Today in motorcycle history, June 26, 1998

 
  


   

  The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit opens at the Solomon R.Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

  The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition presented 114 bikes chosen for their historic significance and/or design excellence. The exhibition attracted the Guggenheim's largest crowds ever. Rock star crowds. It was reported that some people waited in line for over three hours. The exhibit received mixed but positive reviews in the art world, with the exception of some snobby art critics who turned their noses at the very thought of such a show desecrating the hallowed halls of the Guggenheim. Please.


  The thought of turning the Guggenheim into a three month long bike show came from the gas and oil-stained mind of then director Thomas Krens, an admitted lover of two-wheeled art himself, and supported by a novel corporate tie-in with BMW. The motorcycles were selected by both motorcycle and art historians, plus the help of Guggenheim advisers. The exhibition was described by historian Jeremy Packer, "... as representing the end of a cycle of demonization and social rejection of motorcyclists, followed by acceptance and reintegration that had begun with the mythologized Hollister riot of 1947 and ended with the high-end marketing of motorcycles and the newly fashionable biker image of the 1980's and 1990's. A long-overdue celebration of the sport, the machines and the pioneers they love."


  A few mouth-watering samples in case you missed it...The 1894 German built two cylinder, water cooled, four-stroke, 1,489cc Hildebrand & Wolfmüller, the 1907 air cooled, F-head Curtiss V8 that set the unofficial land speed record of 136.36 mph, a 1926 Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sport, 1915 1000cc Indian 8-valve board track racer, 1923 1000cc Harley-Davidson 8-valve board track racer, 1937 500cc Triumph Speed Twin, 1974 Ducati 750SS, 1969 Norton 750 Commando Fastback, 1930 740cc Excelsior Super X, 1931 497cc Ariel Square Four and a 1924 498cc Moto Guzzi C4V. My palms are sweating and there were 103 more I haven't even mentioned.


  With over 2 million visitors in New York, Chicago, Bilbao, Spain and the Guggenheim Las Vegas, it became the most successful exhibition of industrial design ever assembled, and one of the most attended museum exhibitions of any kind, ever. In the words of Billy "Flint" Williams, "Fuckin' A, brother. Fuckin' A."

  The mind blowing exhibition ran until September 20, 1998, giving motorcycle geeks, such as Flint and myself, plenty of time to gawk, drool and quiver. 

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 25, 1941

               

    

  The BSA Club of Perth, Australia, votes to suspend club activities due to the shortage of available fuel. The club will remain idle until 1946.

  The inaugural meeting of Perth's BSA Club was held on Monday, March 15, 1937 at Mortlock Bros Ltd.,  914 Hay Street (the address was the Mortlock Brothers BSA/Harley-Davidson shop).

   35 BSA riders decided to form the club, draw up a constitution and elect officers. It was decided that membership was open only to owners and riders of BSA motorcycles.

  The BSA Club was very active in organizing road races, rally's and various social events from the get-go. Then came 'The War'.  At the clubs 100th meeting, (held on June 25, 1941), it was decided that they would put the kickstands down until fuel conditions improve, or for "the duration of the war" whichever comes first.

  The first post-war meeting was held on the February 27, 1946, it was at this meeting when the constitution was, begrudgingly, altered to open membership to riders of other makes of motorcycles.

  The club is still going strong, but today they're known as the BSA & Harley-Davidson Club.

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 24, 1972

  Evel Knievel, still feeling the results of a compressed vertebrae and broken knuckles suffered at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia two weeks earlier, straps on a doctor-ordered back brace and jumps ten cars in East St. Louis, Illinois. 

  Evel Knievel successfully jumps ten assorted vehicles at St. Louis International Raceway in East St. Louis, Illinois. On June 11, Knievel crashed his Harley-Davidson XR during a practice jump in Atlanta causing him to do the unthinkable - cancel the Atlanta show.  

  Fast forward 13 days - Evel gets help adjusting his fitted back brace and does wheelies back and forth for the crowd to see. After the jump he feels 'minor discomfort' and actually sees a doctor only to find what the Atlanta hospital missed - four broken ribs.   

  Broken ribs or not, he would repeat the performance the next day.

  "The people don't come to see me die. They come to see me defy death." - Evel Knievel






  In 2008, Six Flags St. Louis introduced their $7-million Evel Knievel wooden roller coaster. Passengers ride in 24-passenger red, white and blue trains that fly along 2,700-feet of track with features like high banked turns, fan curves, camelbacks, a double down drop, and sixteen hills. During the ride the twisted maze of wood track crosses over itself 14 times.

