Today in motorcycle history, December 24-27, 2115

  Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Today in motorcycle history, December 23, 2007

 

  Top Gear's Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel.

  Evel died not long before this program was telecast, it was part of  'Top Gear Night' on Britain's BBC2.

 'Top Gear' presenter Richard Hammond travelled to America and arranged to meet the world famous daredevil, and one of his childhood heroes, Evel Knievel. They talked about Knievel's career, family, dreams, fears, crashes and his wild daredevil lifestyle. The program also showed archival jump footage, photos and news articles, all showing not only how famous he became, but also other little known elements to his personality.

 

  Hammond also conducts interviews with Knievel's former bodyguard Gene Sullivan, former daredevil Debbie Lawler and his former publicist Shelly Saltman, who was assaulted by Knievel in 1977, an attack which destroyed Evel's reputation and eventually caused him to declare himself bankrupt. On the final day of filming, Evel asked Hammond to go and view his tombstone which he had paid for himself.

  Sadly though, the viewer can see that Knievel's health was deteriorating, a few times as Hammond was preparing to engage him he was taken away in need of medical attention. 

   "You can't ask a guy like me why I performed. I really wanted to fly through the air. I was a daredevil, a performer. I loved the thrill, the money, the whole macho thing. All those things made me Evel Knievel. Sure, I was scared. You gotta be an ass not to be scared. But it sure beat the hell out of death."

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

Today in motorcycle history, December 22, 2007

  

  Remembering the Suzuki two-strokes.

  I came across this article in Rider magazine dated December 22, 2007 and thought someone would enjoy a short version of it. Enjoy a stroll down memory lane.

  "In the early 1970's there must have been somebody at Suzuki headquarters who was a numerologist, and felt that 185 had to be a lucky number. In 1971 there appeared the TS185 Sierra, a 183cc two-stroke single set up as a woods bike; followed by the GT185 Adventurer in 1973, this 184.8cc two-stroke twin street bike; and then the 1974 TC185 Ranger, a woods bike that was quite similar to the TS185, differing mostly with its dual-range transmission. Now that we have brought up the TS and TC, we’ll ignore them and focus on the GT.

  In 1972 Suzuki began putting the GT (Grand Touring) prefix on its street bikes, from the GT750 LeMans (better known as the Water Buffalo), to the GT550 Indy to the GT380 Sebring, all triples, and then the GT250, GT185 and GT125 twins.

  Suzuki was in its two-stroke stage back then, and had built some exceptional machines in the late 1960's, followed by the excellent triples. One innovation of which the company was most proud was the Ram Air concept, very apparent on this little twin. Take a close look and one sees that this is a vertical twin, parallel cylinders standing upright. The cylinders are perfectly square, 49mm by 49mm, and the air rams are actually built into the cylinder heads. As opposed to being bolted on, as with the 380 and 550 triples.

  The patented Ram Air design was not of any use around town, but out on the open road it allowed these two-strokes to motor along at close to maximum power with no undue side effects, such as overheating. Focusing the air right over the cylinder heads does wonders in getting rid of the heat. The GT185 ran a healthy 7:1 compression ratio, claiming some 21 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, most of which were galloping along when the speed-o needle was at the 75-mph mark..."





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

Today in motorcycle history, December 18, 1943

  Keith Richards is born in Dartford, Kent, England.

  What else needs to be said?




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

Today in motorcycle history, December 15, 1930

  The Meteor Motorcycle Club is founded in Glendora, New Jersey.

   In 1934 the Meteor's would move into a clubhouse on the Black Horse Turnpike in Bellmawr, New Jersey. On November 28, 1934 they held their first official AMA "Night Run", or better known as the Sandy Lane Enduro.


  The Sandy Lane Enduro was started because two Meteor members were big off-road freaks. They had been reading, dreaming about the Jack Pine Gypsy (AMA) runs. They were a two-day, 500-mile National Championship Endurance Run promoted by the Lansing Motorcycle Club of Lansing, Michigan. At that time there were no endurance runs in the East. So the Meteor's decided to bring the Jack Pine, or a reasonable facsimile there of, to South Jersey. 

  The 79th (there were no runs during WW II) running of the Sandy Lane Enduro will be held on April 3, 2016.

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

Today in motorcycle history, December 13, 1964

  Been dealing with a bit of Yuletide sickness (hospital type). Trying to catch up so cut me some slack, will ya.




  The South Canterbury (New Zealand) Motorcycle Club held its first Gold Leaf International Motocross round at Lyalldale, Timaru. Nearly three-thousand turn out to see local Kiwi riders battle it out against some of the world's best International riders.



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

Today in motorcycle history, December 11, 1975

  






  


 

  The American millionaire/publisher/tycoon, Malcolm Forbes buys his first Munch motorcycle, a 1200TTS ‘Münch 4’ Mammut.

  Friedl Munch created the Mammut in 1966 when he fit an NSU 996cc, 55hp, overhead-cam, 4-cylinder automobile engine into his own tubular loop frame. The machine weighed a reasonable 480lbs, capable of a halfway decent (for the time) 115mph. 


  Totally unsatisfied, in 1968 Munch used an 1177cc, 88hp, NSU TTS car motor for his new beast, the Münch4 1200TTS. The new motor was prone to break the heavy-duty spokes on the rear wheel, so Munch developed a unique and much stronger cast magnesium 'turbine-style' rear wheel, while retaining a spoked wire wheel up front. That front wheel would be given a little extra stopping power by using a massive 10-inch diameter magnesium casting front brake. The fuel tank and side panels were made of hand-hammered aluminum, while the seat, headlight nacelle, wheels and brakes were magnesium. Despite the extensive use of lightweight materials, the Mammut weighed an elephantine 650lbs.

  American motorcycle entrepreneur Floyd Clymer invested in the Munch brand from 1968, marketing the bike in US as Clymer-Munch Mammoth IV with the slogan "Built up to a standard, not down to a price". Clymer died before any serious production began. There were only about 500 ever built.

  Malcolm Forbes owned two Munch motorcycles, one of which he allegedly gave to Elizabeth Taylor.  All I can think to ask is, why?

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