Today in motorcycle history, March 31, 1973

  


  

  

  "The Queen of the Motorcycle Jumpers", Debbie Lawler, jumps her Suzuki 76 feet over a line of parked cars at the Beeline Dragway in Phoenix, Arizona.  

  Debbie Lawler, a.k.a. "The Flying Angel", was one of the most prolific female motorcycle jumpers of all-time. With her blue-and-white helmet, lucky orange bra, and pink hearts sewn all over her baby-blue leathers, she was the third most-popular motorcycle jumper of her era, following Evel Knievel and Super Joe Einhorn.  Mind you, a very small percentage of motorcycle jumpers are women, but that by no means takes anything away from Debbie's accomplishments.




  On February 3, 1974, ABC's Wide World of Sports was at the Houston Astrodome to tape the National Championship Indoor Motorcycle Race, and to also cover Debbie's jump. The 21-year-old earned her biggest exposure to date as she bettered Evel Knievel's indoor record for jump distance.  Her 101-foot leap over 16 Chevy pickups earns her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

  That was it, Debbie was a sensation.  She appeared on the TV game show "What's My Line?" and in print ads for Eagle Tires.  In response to Ideal's successful Evel Knievel toys, Kenner released the "Debbie Lawler Daredevil Jump Set," reasoning that girls would demand a line of stunt toys that they could identify with.  The Debbie doll had a big pink heart on her white helmet, with her golden plastic mane flowing out over her white jumpsuit.  Her bike was green, with shiny plastic faux-chrome machinery and another big pink heart emblazoned on the side. 

  The toy's packaging depicted a small girl at the helm of the wind-up crankcase that made little Debbie's motorcycle go.  The back of the toy's box illustrated "Wild Rider Action!", eight positions that Debbie could be mounted on the cycle.




  What more could a girl want. 

Today in motorcycle history, March 28, 2002

  

  

  

  

  Canadian motorcycle racer, dealer, importer, sponsor, AMA official, motorcycle collector and designer Trevor Deeley dies at 82.






  "Trev" Deeley was born on March 15, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, into a motorcycling family.  His grandfather and father had operated a Harley-Davidson dealership in Vancouver since 1918.

  During the 1940’s and 1950’s Deeley dominated flat track motorcycle racing in the Northwest.  He became a factory sponsored rider for Harley-Davidson and his bikes bore the number 22 as an AMA expert national plate holder, the first Canadian to have this honor.  

  In 1953, Trev was appointed General Manager of Fred Deeley Motorcycles.  Four years later he became the first Honda motorcycle distributor in the English speaking world.  In 1973 Trevor was approached by Harley-Davidson to become the exclusive distributor for Canada. That same year, Trevor was awarded “Special Constable” status and became the first civilian to ride with the Vancouver City Police Drill Team.


  In 1985 Trev Deeley became the first non-American on the board of directors for Harley-Davidson Motor Company.  He retired from the board in 1993, later that same year he opened the doors of the Deeley Harley-Davidson Museum housing one of the finest collections of motorcycles in the country.


  Trev Deeley was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1995.  This followed with the induction into the AMA Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame.  In 1997 Deeley became the first Canadian to receive the Dudley Perkins Award for his outstanding contribution to the sport of motorcycling.

   Not bad for a kid who began riding at fourteen on a 250cc Francis Barnett.  

Today in motorcycle history, March 25, 1962

  

  



  

  Known to most as the subject of "The World's Fastest Indian",  Herbert James "Burt" Munro celebrates his 63rd birthday by setting a New Zealand motorcycle speed-record for a standing start, open-class, quarter-mile with a time of 12.31 seconds/138 mph aboard his 1936 600cc Velocette MSS. 

  Burt Munro also set six other New Zealand motorcycle speed-records:  

  Flying half-mile, Road, Unlimited Class
Munro Special Indian - 99.45mph, Canterbury, January 27, 1940

  Flying half-mile, Road, Open Class
Munro Special Indian - 120.8mph, Canterbury, January 27, 1940

  Flying half-mile, Road, 750cc Class
Munro Special Indian - 143.6 mph, Canterbury, April 13, 1957

  Flying half-mile, Beach, Open Class
Munro Special Indian - 131.38mph, Oreti Beach, February 9, 1957

  Flying half-mile, Beach, 750cc Class
Velocette 600cc - 129.078mph, Oreti Beach, December 16, 1961

  Flying half-mile, Beach, 750cc Class
Velocette 618cc - 132.35mph, Oreti Beach, May 1, 1971

  During his life, Munro's accomplishments were little known outside a select group of motorcycle enthusiasts. With the release of "The World's Fastest Indian" in 2005, Munro suddenly became a cult hero in New Zealand. The movie became the biggest domestically produced film ever produced.


