Today in motorcycle history, July 18, 1950

   

    

  One of the most recognizable faces of the Disco era, "Biker" Glenn Martin Hughes is born.  The YMCA will be changed forever. 

  Bored with his job as a toll collector at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, Glen Hughes responds to an ad by composer Jacques Morali looking for "macho" singers and dancers. His audition is a success and being a motorcycle owner/rider he's chosen to be the "Biker" of the group, dubbed "The Village People". Glen and the other members are given a crash course in the synchronized dance choreography and then sent out on the unsuspecting public.



  Glenn's powerful bass voice, handlebar moustache and his trademark leather outfit (that he wore seemingly 24 hours a day) were regarded as keys to the Disco goldmine, as YMCA, Macho Man and In The Navy became engrained in John Q. Public's brain. Love it or hate it, you couldn't get away from it.



  Hughes became one of the icons of the disco era, his face/image appearing everywhere including a special television broadcast at the Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner and in People Magazine's 1979 list of most beautiful people.



  He retired in 1996 and launched his own successful cabaret act and to keep his "Biker" image in the public's mind he was known for cruising the streets of NYC on his Custom Harley-Davidson.




  Glen Hughes died in March 4, 2001, at his Manhattan apartment from lung cancer. He was subsequently interred (wearing his Leatherman outfit) at Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, July 17, 1983

 

  After following the lives of "Ponch" and "Jon"of the California Highway Patrol for 139 action-packed episodes CHiPs comes to an end.

  CHiPs was an ultra-lightweight action crime drama, full of over-the-top freeway pileups, lost little children, the occasional "bad guy" and enough ladies to keep the macho, rambunctious Officer Francis "Ponch" Poncherello busy week after week.

  In real-life CHP cops rarely ride in pairs, in early episodes this was explained by placing the trouble-prone Ponch on probationary status, with Jon assigned as his field training officer. Making sure Poncherello kept out of trouble and kept him and his bike "inspection-ready". 

  Public perception links the later P-Series Kawasaki Police Special with the TV show, fact is they rode the earlier C-Series Kawasaki, which had an oval windshield similar in shape to the windshields on the older Harley-Davidson Electra Glides, then the popular cop bike of choice. 

  Both C and P-Series were equipped with windshields, saddlebags, pursuit lights, folding floorboards rather than footpegs and all designed to carry radio communications equipment and were wired for electronic sirens.

  All the Kawasaki Police Special bikes had inline, four-cylinder, four-stroke, double overhead-cam engines and chain drives, and larger generating systems than similar civilian models. Police Specials were also equipped with Dunlop tires designed to stay on the rim in case of deflation. These "run-flat" tires were able to increase safety significantly by enabling the rider to safely slow to a stop if the tires are damaged in a high-speed pursuit. However, problem was the very thick sidewalls on "run-flat" tires transmitted a much greater level of road shock to the handlebars which increased rider fatigue and also generated excess friction/heat which resulted in above average tire wear, prompting police departments to switch back to standard high-performance tires. As a result, Dunlop discontinued production of the "run-flat" models.


  The C-series borrowed features from the American police bikes, including a spring-cushioned saddle and a speedometer equipped with a solenoid to trap the indicator needle against the glass when the pursuit lights were activated, to mark the speed at which an alleged speeder was traveling at the time. Both of these features were eliminated in the KZP.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, July 16, 1924

  

  

  

   H-D’s first export representative to Africa, Alfred Rich Child arrives in Tokyo, Japan.

  The Koto Trading Company was a division of Sankyo, a pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Tokyo. Unbeknownst to their management, Koto had been the recipient of “bootleg” shipments of Harley-Davidsons that were supposed to be sold in Mongolia, but instead were diverted to Koto in Japan behind Harley's back. However, Koto had made a butt-load of money selling all the inventory originally intended for Mongolia. Alfred Child had an idea and immediately returned to Milwaukee with this news.

  Child returned to Japan on August 11, 1924, with an agreement between Harley-Davidson and the Koto Trading Company to establish the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Sales Company of Japan, with Alfred acting as managing director. The company set up shop with a supply of 350 motorcycles and $25,000 in spare parts. Within the next two years, Harley-Davidson sales in Japan eclipsed those of Indian. 

