Today in motorcycle history, November 21, 1938

    

  

  

 

   The H.E.C. Power Cycle makes it debut at Earls Court.

  The Power Cycle was basically, an upgraded lady’s bicycle frame with the addition of a gas tank and a motor, made to cater to the market for lightweight motorcycles. With an engine under 100cc and being started by pedals rather than a kickstart, it fell into a separate (read that as cheaper) road tax class, which riders found very appealing. The whole idea behind the Power Cycle was to encourage bicycle riders to upgrade to a motorized machine. At that time there were no 49cc motorcycles, so they filled the spot occupied by those pesky mopeds.

  The H.E.C Power Cycle, manufactured by Hepburn Engineering Co. of Kings Cross, London, was fitted with an 80cc deflector-top two-stroke engine made by Levis. The machine debuted with a Levis badge on the engine. The engine was updated later that year, ready for the 1940 season, and the Levis badge on the engine was replaced with an H.E.C. badge.


  Alas, sales were short-lived. With the outbreak of war, the company relocated to Thorpe Street, Birmingham but, on May 3, 1940, the H.E.C. factory was bombed. Levis and H.E.C. then merged to manufacture air-compressors. Sadly, very few Levis/H.E.C. Power Cycles were manufactured.



  From "The Motor Cycle", dated 25th May, 1939 -

  "The H.E.C has a fairly low engine gear ratio (14 to 1), and this combined with the light weight of the machine and an extremely ‘peppy’ engine, provides acceleration well above the average. Response to the throttle was immediate and a speed of 25mph was attained comparatively rapidly. Higher speeds are available if required; indeed, under favourable conditions the speedometer registered 35mph, which is remarkable for an 80cc power unit. In these circumstances, slight vibration was felt, and without doubt the engine was happiest at a speed of about 25mph."

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Today in motorcycle history, November 19, 1966 & 1999

      

  

   

  Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Evel Knievel, strikes twice on November 19.

  On a unusually cloudy afternoon on Saturday, November 19, 1966, at the Tucson Dragway in Tucson, Arizona, Evel Knievel jumps what appears to be a Dodge used car lot. The assortment of Dodge vehicles includes a Dodge-Fargo pickup and delivery van (that delivered auto parts the previous morning), three Coronet 440 station wagons and five junked sedans of various year and model. The jump is a success as his 1965 Norton Atlas clears the last roof with room to spare. A clean, smooth landing with no stitches, bruises, lacerations or broken bones.



  Fast forward 30 years, November 19, 1999 - on a special platform built on the fountains at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip near the site of Evel’s infamous New Year's Eve 1967 jump, he marries long time girlfriend, 30-year-old Krystal Kennedy of Clearwater, Florida.  Much like that jump the marriage crashed and burned. They were divorced in 2001.


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Today in motorcycle history, November 18, 1905

 


  

  

  Minerva introduces it's V-twin to a motorcycle hungry Belgian public.

  Originally called "Mercury", a bicycle-only company owned by Sylvain de Jong, after a heated dispute with the other investors Sylvain bought them out, changed the company name to "S. de Jong and Co." and chose the name "Minerva" for his new plant in Antwerp.  Then in 1900, he bought an engine from the Swiss based Zurcher & Luthi Company.  Zurcher & Luthi did not only build the engines, they also patented their bicycle set-up. The engines were "clamped to the framing" (clip-on). A leather "band" over a grooved rim, bolted to the back wheel, guaranteed motion. The engines had an atmospheric inlet valve and a mechanical exhaust valve. A surface carburetor delivered the mixture from the "spirits reservoir" and a 4 volt accumulator with trembler coil produced the spark. 


  Sylvain loved the idea, bought the license and started the production of all parts needed to turn a Minerva bicyclette into a Minerva motocyclette. Due to the reliability of the clip-on engine, success came immediately. 

  In 1905, Minerva would introduce a much larger and faster V-twin model to the public. Also, the clip-on motor was deleted but three motorcycle options were available.


  Model M1) - a two speed gear (no clutch) mounted on the crankshaft, for the 2 ¾ hp models only. This resulted in two external pulleys of same diameter but with different rotating speeds. The leather belt could, by means of a lever, slide from one pulley to the other.

  Model M2) - Magneto instead of the trembler ignition. The magneto was driven by a rod and mounted to the front of the engine.

  Minerva model M3) - Spring front forks.


