Today in motorcycle history, September 15, 1989

  



  

  "1-2-3-4 Motorbike' is released by the Swedish band Kenneth and the Knutters.

  The band was formed by two long-time bike riders in Orebro, Sweden in 1982, after Kjell Jennstig and Leif Goldkuhl (from the group Colt45) got an idea for a motorcycle influenced band. After numerous cans of pilsner at a party they wrote a song called "I Want Your Yamaha With Me Tonight'. The song was enrolled under the pseudonym 'Kenneth & the Knutters' for a local talent competition, "Talent 82", in Orebro. 

  For a laugh, they thought they'd fill the stage with dancing bikers, so they contacted their friends in local motorcycle clubs. When the night came hundreds of bikers but only three bands showed up. Their performance was a huge success; Kenneth & the Knutters won the competition.


  Heavily influenced by Status Quo and "the sound of motorcycles" their appearances on a motorcycle show at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm and on Motorcycle Day at Gardet in Stockholm led to the band getting a record deal with CBS. The rest, as they say, is history.



  Kenneth and the Knutters released 8 full-length LP/CD's and appear on God knows how many compilations. They performed, albeit less and less frequently, until 2012. 

  The band's album 'Loaded, Packed and Ready' went Gold in 1991.







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

Today in motorcycle history, September 14, 1973

  

  One of the gloomiest days in Triumph's history, Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT) chairman Dennis Poore orders a meeting with Meriden's union stewards to inform them he intends to close the Triumph plant.

  Dennis Poore tells the union stewards at the storied Triumph plant that he is going to close Meriden and ship tooling to Small Heath in Birmingham. At the same time they're told he expects them to continue the production of the 1974 models which began in August. What happened next was one of the darkest times Triumph had ever seen...


  An immediate sit-in strike by the Meriden workforce and subsequent blockading of the gates for the next 18 months. The iron gates in front of the legendary factory would be manned by strikers 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Nothing came in, nothing went out, no service parts, no new bikes. Owner's needing spare parts-Ha! Dealer's crying for new bikes-Ha! Worldwide each were begging for help but, none would come.




  Too many Dealers were still reeling from the P39 (oil in frame) frame debacle and now they found themselves with nothing to sell so they quit selling Triumph all together.  











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

Today in motorcycle history, September 11, 1954

  



  

  Austria's Rupert Hollaus dies after crashing his NSU during a practice run at the 1954 Nations Grand Prix in Monza, Italy.

  Rupert Hollaus had only began his Grand Prix career in 1952. A year and a half later, in the 1954 season, aboard a works NSU 125 Rennfox, he would totally dominate the 125cc Class, winning the first four Grand Prix races, Isle of Man, Ulster GP, Dutch TT and the German Grand Prix. Sadly, later that same season, he would be killed in a practice run at the Nations Grand Prix in Monza.

  Hollaus became the first posthumous Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion in 1954, in the 125cc Class and was runner up to his NSU team-mate, Werner Haas, in the 250cc Class.

  Rupert Hollaus is the only Austrian to win a motorcycle road racing World Championship.

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

Today in motorcycle history, September 10, 1959

  


  

  A rose by any other name...

  1959 was the last year that the TR6 did not carry a letter designation after it. Starting with model-year 1960, the TR6 model line would be offered in two variants, the TR6/A being the low-piped roadster version and the TR6/B the high-piped street scrambler. But for 1959, it was still known as the TR6 Trophy, alongside it's stablemate, the 500cc TR5 Trophy, essentially identical in every way but displacement, and now in its last season. 1959 Triumph TR6 engine numbers start with 020883 and end with 029688, and were built from November 8, 1958 to September 10, 1959.

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

Today in motorcycle history, September 9, 1951

  


  


  









  Britain's Geoff Duke and his ever trusty Norton win the 1951 350cc Class Nations Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit in Monza, Italy.