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 23, 1973

  

  




  

  A German, a Swiss and the Dutch...aboard an ever-trusty Kreidler, Switzerland's Bruno Kneubühler wins the 50cc Class Dutch TT in Assens, Netherlands.

  During his career, Bruno Kneubühler was one of just a handful of riders to have competed in every Grand Prix Class from 50cc to 500cc. Racing professionally from 1972-1989, while a championship always alluded him, Bruno finished second three times, winning 5 Grand Prix races and sharing the podium 33 times with GP riders from Giacomo Agostini to Mick Doohan.

  In the 1973 Grand Prix 50cc Class final standings nine out of ten were riding a Kreidler. The one "nomad" was on a Dutch-built Jamathi.




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

Today in motorcycle history, June 22, 1952

  

   

  Riding for the Indian racing team, Bill Tuman, wins the AMA Grand National Mile on a rough one-mile dirt oval track in San Mateo, California.

  Bill Tuman was part of Indian Motorcycle's famous racing team, along with Bobby Hill and Ernie Beckman, known as the "Indian Wrecking Crew".


  Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, racing outside of the midwest was a rarity for Tuman. With four children to raise, he tried to race as much as possible near his home often missing the AMA Grand Nationals in order to race, and usually win, local and regional races. Not only did racing locally keep Tuman closer to his home and his family, but it turned out to be profitable as well.

  "I was making too much money racing the local events to worry about racing in all the Nationals," Tuman recalled in a 1979 interview with 'Indian Racers' magazine. "I can remember during county fair times I would race six and seven races a week."

  Bill Tuman was the last single-day winner of the AMA Grand National Championship crown, the result of his victory at the Springfield Mile in August of 1953. It's interesting to note that Bill won Springfield racing with a motor he borrowed from a fellow Indian rider. His own motor had shit the bed due to dozens of local races he had competed in that summer. Sadly, it would be the last time that an Indian rider would win the prestigious AMA Grand National No. 1 plate.

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 19, 1959

 

  

  Entering just his fourth year as a professional rider, two-time Peoria TT winner George Everett crashes hard at Ascot Park in Gardenia, California. Sadly, three days later he would die from his injuries.

  George Everett was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On his 21st birthday he shocked his family and friends by announcing he was moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in motorcycle racing.

  Settling  in Pasadena he quickly began making a name for himself at the local scrambles tracks. By 1955, he had high-pointed in the amateur class and made some great showings against the pros. In the 1955 Pacific Coast TT Championship, aboard a BSA he finished second to San Diego legend Brad Andres riding an H-D.

  Getting his expert license in 1956, he made a bee-line to Daytona Beach and finished an amazing third in the Daytona 200, his very first AMA National race. Everett’s name was now known in motorcycle circuits throughout the country.

  For the rest of the 1956 season, Everett stayed close to his adopted home in southern California to ride in the money-making local races, but he did venture cross-country once again to race in the famous Peoria TT Nationals. At Peoria, he was every bit as impressive as he’d been at Daytona, taking second and third in the two Nationals at Peoria’s Clubgrounds. Racing in just three Nationals, he would finish tied for fourth in the final 1956 AMA Grand National point standings.

  Everett came back in 1957 to win at Peoria riding a BSA and earn his first AMA National victory. Again, he finished ranked in the Top-Ten in the National Championships despite racing in only half of the events.

  In 1958, George would stamp his name on Peoria TT history by winning for a second straight year. He would ride to victory in the Dodge City Grand Prix Road Race and earn another Top-Ten result in the Daytona 200. Back home in Los Angeles, Everett won the Pacific Coast TT title and was the high-point rider at Ascot Park.

  He seemed to be on the verge of making even a bigger impact on the national scene when he was sadly struck down in a multiple-bike accident during the weekly Friday night program at Ascot Park. Everett lingered for three days before succumbing to his injuries. He was 28. Everett’s death struck the racing community, especially in Southern California, very hard. A fine, humble, soft-spoken and humorous man, Everett was described by many as the best-liked rider by both fans and fellow competitors.


  His old friend, Bob Shafer, wrote a fitting eulogy to Everett in his newspaper column.