  The catalog for 1905 showed four different motor sizes available: a 2hp 247cc single, 2 ¾ hp 345cc single, 3 ½ hp 433cc single and a 4 ½ hp 577cc V-twin.

   Minerva the Roman goddess, daughter of Jupiter, sprang from the head of her father, fully grown and in full armor. She was the patron of warriors, goddess of knowledge and wisdom and goddess of artisans and industry. 

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Today in motorcycle history, November 15, 1967

 



     

 The funeral of Thomas Bell,  President of the Road Vultures MC, takes place under the watchful eyes of Buffalo (New York) police.  From the Buffalo Evening News newspaper...

  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - The slain president of the Road Vultures Motorcycle Club went to his grave Monday, the hearse carrying his casket escorted by 40 roaring cycles.

  Thomas G. Bell, a bearded, 24-year-old shipping clerk, was laid to rest in Buffalo's Forest Lawn Cemetery after a funeral service in which leather jacketed cyclists mingled with persons in conventional dress.

  Members of the Buffalo-based Road Vultures were joined in the crowd by representatives from motorcycle bands elsewhere in Western New York and Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut and Ontario, Canada.  Bell's funeral cortege was led by a motorcycle bearing a red flag emblazoned with a Nazi swastika. Next in line was a small flat-bed trailer carrying his flower-bedecked cycle. Before Bell's casket was sealed, someone placed sunglasses on his eyes and a Road Vultures sweatshirt on his chest, atop his blue suit and white shirt.

  At the cemetery, a club member stepped forward and poured the contents of a pint whiskey bottle on the metal casket, then tried to smash the bottle against the coffin lid, but without success.

  A mimeographed eulogy distributed at the cemetery said Bell "was born to be free and died to be free."

  Several plainclothes policemen stood by during the service.

  Also in the gathering were Bell's wife, Regina, and their 2-yearold son, Shane.

  Bell was shot fatally last Thursday night after, police said, he and two other Road Vultures stormed into the apartment here of Jack Edin, to retrieve an inexpensive watch.

  In the ensuing fracas, detectives said, Bell was shot in the back with a pistol by Edin's brother, Walter, 29. The other two motorcyclists suffered leg wounds.

  You know on that Monday any poor bastard on a bike, patch-holder or not, was pulled over by Buffalo's Finest. Tuesday's edition claimed 17 unshaven/suspicious/motorcyclists were arrested, mainly for traffic violations.
 

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Today in motorcycle history, November 14, 2014

  

  

  Priceless trophies snatched in robbery at National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull.  Bosses offer substantial reward for recovery of haul after thieves leave trail of destruction.

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   I wanted to post this story from the Birmingham Mail about the August 27 break-in to the National Motorcycle Museum.  It is an amazing museum that I highly recommend visiting. If anyone knows anything about the dirtbags that are responsible for this please speak up.


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  Priceless trophies were snatched and thousands of pounds worth of damage was done when thieves smashed their way into the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull overnight.

  The robbers left a trail of destruction and fled with a haul of invaluable trophies - some of immense historical value to the industry and motorsport.

  Museum chiefs are still putting together a catalogue of items missing following the robbery and have offered a substantial cash reward for anyone information leading to the recovery of the haul.

  National Motorcycle Museum director James Hewing offering a £20,000 reward for their return. 

  It is thought the list of trophies, which were taken from glass cabinets situated in the foyer of the museum at Coventry Road, Solihull, include World Championship prizes and items of immense historical value.

  James Hewing, museum director, said the value of the trophies could not be measured in cash terms because many were irreplaceable. He appealed to anyone offered any of the stolen items to contact police.


  He said, “We are desperate to have the trophies returned as soon as possible. The robbery was a rough job and a lot of damage was done. Although the trophies may not have much meltdown value in metal terms, they are priceless when it comes to the heritage of the sport and the rich motorcycle heritage of the UK. We will offer a substantial reward for information that leads to the safe return of all of the trophies.”

  Many of the cups and shields were donated or loaned to the museum by leading motorsport figures.

  It is thought the thieves targeted the haul to melt down*.

  Adrian Rogers, the owner of Stafford-based 21st Century Glaziers, was called to the museum just after midnight to board up entrance panels smashed by the raiders as they broke in.

  He tweeted pictures of the ruined display cabinets in the hope of boosting the search for the stolen trophies.

