Today in motorcycle history, November 12, 1936

                                    

 

  Legendary motorcycle speed king, Leslie Van Demark attempts to be among the first to cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the opening celebration aboard his 1936 Indian Model 436 "Upside Down" motorcycle.

 

  The Indian Model 436 "Upside Down" bike was certainly one of the less popular versions of the Indian Four models (1928-1942).  While earlier (and later) Fours had inlet-over-exhaust (IOE) cylinder heads with overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves, the 1936-1937 Indian Four had a unique EOI cylinder head, with the positions reversed.  In theory, this would improve fuel vaporization, and the new engine would be much more powerful.  However, the new system made the cylinder head, and the rider's inseam, as hot as the hinges on the gates of Hell.  As if that wasn't enough, the exhaust valvetrain required frequent adjustment, causing the Four's popularity/sales to plummet.  The addition of dual Marvel carburetors in 1937 did not revive interest. 

  The 436 was a black-eye for Indian, production was eventually halted and the Four was back to it's old self for 1938.

Today in motorcycle history, November 11, 1972

                                 

 

 

  Bassist and Allman Brothers co-founder Berry Oakley dies three blocks from where his best friend and band-mate, Duane Allman, died a year earlier.

 

  On a beautiful Macon afternoon, after leaving Idlewild South, heading up Napier Avenue enroute to Big House, Berry Oakley on his 1967 Triumph Bonneville along with his friend (and Allman Bros. roadie) Kim Payne on a 1969 Sportster,  started messing around with each other.  Lane-splitting, cutting in between cars, laughing with /at each other.  As they reached the intersection of Bartlett Avenue Kim passed a car on the right side and Oakley passed it on the left,  Kim pulling further ahead.  Coming into the intersection at Inverness Avenue the street takes a hard right, speeding up to catch Payne, Berry was moving too fast to make the corner and slammed into a Macon city bus. Originally thrown from his bike the Triumph eventually landed on him and they then skidded fifty-eight feet from the point of impact.

   Amazingly, he was still conscious after the accident, he got to his feet and refused medical treatment.  He took a ride home with a passing motorist, refusing the driver's offer to go to the hospital as well.  Later that afternoon, he was taken to the same emergency room complaining of a headache and speaking incoherently.  He skull had been fractured in the accident and there was swelling on his brain.  Numerous attempts were made to save him.  Berry Oakley died at 24.

   Berry Oakley and Duane Allman are buried in side-by-side plots in Rose Hill Cemetery, just 100 yards or so from the grave of Elizabeth Reed Napier.  Their gravestones are white marble and both bear several inscriptions.  On the side of each headstone is carved the band's mushroom logo, and on the flat part of the elongated stones are a Gibson Les Paul and Fender Jazz Bass, respectively.  Inscribed on Duane's is an excerpt from his diary: "I love being alive and I will be the best man I possibly can. I will take love wherever l find it and offer it to everyone who will take it...seek knowledge from those wiser...and teach those who wish to learn from me."
  Berry’s is inscribed. "Help thy brother's boat across the water and lo! Thine own has reached the shore."

 

  In 1998, the Georgia state legislature passed a resolution designating a bridge on State Highway 19, in Macon, Georgia, as the 'Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge' in "honor and remembrance" of the late founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.

                                

Today in motorcycle history, November 7, 1980

     

 

 The "King of Cool", Steve McQueen, dies.

 

  I realize it's November 8 but, I was busy yesterday and everyone should know a little about Steve McQueen so, did you know...he was born Terence Steven McQueen in Beech Grove, Indiana,  moved to his great-uncle Claude's farm in Slater, Missouri, then moved to L.A., back to Slater, then he packed-up and joined a circus for a short time, quit the circus and moved back to L.A. (I know, I know, but circus-L.A. comparisons are too obvious, sorry).

 

  Did you know he was an ex-Marine?  That McQueen designed and patented the bucket seat shell for the Mustang he drove in "Bullitt" (Patent #USD219,813)?  That he earned money by competing in weekend motorcycle races at Long Island City, (Queens) with Robert Culp in  the early '50's? 

 

  His passion for dirt-bikes led to him racing in the Baja 1000, the Mint 400 and the Elsinore Grand Prix.  In 1964, with Bud and Dave Ekins, he represented the United States competing for the Silver Vase award  in the International Six Days Trials (ISDT) in Erfurt, East Germany.  With all the accolades laid upon him one of proudest moments was of being inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978. 

