The Black Hills Classic kicks off on a Sunday afternoon in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 14, 1938.
What is known today as the Sturgis Rally actually began in 1937 when a local motorcycle club, the Jackpine Gypsies, invited the Rapid City Pioneers Motorcycle Club to Sturgis for a field day. The Gypsies rode the Indian motorcycles that Clarence "Pappy" Hoel sold at his Sturgis shop and the Rapid City group, known as the RPMs, were almost all Harley-Davidson riders.
Sturgis businessmen took notice with the number of people the event brought to town, and over the winter they met with Pappy and the Gypsies to secure an AMA sanction for a similar meet, with dirt track races to be held at the old half-mile horse track at the county fairgrounds, in the summer of 1938.
The Jackpine Gypsies held the first sanctioned rally on August 14, 1938. They dubbed it the "Black Hills Classic" and it consisted of a single race with only nine participants, various motorcycle stunts and daily rides, Gypsy Tours, to take in the beauty of the surrounding land such as the sacred Bear Butte.
It wasn't until 1961 that the rally was expanded to include the Hillclimb and Motocross races.
Little known fact- it was Pappy Hoel’s ever- chipper, gracious and dedicated wife, Pearl, more than anyone else, who probably deserves credit for the early success of this event. It's fair to say that without her reputation and support the Sturgis Rally would probably never have happened. In the formative years of the event, 1936-1941, Pearl’s reputation in Sturgis and Meade County helped sell his idea to influential leaders in the community. As a county official and an outstanding citizen of great stature in the community, Pearl lent credibility to the event. She was active in her church, served as an officer in her lodge, and was regularly involved in the bridge club and other community societies. The local powers that be, and especially their wives, were Pearl’s friends. If Pearl thought a motorcycle rally was a good thing, how could anyone disagree? And what a rally in has turned into.
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Somehow, somewhere, things have changed in this old school man's eyes. I find it really fucking odd that when Harley's weren't known as the most dependable bikes they were still ridden from places such as Portland, Oregon and Blackduck, Minnesota to Daytona Beach and from NYC and Presque Isle, Maine to Sturgis but, when they became more dependable (and hip) the fewer miles they actually get ridden by the $$$ crowd that buys them. Spend unfathomable amounts of money on a custom-built "chopper" or a "garbage-barge" and then put in a trailer to go to a bike rally/meet. Ride their motorcycles just the last few miles to be seen/scene. From Wikipedia - "...the director of the rally estimated in 2005 that less than half the attendees actually rode there. Shipping companies transport thousands of motorcycles to Sturgis for attendees who arrive via airline." Excuse me while I puke.
Sorry. I had to vent. Mind you, I know there still are many real bikers who actually ride to Sturgis and points beyond. I wish I was sharing a stretch of blacktop with them.
After hearing nine days of testimony from several witnesses who invested their life savings and saw all or most of the money vanish, a federal jury in Springfield, Massachusetts, took about an hour Monday to find Philip S. Zanghi II guilty of 23 counts of securities fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.
1990, Zanghi approached officials in Springfield about finding a suitable plant site promising jobs and vowing to begin production of Indian Motorcycles, the iconic brand and rival of Harley-Davidson, and by 1992 turned his focus to a vacant, 276,000-square-foot building that at one time was used for the growing of mushrooms (the non-magical variety) in East Windsor, Connecticut. Without ever signing a lease, he built gates there emblazoned with the Indian logo.
All the while, Zanghi was selling stock in his company and selling licensing agreements to the old- fashioned, cursive "Indian'' logo for tens of thousands of dollars. Swindling investors from as far away as Sweden, Greece and Austrialia.
Prosecutors charged Zanghi with bilking more than 30 investors of $830,000 through fraudulent stock sales and licensing agreements. Among the victims were Zanghi's stepfather, who invested $32,000, and an uncle and aunt, who invested $50,000. I think it's safe to say he got scratched from their Christmas list.
In mid-1993, Zanghi gave upon his plan to use the East Windsor building, moved out of the $600,000 house he was leasing on Wyngate Drive in Avon, Connecticut, and moved to North Carolina with his wife and three children.
After his Indian Motocycle Co. went into bankruptcy and authorities there impounded Zanghi's Rolls Royce, Ferrari and six other cars, prosecutors say Zanghi went to Marbella, Spain. He was arrested at a luxury hotel in New York City in June 1996.
On December 17, 1997 the rat-bastard was sentenced to 7 1/2 years.
One of the coolest but, highly under-publicized bike runs, the Southern California Motorcycling Association's (SCMA) annual USA 4-Corners Tour 2002 kicks off.
This is a self-directed motorcycle tour and the entire distance must be ridden on your motorcycle. Ferry rides are acceptable over rivers and lakes. Motorcycles with side cars and trikes are considered motorcycles for this event. No other vehicles are permitted on any part of this event.