  His son, John, said that Munro would have shrugged his shoulders and smiled at the popularity he obtained after his passing.


  "I'm sure he would have never believed the popularity the movie gave him," said John Munro. "I think he would have been quietly pleased at being able to share his life with millions of people."






  He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2006.

Today in motorcycle history, March 24, 1972

  

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 Evel Knievel jumps thirteen cars at the 5,600 seat State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit, Michigan. 

 Evel successfully clears the thirteen cars but, he also successfully clears the landing ramp and crashes into the Coliseum's newly erected safety wall and breaks his collarbone.  
 Three weeks earlier, in San Francisco, he broke his ankle and bruised a few ribs attempting to jump fifteen cars.  But, the show must go on...




 Knievel began his snake/barrel/bail/motorcycle/car/bus/canyon jumping career on a 350cc Honda, in 1966 he did two jumps on a Norton Atlas, from March 9, 1967 until October 1968 he used a Triumph Bonneville, April 1969 to August of 1970 jumps were performed on a Laverda American Eagle 750cc and then, the bike he's best known for, a Harley-Davidson XR-750 from December 1970 until he called it quits in 1977.

 Evel Knievel often said that his Triumph was by far the best bike he ever jumped with, hands down. According to Evel – “The Harley’s got a little too much torque when it comes to jumping.”






  The State Fairgrounds Coliseum, aka Hockeytown State Fair Coliseum, is included in the U.S. Natonal Register of Historic Places.   

Today in motorcycle history, March 21, 1963

  



    


  

  

  Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay closes down and transfers its last prisoners.

  At it's peak period of use in the 1950's, "The Rock, or ""America's Devil Island" housed over 200 inmates at the maximum-security facility.  Alcatraz remains an icon of American prisons for its harsh conditions and record for allegedly being inescapable.


  The twelve-acre rocky island, one and a half miles from San Francisco, featured some of the most advanced security of the time.  Some of the first metal detectors were used at Alcatraz.  Strict rules were enforced against the unfortunate inmates who had to do time at Alcatraz.  Nearly complete silence was mandated at all times.  

  Check this out from Inmate Rules & Regulations, page 3, Rule #34...

  HAIRCUTS AND SHAVES: Haircuts will be of regulation type. You are not permitted to wear your hair in an unusual manner or have any special haircut except as authorized by the Associate Warden.

  You will be placed on call for a haircut approximately every three weeks.  You will be told when you are scheduled for it.

  You may be allowed to go to the Recreation Yard after your haircut if you are in good standing.  You will shave in your cell. Razor blades are exchanged each Saturday by the Evening Watch Officer.  Two new blades are issued in exchange for your two old blades.  Failure to account for both of your blades at any time will result in a disciplinary report.  Loss of a razor blade must be reported to the Cellhouse Officer immediately.  Do not wait until issue night to report the loss.  You must be clean shaven at all times. No special beards, mustaches or goatees are allowed.  Pricks.

   The bikers that were unfortunate enough to land in Alcatraz had to be clean shaven "at all times".  Christ, that's punishment in itself.  

  At the time of the closing there were six "outlaw" motorcycle club's (seven if you count one Mexican club member a long ways from home) with members who were in Alcatraz.  There have been nine movies and umpteen documentaries  based on the prison.  The cinematic releases include "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962), "Motorcycle Mayhem" (1965),  "Prisoner #69" (1967), "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979), "Murder in the First" (1995), "The Rock" (1996), "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006), "The Book of Eli" (2010), and one television series "Alcatraz" (2012).  One "Alcatraz Motorcycle Club" (Est. 2009)", that I know of there has been 17 custom bikes named "Alcatraz", a line of custom bike parts and numerous after-market shops called "Alcatraz Choppers","Alcatraz Custom Bikes", etc. One Bay-area stripper named "Alcatraz Ronni" who was known for her 'jailhouse shimmy'.