  Mr. Rogers said, “Vast numbers of trophies from years gone by were taken. It appeared three or four cabinets were targeted. These items were on display for people to enjoy and the people from the museum were distraught. I tweeted the pictures in the hope that the power of social media would help the trophies be returned. They may well be melted down but all motorbike enthusiasts would want to see them back where they belong. I feel for them - people enjoy these things and pay money to see them. They would be hard items to sell because they are one-offs.”

  A spokesman for West Midlands Police said officers found windows to the museum shop had been smashed but the offenders had not been able to gain access to the main premises.

  Forensic investigators are examining the scene.




  *The clowns that stole the trophies and the medals thinking to make a small fortune probably didn't realize most weren't actually silver but silver-plate or nickel therefore, they had virtually no melt-down value what-so-ever.




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Today in motorcycle history, November 7, 2008

   

    







  The Kings of Wanneroo goes International as a large contingent of overseas riders head to Western Australia to compete at Barbagallo Raceway Wanneroo.  But, it's the sidehacks who steal the show!
 

  According to the Motorcycle Racing Club of Western Australia's press release this is only the second time in the history of motorcycle road racing at Barbagallo Raceway that such a large number of international competitors will compete in Western Australia.  Not since 1972 have WA motorcycle fans seen such a prestigious lineup when the Pan Pacific Series finale came to Perth with the likes of London born, US based Ron Grant riding a works Suzuki 750, UK rider Cliff Carr on a Kawasaki 750, Daytona 200 winner and AMA Hall of Famer Don Emde aboard his 750 Harley-Davidson, Malaysian Sonny Soh on a 500 Suzuki and New Zealander Ginger Molloy straddling his 750 Kawasaki.




  But, to everyone's surprise the most exciting match-up was a supporting act to the Kings of Waneroo - the third and final round of the Australian Sidecar Championship.


  Few people expected anyone to match the blistering pace of veteran World Championship competitors Shane Soutar and passenger Jeff Rowe.  Young local siblings Dean and Darren Walker soon threw that prediction out the window as the two Suzuki powered teams bumped fairings repeatedly throughout the opening laps of the first round.


  Soutar/Rowe eventually managed to break away in the closing stages of the eight-lap race, their fastest lap though being only .02 seconds faster than the Walker brothers best.  This was a first for the Walkers who were unaccustomed to any serious competition in WA, but this new challenge helped them step their game up a little higher.


  The Walker brothers smoked it coming off the line in the second bout and this time around it was Soutar’s turn to give chase. There was no way Soutar was going to be able to pass the home-grown heroes in the corners as the Walker boys virtually took up the whole track, their outfit completely sideways through the turns. Eventually Soutar managed to make a pass and without a broadsided sidecar in front of them at every turn, managed to break away from the Walker brothers to take the win.


  Victory in the second race brought enough points for Soutar and Rowe to claim the 2008 Australian Sidecar Championship.  While the Walker brothers took second at Wanneroo their overall season results placed them third in the Nationals.  At only 20 and 23 years-old the tandem of Dean and Darren injected some much needed young blood into the Australian sidecar scene. 

 
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Today in motorcycle history, November 6, 1921

   

  

  On an overcast Sunday afternoon at Brooklands, Major Frank Halford breaks the 500cc World Hour Record at 76.74 mph aboard a "Riccy", along with the 50-mile standing start record with a speed of 77.27 mph and the one-mile British record at 87.8 mph.

  Similar to the earlier SD model, Triumph's Model 'R', their first four-valve, 500cc, OHV motor was introduced in 1921. 

  The 21 bhp, four-valve head (with twin valves set at 90 degrees apart) was designed by Sir Harry Ricardo and Major Frank Halford with the idea of producing an engine which could maintain maximum power at sustained high speeds using a machined steel cylinder and an aluminum piston. The motor was nicknamed "Riccy" by it's two designers. 

  Sir Harry Ricardo was an engineer who developed the modern understanding of engine breathing and combustion processes.

  In keeping up with the Jones', BSA produces its first motorcycle, a side-valve 770cc V-twin using vertical valves, aluminum slipper-type pistons, one-into-two exhaust manifold, two independent oiling mechanisms. The "secret project" cost over 10,000 pounds and took 18 months. Initial tests at Brooklands had promised speed, but at the TT, it was sidelined by the end of the second lap as the result of melted pistons.  Should have kept it a secret.

 

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