The four official checkpoints for the USA Four Corners Tours are: San Ysidro, California, Blaine, Washington, Madawaska, Maine and Key West, Florida.
You start the event by visiting the first checkpoint of your choice and taking a photograph of your motorcycle in front of any of the USA Four Corner landmarks. The rider is allowed 21 days total time to complete the run. The ONLY exception to this rule are hurricanes. If the state of Florida has the road to the Keys blocked; you may use that barrier as the Key West Hurricane Corner.
You need to have computer generated gas receipts with date, time, location from each of the four corners (write your license plate number on receipt). If no stations are open, a receipt from the nearest open gas station will be accepted.
The SCMA estimates that the average rider can expect a MINIMUM of 8,500 miles on the shortest route (this figure DOES NOT include the distance from your home to the first corner and back). If you want to see more than countless miles of boring-ass interstates plan on adding on another 1,000 miles or so.
SCMA also provides other challenging long distance motorcycle-only rides including the butt-numbing, Three Flags Classic (Mexico-USA-Canada).
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Legendary Irish TT racer Arthur James "Artie" Bell dies at his home in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Known for his short, yet brilliant, post-World War II Isle of Man TT career that came to notice with his second place finish in the 1947 Isle of Man TT on an old, used 500cc Norton he bought himself and on which he managed to lead three of the seven laps.
Riding his 1939 Norton, he participated in several races in the immediate post-World War II period including County Tyrone's 1946 Cookstown 100 where he recorded the fastest lap time of 76.60 mph and winning the 1947 500cc Ulster Grand Prix race (averaging 91.25 mph) in a time of 2 hours 43 minutes 1 second, while setting a new lap record of 94.79 mph. Bell also won the 1947 North West 200.
After his kick-ass performance in the 1947 Isle of Man, Norton picked him up as a works rider for the following season. The '48 season was full of mechanical failures and tough luck but, Artie returned in the 1949 season determined to prove Norton made the right choice putting him in the saddle. He would place third and fourth in the TT as well as taking the North West 200 again.
When Norton introduced the Featherbed frame in 1950 he rode it to a first place finish in the 350cc Junior race and second place in the 500cc Senior race. Bell also claimed the North West 200 for a third time.
Unfortunately, his promising racing career came to an end following a high speed crash during the 1950 season at La Source Hairpin during the 1950 Belgian Grand Prix at the extremely fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Although Artie survived serious injury, he was unable to race again.
In 1996 the Irish Post Office issued a set postage stamps of notable Irish motorcyclists that included a stamp depicting Artie Bell.
1983 Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix was held at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden.
The eleventh race of the GP season turned out to be one of the most dramatic races in one of the most dramatic Grand Prix seasons in recent history. And as we would've expected it ended in controversy as the championship's two stars of the show, Honda's Freddie Spencer and Yamaha's Kenny Roberts , both having won five of the season's ten previous races.
Roberts led Spencer led in points 117-115 going into the race. On the final lap, heading down the back straight, Spencer placed his Honda right behind Roberts' wheel as they reached the second to the last corner, a ninety degree right-hander. As both riders put some weight to their brakes, Spencer came out of Roberts' draft and managed to get inside of the Yamaha but, as they exited the corner, both riders ran wide off the track and plowed into the dirt. Freddie was able to get back on the track first, crossing the finish line just ahead of Roberts for the deciding victory. Kenny Roberts instantly started whining, saying he considered Spencer's pass to be foolish and dangerous and, exchanged, what mom would call "colorful" profanities with him on the podium.
It was a controversial pass by the young Honda rider and one that the two participants still dispute to this day. Roberts still insists that it was dangerous, while Spencer maintains it was a calculated risk he had to take to secure the championship and that Yamaha boy needs to get over it.
The '83 Scandinavian Grand Prix is still referred to as one of the greatest of all time.
Miramax releases their version of Motorcycle Gang.
A $1,000,000 budget gets them Director John Milius, (Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn) and Hollywood actor Gerald McRaney (Simon & Simon, Major Dad). Well, they're off to a good start..er.. now we need a bad guy..hmm..how about Gary Busey, he's a nut-job and once rode a bike...no?...busy?..hey, doesn't he have a kid?...yeah, Jake Busey...looks like the old man but, can he ride a bike?...as good as his old man?..we have insurance.....book him.
Gerald McRaney plays Cal, a retired soldier (a stretch there) driving his family from Texas to California. As they cross the desert, they are terrorized by a gang of heroin-dealing bikers led by their prez, Jake, (Jake Busey) who kidnap his teenage daughter and take her across the Mexican border. He follows them to their hideout and devises a plan to rescue his daughter.
An hour and a half you will never get back. Keep that in mind.
