Today in motorcycle history, May 13, 1973

  

  Finland's Teuvo Länsivuori, riding a works Yamaha, wins the 250cc Class West German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring.

  The expression, "always a bridesmaid" certainly fit 'The Flying Fin' in 1973. Teuvo Pentti "Tepi" Länsivuori finished second in the 250cc World Championship to the crowd favorite, Germany's Dieter Braun and then, to rub salt in his wound, he rode to another second place finish behind the legend known as Giacomo Agostini in the 350cc World Championship.

  Three years later he would again finish second, this time to his Suzuki stable-mate, Britain's Barry Sheene, in the 500cc World Championship.







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Today in motorcycle history, May 12, 1961

  

  German sidecar racer Hilmar Cecco is killed during a non-Championship race in Modena, Italy.

  Hilmar Cecco began sidecar racing on German grasstrack circuits in 1954, teaming with fellow countryman, Fritz Mader.  For the '57 season he was offered to compete in International races with Switzerland's Edgar Strub. With no luck and itching for a win, 1958 would see Hilmar partner with the Swiss driver, Florian Camathias. Camathias and Cecco would stand on the podium with 2nd Place finishes in the 1958 and 1959 World Sidecar Championships. In 1960 Cecco would again team with Strub, but returned to Camathias for the '61 campaign. 

  On the final bend of a non-Championship race in Modena, Italy, Camathias' BMW ran wide and left the circuit causing it to somersault. They were rushed to the Policlinico Hospital where Hilmar Cecco died the following day from severe head injuries. 

 

  They had been leading the race and were on their 25th and last lap.






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Today in motorcycle history, May 11, 1972

  

  

  A horse is a horse, of course, unless of course that horse is ........a Yamaha?

  Came across this bit of motorcycle history while reading The Superior Express newspaper "serving Superior, Nuckolls County, Nebraska", dated Thursday, May 11, 1972.



  "Motorcycles have replaced the faithful old horses on the Schuster farm south of Superior. Clare Schuster and his son Kenneth report that motorcycles are much more effective for rounding up cattle than horses and cycles come in handy for several other duties on the farm, as well.


  The most recent use is as portable weed sprayers.


  Clare has adopted a 20 pound Freon gas bottle and now uses it as a power sprayer. To further outfit the cycle a spade carrier has been added. The spade is used to remove nodding thistle and other noxious weeds in the pasture. They have worked cattle with 90cc Yamaha motorcycles for some years now and they are very enthusiastic about the efficiency and the bikes are never hard to catch and they never tire.


  According to Clare they have one disadvantage, they're hard to push when they run out of gas."







  The cattle were rounded up by two Yamaha 90cc bikes.




  Superior bills itself as the "Victorian Capital of Nebraska", and holds an annual Victorian Festival. The downtown area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.








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Today in motorcycle history, May 9, 1982

  

  Jean-François Baldé wins the 350cc Class French Grand Prix.

  In his final year racing for Kawasaki, Jean-François Baldé wins the 350cc Class French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Armagnac (named after the famous motorcycle ace of the fifties and sixties) near Nogaro in southwestern France.




  Jean-François Baldé would be the last winner of the 350cc Class French Grand Prix. The 350 Class would not be included in the French GP in 1983, '84 and '85, it would be completely eliminated from Grand Prix racing in 1986.




  Nogaro is the site of a distillery of Armagnac brandy.

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

Today in motorcycle history, May 8, 1973

  

  

  

  Rafael Long applies for his motorcycle towbar patent - "Bike rack for camper and the like".  Patent US 3731830 A.

  Mr. Long's application summary reads, "A rack for receiving and supporting a motorbike and the like on the body of a road vehicle in a manner for shift-ability and angular swing relative thereto for enabling ingress and/or egress to and from the body of the vehicle without complete removal of the motor bike from the rack entailing a carrier longitudinally movable and balanceable relative to a hinged roller support, spaced from bridging means on the vehicle and including suitable locking means convertible to a ramp for use during unloading and loading of the motor bike relative to the rack."


  "Such prior known carriers usually include a channel member for supporting a two-wheeled cycle in a relatively fixed condition on the back end of a conventional automotive main vehicle. Each case entails the problem of loading and unloading the motor bike relative to the carrier and the securing of the motorbike onto such carriers. Such carriers are usually mounted on the rear bumper of the main vehicle which may be a passenger vehicle, a station wagon, a trailer, a pick-up truck having a tailgate or an open body for a detachable camper and the like. In all cases if it is desired to gain access to the main vehicle either through the rear trunk; the tailgate or the rear 'door of a trailer or camper body, the motorbike usually has to be removed from such prior known carriers. The present invention seeks to overcome such tedious problems by providing a carrier constructed to facilitate access to or ingress and/or egress from the after end of the main vehicle without removing the motorbike from its carrier."


  Of course, once Rafael is granted his patent every Joe Inventor thinks they know a better way.

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

Today in motorcycle history, May 6, 1972

  

  

 

  Evel Knievel's SkyCycle X-1 is shown to the press and the public for the first time.

  Evel Knievel meets Doug Malewicki, the designer and engineer of Evel's Steam Rocket powered SkyCycle X-1 canyon-jumping motorcycle, Robert "Bob" Truax, the inventor and patent holder of the Steam Rocket engine and Facundo Campoy, one of Bob's partners for the machine's unveiling at the Twin Falls, Idaho, Snake River Canyon jump site. The press go insane.


  Doug Malewicki built a working X-1 Skycycle model rocket and a shallow angled launch ramp to be flown for all to see at Arizona's Bee-Line Dragway, the same night Evel was there jumping 12 cars and 3 vans. The model took off, coasted in a ballistic arc and successfully deployed its parachute.

  He got the job to design the real canyon jumper.

  

  Bee Line Dragway met it’s untimely fate in the early 1980’s due to a dispute between the landowners and the track management.











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

Today in motorcycle history, May 5, 2014

  

  A customized Triumph Bonneville T100 built by Renard Speed Shop in Estonia is featured in High Snobiety online magazine.

  This Bonneville T100 was the latest ride from Renard Speed Shop, the custom bike shop in Tallinn, Estonia. The custom shop specializes in cafe racers of all creed and color, Triumph to Suzuki, Harley to Honda. 

   They gave the Bonnie a contemporary cafe twist by slimming down the chassis, adding off-road tires, a custom tank, new lighting, and a matte black paint job to give it some scrambler credentials. An 865cc, fuel-injected scrambler!









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