  "It is not easy to say goodbye to a friend. The only measure of solace is found in the notion that George went out doing what he liked best; living life, as he saw it, to its fullest. He is beyond hurt. It is those he leaves behind who suffer the deep ache now. His was an occupation whose dangers he fully realized and oft-times freely discussed. Were it to be done over again he undoubtedly would chose the same kind of life."




  If you can, go see some live racing. Whatever is near you, be it hillclimbing, TT, trials, scrambles, flat track, drag racing, Speedway, etc. Have a blast.









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

Today in motorcycle history, June 18, 1978

  

  








  Mike Bell wins his first AMA National Motocross race in the 500cc Class in St. Peters, Missouri. Just a week later, he would score what would arguably be his biggest win ever at the Superbowl of Motocross in the LA Coliseum. The 20 year-old Bell would pull off one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport with a thrilling win over Bob Hannah, the hottest rider in all of motocross at the time. 

  Mike "Too Tall" Bell was one of America’s leading motocross and Supercross racers of the late 1970's and early '80's. His biggest claim to fame was winning the 1980 AMA Supercross Championship. 1980 would prove to be Bell’s career year as Mike would ride his Yamaha to a record seven AMA Supercross wins enroute to that year’s Championship. 

 

  After seven seasons on the circuit Bell had tallied an impressive 20 National wins. He was third on the all-time AMA Supercross and fourth on the all-time AMA 500cc Motocross wins list and in the Top-Ten in career Trans-AMA victories. Bell’s Supercross record of seven wins in a single season would not be bettered for eleven years.

  Mike Bell was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2001. 

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 17, 1962

      

  The 'Best Dressing' contest takes place at the 42nd Annual AMA sponsored New England Gypsy Tour in Laconia, New Hampshire.

  As odd as it may sound for a bunch of bikers camping out for a week flush with motorcycle races, pig roasts and beer, the Best Dressing contest was a point of pride for clubs such as the Belknap Rangers, Guilford Ghostriders, Portsmith Dukes or the Cycle Kings Drill Team.

  According to the 1962 AMA 'Rules for Judging Best Dressed Clubs', there was a point system; General Appearance - Best Caps Alike, Best Shirts Alike, Best Boots Alike, Best Breeches Alike (possible 30 points), Best Ensemble (10 points), Best Effect and Practicability of  Uniforms (10 points), General Conduct of Club (25 points). 


  'Best Ensemble' is my favorite, "Oh Tramp, your ensemble looks absolutely fabulous!" 
                                                                                                                                                                        







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

Today in motorcycle history, June 12, 1998

    

  Located at the Ducati factory headquarters, the 11,000 square foot Ducati Museum, Museo Ducati, opens during the first annual World Ducati Week. 

  The Ducati Museum preserves over half a century of racing history and also the history of the company (before it produced motorcycles) founded by the Ducati brothers, Bruno, Marcello and Adriano Cavalieri Ducati in 1926. From the popular post-World War II “Cucciolo” to the more recent breakthrough with the Desmosedici, the museum highlights 5 decades of Ducati technological innovation, award-winning design and, above all, exceptional racetrack performance. The museum is arranged around an illuminated racetrack that hosts 33 legendary motorcycles with a special spectator area housed in a gigantic red helmet. Adjacent to the track is a set of seven thematically organized rooms.

  The companies motorcycle beginning fills room one. Starting with 1946 and the Cucciolo, or puppy, while little more than a bicycle with a two-horsepower engine attached, the enormous success of this machine kept the company afloat after the war. Not only was it a popular commuting tool, but it also won numerous races like the 18,000 kilometer Paris-Tokyo ride in 1949 and the Six Day International off-road competition in 1951. Other notables in this room are simple engine sketches.

   As one walks into the next room you see the 100 and 125 Gran Sport, affectionately called "The Marianna".  Introduction to the 1960's and '70's awaits in room three. The 250cc, 350cc and 450cc twin-cylinder engines were starting to make their mark in the Grand Prix scene. The centerpiece of the room is the 250GP raced by a young Mike Hailwood. Then comes the infamous 90-degree V-twin. The 750SS that would take one-two in its debut at the Imola 200 and the 900SS that Hailwood would win the 1978 Isle of Man TT.

   Entering room five you meet The Pantah Family. The 500cc two-valve Pantah engine that eventually would become the 750 F1, the Pantah would spawn the Monster, ST2 and Supersport. The sixth room really needs no introduction. Here lies the machines that brought Ducati World Superbike fame and glory, starting with the 851 on through to the 1198 of today.

  A fitting end to the museum, room seven was opened in 2004 to honor the Desmosedici and the company's return to Grand Prix racing the year prior. On display are trophies and plaques, with Loris Capirossi's and Casey Stoner's Grand Prix machines taking center stage in the room.

  If you find yourself in Bologna and get bored in this lively, historic city you can visit Piazza Maggiore, the sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes and medieval and Renaissance structures, such as City Hall, the Neptune Fountain and the Basilica of San Petronio - ancient history, b-o-r-i-n-g. Find your way to the Ducati Museum to see something actually interesting - motorcycles! 


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

Today in motorcycle history, June 11, 1972

  

  

  Wyman Priddy, "The Father of Texas  Motocross", wins his first National Championship riding a 500cc CZ at Snyder Park in Washington, Indiana.

  Wyman Priddy, aka "The Father of Texas Motocross", started racing hillclimbs in 1962 and by 1966 he was collecting trophies throughout Texas running TT-Scrambles on his 500cc Triumph. In 1968 Wyman started racing motocross, he was at the forefront of the Texas Motocross movement and was the first major Texan to set center stage and make a run on the National and International motocross scene.

  Speaking of the National scene, Priddy was an Open Class hero, preferring to ride the larger 500cc Class over the smaller 250's, and on June 11th, 1972 Wyman Priddy won the 5th round of the AMA National Championship Series in the 500cc class. The first moto would be a battle as Wyman would be passed by fellow CZ rider Barry Higgins in the last few laps. The second and third moto's would have a hard charging Priddy take the lead and checkered flag with Higgins finishing close behind in each race. Wyman's 1972 500cc outdoor national win secured his name among the nations best and coupled with the fact that until Dennis Hawthorne's career and retirement, Wyman probably won more races in Texas than anyone else, placing a big bold stamp on his name as the "Father of Texas Motocross".

  Sadly, on Sept. 14, 1982, Wyman Priddy passed away suddenly in his sleep at the young age of 36 from arterial sclerosis. He had no symptoms and was not even sick.

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

Today in motorcycle history, June 10, 1994

 



  

  The Vancouver (B.C.) Sun runs a story about the Argentine motorcycle adventurer, Emilio Scotto, entitled "Motorbike odyssey 'biggest trip' in history: Argentinian's Goal is 'Moon and back'". 

  Emilio Scotto is an Argentine motorcycle enthusiast, writer and photojournalist who just happens to hold the Guinness record for the world’s longest motorcycle ride, spanning 10 years, 279 countries and a total distance of 457,000 miles.The ride was done on a 1980 Honda Gold Wing GL1100 he lovingly refers to as “Black Princess." Scotto recounted his travels in a 224-page book, "The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey",  which was published in 2007.







  In 1985, Scotto quit his job as a Buenos Aires sales rep for Pfizer to see the world on his five-year-old 1100cc Honda Goldwing Interstate. He had never traveled outside of Argentina before and left with only $300 and no contacts for his journey.


  When he finally put the kickstand down in 1995, Emilio went through 13 64-page passports, consumed 12,500 gallons of gas, 350  gallons of oil, 86 tires, 12 batteries, nine new seats and one replacement motor. 




  In one post-ride interview, Scotto boasted about the importance of his ride, "This is more than a trip around the world, it's the biggest trip in the history of human beings."







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

Today in motorcycle history, June 9, 2013

  

  

  

  Metallica's Orion Custom Car + Motorcycle Show present their 2013 Master Motorcycle Award to George Stinsman of Mastic, New York, for his "Model 65 Chopper".

   After over a decade turning wrenches for Unique Performance, restoring some of the most beautiful muscle cars in the country and building all kinds of motorcycles, Stinsman opened Chaos Cycles. According to his wife he is certified by the *I.M.B.B.A. as the only living master bike builder in New York State.

  The Orion Custom Car + Motorcycle Show was part of a two-day festival (Orion Music + More) created by Metallica and curated by the bands frontman, and chopper aficionado, James Hetfield. The inaugural edition of the Orion Music + More took place June 23-24, 2012 rocking Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the second edition was on June 8-9, 2013 reeking havoc on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan.

  Orion II featured 100 of the best Customs, Hot Rods, Muscle Cars and Custom Motorcycles from around the world, including Hetfield’s own West Coast Chopper.





  *International Master Bike Builders Association.


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