  Britain flexes it's Grand Prix muscle as riders Geoff Duke, Bill Doran and John Lockett finish the GP season one, two, three in the 350cc Class. Matter of fact, a Norton crossed the finish line four out of the first five (Bill Doran was on an AJS).

  Final 350cc Class Standings - Geoff Duke/Norton, Bill Doran/AJS, John Lockett/Norton, Ken Kavanaugh (Australia)/Norton and Jack Brett/Norton.


  Geoff Duke totally dominated the 350cc Class winning with 40 points (including 5 wins) to 19 points (1 win) by Bill Dolan.



  Among all the trophy's and accolades bestowed upon Geoff Duke the biggest was in 1953 when, in recognition of his services to motorcycling, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire.










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

Today in motorcycle history, September 8, 1912

  


  

  At Valisburg Park in Newark, New Jersey, Motordrome racing has it's darkest day.

  The 8,000-seat Newark Motordrome opened on July 4, 1912 and regularly ran motorcycle races on Sunday afternoons. Racing fans from in and around Newark would pack the grandstands that ring the 60-degree, quarter-mile wooden "saucer" to see riders from around the country compete at speeds approaching 90 to 100 mph.

  On Sunday afternoon, September 8, Eddie "The Texas Cyclone" Hasha, John Albright, Arthur Chapple and Ray Seymore prepared to square off for a Five-Mile race (20 laps). On the third lap Eddie Hasha was leading fellow Indian rider Ray Seymore when Hasha's bike developed a hiccup, and Seymore took the lead. Eddie adjusted his carburetor, and then he re-entered the race at the top of the track. His bike suddenly took a sharp turn crossing the black warning line at the top of the racing surface. Travelling about a hundred feet along the three foot spectator railing at the top of the track, striking numerous spectators and then struck a large roof post and was hurled into the spectator seating area. Hasha's bike slid down the banking into the path of fellow rider John Albright, who was thrown from his bike.


  When the smoke finally cleared Eddie Hasha was dead of a broken neck, John Albright was seriously injured, and five spectators were either dead or dying. The crash, and resulting carnage, caused a stampede out of the grandstands, injuring numerous spectators. Albright died from his injuries later that day.

  The final death toll from the horrific crash was eight, which included Hasha, and Albright, along with six spectators. Three of the dead, were young boys twelve to fourteen years old.

  The Motordrome accident was the single worst in Newark motorcycle racing history. Newspapers across the country began tracking their local motordrome death tolls for the next year. Editorial writers and cartoons called for banning "Murderdromes" and motorcycle racing.


  Although the grand jury exonerated Motordrome management Oct. 26, 1912, its property was sold for $9,500 at a Nov. 24 sheriff's auction to satisfy a civil judgment. Inquests and litigation ended when a circuit court jury awarded $328 to four injured victims in a Jan. 15, 1914 judgment against EMRA.

  A Sept. 12, 1915 fire leveled the Motordrome. An Essex County Park Commission hired a demolition crew to clear the rest of the amusement center for Vailsburg Park in 1917.

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

Today in motorcycle history, September 4, 1971

  

  

  Suzuki unleashes the GT750, a water-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke.

  The first Japanese bike with a liquid-cooled engine, the prototype was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in October of 1970 and launched in Japan on September 4,1971. The GT500 was developed from their wildly successful T500 (Titan) with an extra cylinder and liquid cooling. Marketed as the GT Le Mans in the US and Canada, it was nicknamed the "Kettle" in Britain (for obvious reasons) and the "Damn Water Buffalo" (for obvious reasons) in the US. A heavy bike due it's Chevy-sized radiator it tipped the scales at 550 lbs. To give you an idea of how heavy that is, a 1972 Honda CB750 four cylinder weighs 518 lbs.

  Basic specs - 739cc, two-stroke water-cooled three-cylinder, 67 bhp @ 6500 rpm, 5-speed transmission, a top speed of 110 mph.



  The Automotive Engineers of Japan included the 1971 Suzuki GT750 as one of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. 

  

  240??!!




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