 

   He had a vast collection of motorcycles, including a 1920 Indian Power-Plus "Daytona" racing bike, 1923 Indian Chief with matching "Princess' sidecar, 1934 Indian Scout, a WWII Indian 741, a 1929 Harley-Davidson Model B,  an almost unheard of Triumph Bonneville "Scrambler" and an English-built Matisse. To name but a few.

 

  As much as he loved bikes he loved flying, owning, among other aircraft, a 1945 Stearman, tail number N3188, (his student number in reform school), a 1946 Piper J3 Cub, and an award-winning 1931 Pitcairn PA-8 biplane, flown in the US Mail Service by famed World War I flying ace, Eddie Rickenbacker. 

 

  The Stones thought him cool enough to name him in song.  On  the lp, "Goat's Head Soup", "...Star fucker, star fucker, star fucker, star fucker star/ Yes you are, yes you are, yes you are/Yeah, Ali MacGraw got mad with you/For givin' head to Steve McQueen".

 

  In 2012 Triumph released a T100 Bonneville "Steve McQueen Edition". The bike was modeled after the TR6 Trophy he rode in "The Great Escape".

 

  There you go.

Today in motorcycle history, November 6, 2007

 

 

  In Borgo Panigale, the men weep, the women faint, as Ducati introduces the 848 to the world.

 

 

  When you think of hallowed Italian marque of Ducati, several glorious models come to mind, such as 750 Supersport, the iconic 916, the successful line of Monsters, and the exciting 1098 superbike and Hypermotard wild thing.

 

  But not many revere the 749, a middleweight V-Twin based on the platform of the little-loved 999, whose styling failed to ignite the passions of even the Ducatisti.  While a fairly competent machine, the 749 weighed nearly as much as the 999 and wasn’t on anyone’s list of prettiest bikes.

  All that changed with the introduction of the 848.  It not only shared the sexy shape of the ridiculously successful 1098, it also shames the legendary 916 in terms of horsepower output with a tested 115.6 hp at the rear wheel. You have to remember that the revered Ducati 916 had a hard time cracking the 100-hp barrier, and the beefier 998 barely topped 110 rear-wheel horsepower while weighing considerably more than the Weight-Watchers 848.

 

  The 848 motor used a new vacuum die-casting method called Vacural which results in an engine that weighs about 7 lbs less than the old 749.  The “Testastretta Evoluzione” motor uses a 94.0 x 61.2mm bore and stroke to yield 849cc.  No, that’s not a typo - this continues Ducati’s disregard for its nomenclature matching the engine’s displacement: the old 749 displaced 748cc; the standard 999 was 998cc; and the 1098 has a 1099cc engine.

 

  The svelte 848 is nestled in a trellis frame developed in cooperation with Ducati Corse.  The frame uses a simplified tube layout from the Ducati 749 featuring main section tubes that are enlarged in diameter from 28 mm to 34 mm, while being reduced in thickness from 2 mm to 1.5 mm.  The result is a 14% increase in rigidity and a weight saving of 3.3 lb helping the 848 weigh in 44 pounds less than the 749.

 

  The bottom-line is the Ducati 848 had a liver-quivering top-speed of 159 mph.

Today in motorcycle history, November 5, 2013

 
 
                                  

  Kawasaki shows the world the 2014 Z1000 Ninja for the very first time at the 71st EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

 

 

  Reflecting a radical new design philosophy, the Z1000 is a result of Kawasaki’s unique *'Sugomi' approach, which has "created a machine with the palpable energy and appearance of a predatory animal stalking its prey" (their words).

  The Z1000 is expected to be equipped with a new 998cc, 6-speed, liquid-cooled, 200 hp, 4-stroke in-line Four, DOHC 16-valve engine.  Oh yeah, before I forget, digital fuel-injection. 

  On Kawasaki's website they posted a teaser video of the bike that doesn’t show too many details except for a few elements like the front headlight with quad lamps, the Z1000-signature quad exhaust pipes and wheels.

  It certainly seems to have all it needs to make us fall in love with it and it has the necessary pedigree to compete with models like the Aprilia V4 Tuono, BMW S1000 or the newly released KTM Super Duke 1290.

 

Flights to Milan are still available.  The show is on until November 10.  Well, what are you waiting for?

