.

 

Fake history reconsidered
(4/2/2006)

In February 2005 we published an editorial about fake history, maintaining that there is a lot of it out there (see Motohistory News & Views 2/2/2005). The impetus for our words was Johnny O'Hannah (pictured here), a fictional American motocross legend who first appeared on the pages of Racer X Illustrated in late 2004. Now, it has come to our attention that Johnny O'Hannah has his own web site, and we must reconsider our position. Can someone with his own web site possibly be a fake? We are pondering our need to issue Mr. O'Hannah a big MotoApology. To decide for yourself, click here.

 

Canadian 2006 Hall-of-Famers announced

(4/1/2006)

The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum has announced twelve individuals and organizations to be inducted at the first annual Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held May 6 in Mississauga, Ontario. Those honored will include the 60-year-old Canadian Motorcycle Association, Ride for Sight founder Jim Bentley, legendary Canadian racer and motorcycle importer Trevor Deeley, Canadian road racing champion Don Munroe, Montreal racer and dealer Ray Gref, Shannonville Motorsports Park founder John Nelson, the Welland County Motorcycle Club, father of Canadian speedway racing Stan Bradbury, racer and former CMA Chairman Gerry Marshall, off-road champion Blair Sharpless, Calgary racer and dealer Walt Healy, and road racing champion Lang Hindle. The induction evening will feature a video presentation on each Inductee, a display of special motorcycles, a silent auction to raise funds for the CMHM, and a gourmet meal. For tickets andr more information, click here or call 519-657-2029.