  Through Alfred's efforts, Rikuo (meaning "Land King"), a licensed copy of the Harley-Davidson, started production in 1929. In 1931 Dabittoson Harley Motorcycle Co., Ltd. was established in Japan. Dabittoson started domestic production of the Harley-Davidson Road King, a four-cycle, 1200 cc, side-valve flathead V-twin engine motorcycle.

  Things began to sour in 1936 when Harley was getting ready to produce their new EL (61") OHV Knucklehead design. They insisted that the Japanese factory buy the license to produce the EL as well. However Sankyo, Rikuo's parent company, was reluctant to produce the new vehicles and refused to make this commitment.

  Japan’s government would eventually strongly suggest that Harley-Davidson employees, including Child, leave the country.

  Child returned to the United States and in 1945 obtained the national distributorship rights for BSA and Sunbeam motorcycles by the Rich Child Cycle Co., Inc., which was sold to BSA Motorcycles Ltd. England in 1954.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, July 15, 2010

 
  

  British Airways announces it will sponsor a 1972 Triumph X75 Hurricane for the AccessKenya Africa Concours d’Elegance.

  British Airways announce they will sponsor a "superb 1972 Triumph X75 Hurricane motorcycle" to compete in the AccessKenya Africa Concours d’Elegance to be held at the Nairobi Racecourse on September 26, 2010.

  The bike is flown in specially from London for Tony Page who will be competing in the Concours for the first time. British Airways country manager George Mawadri said, “We are delighted to be carrying this valuable motorcycle from London to enable Tony Page to make Concours history on September 26th. This will be the first opportunity for Kenyan motoring enthusiasts to see a Triumph Hurricane.”  Page was chosen to represent the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Britain and "had high hopes" of standing on the podium at the 2010 Concours.  

  His hopes were soon dashed. The judges fought over three truly works of art with the top honor finally going to an eye-watering 1915 Indian Model B owned by Philip Gordon, Place and Show went to a 1937 Moto Guzzi GTC and a 1925 DKW owned by local club Sati’s Classics. An unusual entry was a custom built 1800cc V-twin chopper "with a long and low chassis which pleased the crowd immensely". Builder/owner Andy de Mare was greeted with loud applause when it was announced that it took the top prize for 'Most Elegant Motorcycle'.


  The AccessKenya Africa Concours d’Elegance, is held annually at the Nairobi Racecourse in Kenya. This year’s event celebrated the 10th anniversary of the AccessKenya Group, the Internet Service Provider which sponsors the event, the 40th anniversary of the Alpha Romeo Owners Club (Kenya), the organizer, and the 100th birthday of legendary Italian auto manufacturer Alpha Romeo.
 

  In 2000 British Airways sponsored a 1955 BSA for Edward Pengilly, a London based enthusiast who emerged the overall winner. 



  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, July 14, 1990

  

  On July 14, 1990, Dave Campos, driving the Easyriders streamliner, sets both the AMA and FIM absolute speed records with an overall average speed of 322.150 mph, and a second, faster run at an average of 322.870 mph.

  With a liver-quivering speed of 322.150 mph, Campos drives the Harley-Davidson Easyriders into the books. The record-breaking streamliner was owned by Joe Teresi, owner and publisher of Easyriders magazine, funded in part by $25 public shares that bought Easyriders readers tickets to the show (10,000 shares were sold altogether) resulting in an alleged record-breaking crowd at the Bonneville Salt Flats. 

  The bike was powered by two 1,500cc Ruxton Harley-Davidson Shovelhead engines. With a 2,500-lb. dry weight and a length of 23', the Easyriders streamliner broke the 12-year-old record—not bad for a bike that was rebuilt with the help of crowd members after it experienced a 300 mph crash on a test run. On the third day of the sixteen it took to break the record, the bike was damaged after an accident. The team and many sponsors stayed up three days and nights to fix it. Beers were paid for by Easyriders.




  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, July 12, 1971

  


   

  Bruce Brown's motorcycle race documentary 'On Any Sunday' is screened at the American Film Institute campus in Beverly Hills, California.