 

*Sugomi: The Japanese word “Sugomi” describes the intense aura or energy given off by a person or object of greatness and felt by the viewer. Someone, or something, possessing Sugomi inspires awe, leaves an indelible impression, is daunting in stature or ability, and commands respect.

Today in motorcycle history, November 4, 1956

 

 

  Frederick William "Flying Freddie" Dixon dies in Reigate, Surrey.

 

 

  In 1912, at 19, he rode in his first Isle of Man TT.  Freddie Dixon had began forging a name for himself, as both a mechanic and rider years earlier, competing in speed and hill climb events in and around Stockton-on-Tees.

 

  After spending four years in the Army Service Corps during WWI he started his own business, Park Garage on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough.  It was there that he began designing a sidecar banking system.  His work would pay off when Freddie and his passenger Thomas Denney won the 1923 Isle of Man TT riding a Douglas fitted with his banking system. His design raised or lowered the sidecar to suit the particular race circuit bends.

  As a HRD factory rider, Dixon would win the 1927 TT becoming the first man to win both a sidecar and solo race at the Isle of Man.  He retired from motorcycle racing in 1928.

 

  1948 Douglas hired Freddie to help design on their newest project.  Working with ex-Sunbeam designer Erling Poppe (Technical Director) and ex-Norton CS1 designer Walter Moore (Works Superintendent).  The old Douglas motor was essentially a generator, designed to run for long periods at a steady speed but it didn't cope well with the varying engine speeds of motorcycle racing.  It also had a tendency to shake sideways at low engine speeds which was due to the horizontally opposed engine.  The team worked day and night for 5 1/2 months, when the garage doors finally opened the world was introduced to the 1949 Douglas Mark III.  Using the design Douglas also produced a Mark III De Luxe, a Mark III Sports, and a rigid-framed motorcycle trials Mark III Competition.

  In 1950, David Tye, won the Nevis Trophy and the Special First Class Award in the demanding Scottish Six Days Trial riding the Douglas Mark III Competition model.

  The same year works rider Don Chapman, on the Mark III Sports, gave Douglas their only major successes in motorcycle racing by winning at the Silverstone Circuit.

   Freddie Dixon was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been successful on two, three and four wheels.  He was twice awarded the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) Gold Star.

Today in motorcycle history, November 1, 1945

 


 
 

 

  On November 1, 1945, change comes to Springfield, E. Paul du Pont hands over the keys to Indian Motorcycles.

  In 1930, Indian merged with DuPont Motors.  DuPont Motors founder E. Paul du Pont decided to cease production of DuPont automobiles and concentrate all of the company's resources on Indian.  du Pont's paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 color options being offered in 1934.  Models of that era began using Indian's famous head-dress logo on the gas tank. 

   In 1940, Indian sold nearly as many motorcycles as its major rival, Harley-Davidson.  During this time, the company also manufactured an array of other products such as aircraft engines, bicycles, boat motors and air conditioners.  Anything to keep the boat afloat.  When du Pont first took over Indian was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but by 1939 the company was earning unprecedented profits, in part due to the military demands of the Allies at the start of World War II and the rush of domestic buyers anticipating the scaling back of civilian production during a time of war.  While the turnaround was good for Indian, it also made the company more attractive for a possible buyout.

  By the mid-1940s, du Pont’s health was failing and he felt he could no longer manage the day-to-day operations of Indian.  He and the board of directors began entertaining offers to buy Indian over cocktails at a local  Springfield gin-joint.  In 1945, a group headed by Ralph Rogers purchased a controlling interest of the company.  On November 1, 1945, du Pont formally turned the operations of Indian over to Rogers.

 

  Under Rogers' control, Indian discontinued most of it's profitable and best selling bikes (good financial move there, Ralphy-boy) and began to manufacture lightweight motorcycles such as the 149 Arrow and the Super Scout 249, both introduced in 1949, and in 1950 introduced the 250 Warrior.  Production of traditional Indians was extremely limited in 1949, and no 1949 Chiefs are known to exist.  Sadly, Indian halted all production in 1953.

  du Pont will be remembered for keeping Indian open during the darkest days of the Depression by focusing on its core business of building motorcycles.  He backed the engineering department’s continued development of improved models and kept the company’s racing program vibrant under the new Class C rules.  He was also an enthusiastic backer of the AMA and was involved in activities of the association.  He died at the family estate in Delaware on September 26, 1950.

 

  E. Paul du Pont was inducted in the AMA Hall of Fame n 2004.