   If you were freed in March 1963 and had the means you could have bought a 1963 Harley-Davidson FLH Panhead or a XLH Sportster from Dudley Perkins or a Triumph Bonneville from Munroe Motors.  BSA had the A10 Rocket Gold Star, AJS the Model 31 650 Swift, a Norton Atlas, BMW R50/2 or in the mood for something a little smaller, (afterall, it had been a few years since you rode), perhaps a C/72 Honda Dream.

  Alcatraz was first explored by Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775, who called it Isla de los Alcatraces (Pelicans) because of all the birds that lived there. 

Today in motorcycle history, March 20, 1970

  

  

  On March 20, 1970, Fabio Taglioni made the first sketches for the layout of a new Ducati V-twin.  By April his drawings were completed, and by July, there was a running motor.  By August 1970, there was a complete prototype motorcycle.  Fabio Taglioni and his team had designed and built their own complete bike in only six months!  Crazy-fast in corporate time.  

  Fabio Taglioni was chief designer and technical director of Ducati from 1954 until 1989.  He began by designing Ducati's OHC four-stroke singles, and in 1963 designed the prototype V4 Ducati Apollo. This led to the 1972 Ducati 750 Imola Desmo, and the 1970's and 1980's production Ducati L-twin motorcycles. His desmodromic 90° V-twin engine design is still used by Ducati. 

  Taglioni began his career designing engines for Ceccato motorcycles. Who shot who and what now?!  You read that correctly, Ceccato motorcycles.

 

  Ceccato was founded in 1947 by a former pharmacist, Pietro Ceccato, who was passionate about medications, engines and innovative management ideas.  Ideas such as making changes using input invited from employees (hey, Boss, you reading this?).  The first of Fabio Taglioni's engines to be realized, was a Ceccato 75cc OHC single (designed with the help of Fabio's Technical Institute students). 

  The company got out of the motorcycle manufacturing business in 1962 but, it successfully started producing compressors and today Ceccato air compressors are famous around the world. 

Today in motorcycle history, March 19, 1971

  


   

  

  Shovelhead's rule!  Joe Smith turns the first motorcycle 8-second 1/4 mile. 

  From the March 19, 1971 issue of "National Dragster"...

  Bakersfield, California - The thirteenth running of annual "March Meet" went into drag racing's annals as still another highly-successful event at the famed Famosa Drag Strip.  Under the auspices of the Kern County Racing Association, and sanctioned by the NHRA, a capacity crowd witnessed some of the most exciting races in many a day...

  ...History was also made in the motorcycle world.  Joe Smith walked away with the Fuel Bike honors, but not before he became the first man in history to eclipse the heretofore untouchable 8-second barrier.  Joe Smith on his King Rat Harley-Davidson shovelhead turns an 8.97 second quarter-mile!  It stands as the quickest-ever clocking for a bike, a tremendous accomplishment for the West Covina, California resident.  Runner-up to Smith was NHRA National Record holder Boris Murray on his "Double Triumph", who ripped off a 9.02 during eliminations, with top end charges in the 167 mph range!

  Fastforward to 2008: Larry "Spiderman" McBride (Poquoson, Virginia) aboard a supercharged Nitro-Suzuki does a 5.746 second quarter-mile at Valdosta, Georgia.

  For more info and super-cool pics of Joe Smith's legendary King Rat and King Rat II and other vintage drag bikes go to Grand Daddy Joe Smith's website.  Check it out!

Today in motorcycle history, March 18, 2011

 


  


  

 The hammer drops on Wyatt and Billy's panheads.

 On display at BONHAMS in NYC are the 1993 re-creations of the 1963 Harley-Davidson "Captain America" and the 1962 Harley-Davidson "Billy Bike" for auction.  Both of the "Easyrider" panheads were built for Otis Chandler and exhibited at "The Art of the Motorcycle Exhibition" at the Guggenheim Museum in 1998. 

  The Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife, more commonly referred to as The Vintage Museum or The Chandler Museum, was the primary showcase for the collections of Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler since its foundation in 1987.  The museum was located in Oxnard, California and was designed by architect Vincent Dyer and home to Otis Chandler's extensive collection of motorcycles that covered two floors of the museum.  There were over 50 motorcycle manufacturers represented including Ace, Crocker, Iver Johnston, Indian, Harley-Davidson, Vincent and Brough Superior.  Oh, there was also fine art, vintage and rare cars and wildlife game.

  After Chandler died, the collection was auctioned off in late 2006.

  Did you know:  One of the actors from the commune scene in "Easyrider" was Dan Haggerty, aka "Grizzly Adams".