  'On Any Sunday' featured Steve McQueen (who partially bankrolled the flick), AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill, Baja racing legend Malcolm Smith, Motocross World Champion Roger DeCoster and many other motorcycle racers from the late 1960's and early 1970's.

  The film's real stars are the machines. Really cool footage of some great motorcycles that include Triumph, Husqvarna, Suzuki, Harley Davidson, BSA, Yamaha, Hodaka and Bultaco.

The following is from TCM Side notes...

  "...according to the July 1971 Variety review, Brown spent two years filming the picture, shooting nearly 150 hours of footage. In a 1999 interview, Brown stated that the film was shot in 16mm at a cost of $330,000. A 1974 news item in Box Office adds that the film, which was released in 35mm, grossed $10,000,000. Brown noted that after completing the film, which utilized twelve cameraman to capture the various races, he realized he could have filmed it much more efficiently using a single camera and shooting much less footage. The July 1971 Hollywood Reporter review stated that the film was originally to be released on June 30, 1971, but was recalled for final editing. According to the Variety review, the film was screened at the American Film Institute campus (then in Beverly Hills) on July 12, 1971, two days before its Los Angeles opening. The LAHExam review noted that, when the film opened in Los Angeles, it was played with an intermission.
  'On Any Sunday' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary. The June 1974 Box Office news item noted that Yamaha motorcycles advanced $3,000,000 to reissue the film, which was to play in forty area theaters and be promoted by Roger Riddell, one of the riders in the film and a friend of McQueen and Brown. In 1981, Riddell and Don Shoemaker, who edited 'On Any Sunday' and served as one of the film's photographers, made a sequel titled 'On Any Sunday II', directed by Ed Forsyth. 'Dust to Glory', a 2005 film depicting the Baja 1000 off-road race, was written and directed by Bruce Brown's son Dana and included some archival footage from 'On Any Sunday'. A modern source includes David Evans in the cast.

  

 

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk 

Today in motorcycle history, July 11, 1971

 






  

  Evel Knievel jumps nine cars (three 1971 Ford Mustangs, six Datsun 510's) and a Dodge Tradesman van at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

  The jump is Day 3 of a four-day engagement at The Garden.  July of 1971 is one of the busiest months in Evel Knievel's career, earning him the self-proclaimed moniker of 'The busiest rider in showbizz'.  

  He opens July with the four jumps in NYC (July 8-11) then goes north to Lancaster Speedway in Buffalo, New York (July 15-17), where each night he jumps 13 cars and, reportedly stays up until 1:00-2:00 in the morning signing autographs, before ending his tour at Pocono Downs Raceway in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (July 29-30).  The Wilkes-Barre leaps are over 12 Stegmaier Beer trucks, much to the delight of the sold-out crowds. Stegmaier beer sales for that Thursday and Friday set brewery records.  "Bartender, another 'Steg', please."

  Evel talked to 'The New Yorker' magazine about the jumps at Madison Square Garden. “I’ll be riding a Harley-Davidson XR 750—a factory-produced racing machine. It uses ethyl gas. The ramps are wooden—four-by-twelves—seven feet wide, with steel supports, set at a thirty-degree angle. Before the jump, I concentrate on what to do—I’m worrying about the sparkplugs, the chain, throttle, tires, the r.p.m. at the takeoff point. I’ve missed nine times, but I don’t have a death wish. Life to me is a bore, really, and jumping has replaced card games, ski-jumping, stealing. How some of the other people survive, I don’t know. If it weren’t for me, they’d have nothing to do—and if it weren’t for them, I couldn’t make a living. If I’m right with the man in the glass [mirror], that’s all that matters. It’s a challenge, like a ski jump. Everything is waiting, and then you’ve done it, and that’s what your life is. I live to beat that challenge.”

  The day of the opening, at around four in the morning, Knievel made his first trial jump, landed, zoomed into the wings, and smashed into the wall, injuring himself (one of the handlebars went into his groin; his legs were bruised) and wrecking the front end of his motorcycle. There was talk of cancelling the show, but Knievel decided against it. The motorcycle was repaired, and thin strips of corrugated rubber were taped to the floor of the Garden; these, it was hoped, would slow him down so that he could stop a few feet short of the wall.

  Every jump that July, all nine of them, go successfully.  

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk