Today in motorcycle history, March 22, 1981

 

 

  Champion British TT and Grand Prix racer, Alfred Robert "Fearless Bob" Foster dies.

 

  Born in Gloucestershire, UK, in 1911, Bob Foster was one the great "all-rounders" of motorcycle racing.  In a career that began in 1932, he competed in everything he could find his way into, road racing, trials and scrambles.  In a time when many riders dabbled in a variety of races trying to find their niche, "Fearless Bob" Foster excelled at all of them.

 

  Like Evelyn next door, it was road racing stole his heart.  While acting as an honorary mechanic to a friend competing in the Manx Grand Prix he knew the Isle of Man was for him.  Determined not to be the one on the outside looking in, he purchased a Grand Prix 350 New Imperial.

 

  Four years later Bob Foster would win at the Isle of Man.  Sadly, his win on he unit-construction New Imperial in the 1936 Isle of Man TT would prove to be the last occasion when a British machine would win a Lightweight TT at the Isle of Man.  Following the TT New Imperial withdrew official support from racing. It was a major disappointment to Foster, so from 1937 to 1939 he piloted an AJS 350cc R7 single, plus the supercharged 500cc V4.  This was a fearsome evil-handling bastard, and its one claim to fame was a memorable 100mph lap by team mate Walter Rusk at the 1939 Ulster GP.  Rumour has it that that's how he acquired the nickname 'Fearless'; a tribute to his courage in handling the more fearsome models being raced at the time.

 

  For the first two years following WWII he competed on the continent in scrambles and road races.  He rode a Velocette and won the 1947 Junior TT.  In 1948 Bob kicked serious ass in the 350 Belgian Grand Prix against strong opposition.  Once again he rode a Velocette in the '49 Junior TT and, in the Senior he opted for a twin Moto Guzzi, similar to Stanley Woods’1935 TT winning model.  In the Junior he finished in a very disappointing 6th place, and was looking forward to a better result in the Senior. After disposing of the early Norton and AJS challengers, Foster had things in hand and by lap 5 it seemed the race was his but alas, it was not to be.  A screwed-up transmission problem brought with it yet another Senior early-retirement.

 

  1950 was a memorable year for Bob and for racing, for it heralded the appearance of the ‘Featherbed’ Norton.  Their Isle of Man results were reminiscent of the 1930 glory days, with 1-2-3 finishes in both Junior and Senior TTs.  At the Belgian GP, Foster surprised the all-conquering Nortons with a masterly win in the 350cc event, ahead of Artie Bell and Geoff Duke.  To reinforce Velocette’s dominance he repeated the performance at the Dutch TT and Ulster GP . These wins, plus second place at the  rain-soaked Swiss GP ensured a World Championship for Alfred Robert Foster and the Manufacturers Championship for Velocette.

Today in motorcycle history, March 21, 1909-Part II

   Premier Motorcycles introduces it's first V-twin motorcycle. 

 

   Originally founded as a bicycle manufacturer in Coventry, UK, by W. H. Herbert and William Hillman in 1876, the "Hillman and Herbert Cycle Company" was renamed the "Premier Cycle Co." in 1891 and their first motorcycle was produced in 1908, with a White & Poppe side-valve engine and Chater-Lea front forks.

 

  The company made their first V-twin, a 500cc, in 1909, then in what seemed like a strange step backward, they follow their V-twin with a 499 cc single-cylinder machine in 1910.  The smaller bike proves to be successful and it brings good times to Premier Cycle.  In 1913 they introduce another V-twin, a larger more powerful 998cc.  The good times continue at the Coventry plant and also at the local pub as the pints flow. 

 

  The company changed their name to "The Premier Cycle Company, Coventry Premier Ltd." in 1914. 

 

  The good times come to an abrupt end as WWI brought very hard financial times to Premier and they found themselves unable to resume production.  Sadly, the company is sold to Singer & Co. in 1921.

 

   Premier motorcycles were produced under licence in Czechoslovakia throughout the 1930s.

Today in motorcycle history, March 21, 1965

  The 17th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix season gets underway with the United States Grand Prix at Daytona, Florida.  

 

  The 1965 season consisted of thirteen Grand Prix races in six classes: 500cc, 350cc, 250cc, 125cc, 50cc and Sidecars 500cc.  It began on March 21, with United States Grand Prix and ended with Japanese Grand Prix on October 24.

 

  Britain's Mike Hailwood easily claimed his fourth successive 500cc class crown for MV Agusta.  Hailwood would continue his legendary career by winning eight out of the ten 500cc Grand Prix races this year, losing only to Northern Ireland's Dick Creith and his Norton on August 7th at the Ulster Grand Prix and to fellow MV Augusta team-mate Italy's Giacomo Agostini in the Finnish Grand Prix on August 22.

 

  Mike Hailwood would end the season by winning the 250cc class at the Japanese Grand Prix aboard a Honda.  Much to the dismay of Count Agusta.

                                                                               

Today in motorcycle history, March 20, 1887

   

  Indian Hillclimb champion/motorcycle legend Orie Steele is born in Ridgewood, New Jersey.  His father, John Steele, had an Indian dealership in Paterson, New Jersey, where Orie's passion for two-wheels first took hold.

 

  Orie Steele was the leading AMA Hillclimb Champion of the 1920s and early ‘30s, at a time when the sport was at its height of its popularity.  Steele was a factory Indian rider for much of his career and was one of the best known riders of his era. 

  The storied career of Orie's racing began in 1913 where he won the prestigious Crotona (New York) Motorcycle Club Endurance Race.  Steele earned victories in several major endurance runs in and around New York and New Jersey in the 1910's, including winning the 500 mile 1914 Yonkers Endurance Run.

 

  With the onset of World War I he stopped racing and enlisted in the Army, outfitting motorcycles so they would be able to handle the rough terrain they would face and training soldiers on how to ride them.  After the war's end he returned to competition and began winning hillclimb races all over the country.

  In 1922, Steele won his first M&ATA (the predecessor to the AMA) National Hillclimb Championship at the national meet held in Egypt, New York.  The hillclimb was the biggest of its day and featured racers from across the country, including well known stars such as Colorado’s Floyd Clymer, Harley-Davidson’s Oscar Lenz from Michigan, Pennsylvania's Chas. "Peggy" Temple (a one-legged rider who raced an 80" Harley-Davidson), Reggie Pink on a Reading-Standard and Excelsior’s ace, Paul Anderson, from Chicago.  That victory thrust Steele into the national spotlight so much that Indian began heavily advertising Steele’s accomplishments and he became the face of Indian's hillclimb team.  Indian even produced an “Orie Steele Special” hillclimb machine in the late 1920's.

  Steele followed up his 1922 national championship success with a national title in 1923 in the 37-inch class.  In 1926, he swept all three national championship classes.  He also won the Eastern National Hillclimb Championship in 1927.


  Orie Steele was simply, one of the best damn hillclimbers ever.  Ever.  

  Notable was the fact that Steele won all his national titles while he was in his 30s and 40s.

  Steele retired from competition in the mid-1930s. 

 

  Orie Steele was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2007. 

Today in motorcycle history, March 19, 1916

 

  Pope Motorcycles introduces it's newest innovation, the cylindrical toolbox mounted on the rear fender.

The Pope Manufacturing Company had been building bicycles with small "clip-on" single cylinder engines and then in 1912 introduced their first V-twin, and by 1918, Pope's reputation was well-known for quality construction and innovative engineering and they were suddenly giving Indian and Harley a reason to look over their shoulders.   The V-twin in the 1918 Pope L-18, with it's 3 21/64" bore and 3 1/2" stroke give it a displacement of 61 cubic inches (1000cc) and it's 7.5 horsepower gave it a max speed of between 60 and 65 miles an hour.  Considering a large percentage of the roads at that time were still unpaved that was some dirt-eatin', bug-chewin' speed.   It featured overhead valves, an Armored Magneto ignition, heads containing nickel-steel interchangeable intake and exhaust valves, an oil tank with a capacity of two quarts that was compartmented with a toolbox beneath the seat, but perhaps the most intriguing feature was the presence of a rear suspension (say what?!), a comfort virtually unheard of at that time.   The rear-suspension design of the L-18 was uniquely Pope's.  Pope mounted the rear axle in a carrier that moved up and down between two posts, compressing a pair of springs on impact. Wheel travel was minimal, but, what the hell, something was better than nothing.   Unfortunately, their motorcycle innovations wouldn't last long and the 1918 Pope L-18 represents the last of the line.   With World War I raging in Europe, Pope suspended motorcycle production late in 1918 to concentrate on building machine guns.  After the war, only the bicycle portion of its business was revived.

Today in motorcycle history, March 18, 1961

   

   A production Velocette Venom Clubman (single-cylinder, four-stroke, 499cc) sets the 24-hour endurance world record with an average speed of 100.05 mph.

   It was the first motorcycle of any size to top 100 mph in the 24-hour endurance, and in 52 years and counting no other machine of the same capacity has been able to match or beat this record. The record attempt took place at the Montlhery Speed Bowl, a 2.7 km (1.67 mile) concrete track about 15 miles outside Paris that was well-known to riders as a track to have a very uneven surface and piss-poor lighting.

   A team of six French riders were accompanied by motorcycle journalist Bruce Main Smith, who himself achieved the best lap time of 107 mph despite the track conditions.  After securing the 12 hour record at more than 104 mph, the team then only stopped to change riders and refuel,  and went on to set the 24 hour endurance record.

  The publicity was huge for Velocette, as the success revived sales of the Venom which went on to become, alongside the Thruxton (worthy of a tale itself on another day), one of Velocette's best selling motorcycles.

  However, the records were only set at the track not the cash register and in 1971 poor sales forced the company into voluntarily liquidation, with all the remaining stock and tools being sold off to pay creditors who had been lining up outside their door since the fall of 1969.                         

  The Venom which set the 24 hour world record is now on display at the British National Motorcycle Museum.   If for some reason you're going to be in the Birmingham area on holiday or for business the address is Coventry Rd, Bickenhill, Solihull, West Midlands B92 0EJ.  The museum is open every day from 9:30am-5:30pm and in case you get lost or have a question the lads in the local can't answer just give 'em a call at 01675 443311.

Today in motorcycle history, March 15, 2002

The Triumph motorcycle factory, (in Hinckley, between Leicester and Coventry, England), suffers what many consider to be one of the worse – if not the worst – industrial fires in British peacetime history.  The intense gasoline fuelled fire reduced aluminum engine components to blobs of metal and it took nearly three days to completely extinguish.  Damage was estimated at over $100,000,000.   John Bloor had bought the rights to the Triumph name in 1983 with the intention of making England a world class motorcycle manufacturer again.  And, damn it, he was not about to let this horrific event stand in his way so instead of pissing and moaning he immediately set to work the following week with a strategy committee, and with the full co-operation of his insurance company, plans were put in place to rebuild the factory.  Since  Bloor owns the company outright, there were no government departments, no red-tape bullshit, no partners or investors to account to in his decision making.  Not only did he have the money, but he had the experience to map out exactly what he wanted and how to rebuild quickly.   Fortunately, the Triumph factory was housed on two separate sites and it was only the final assembly plant that was destroyed.  Much of the critical tooling and machinery was salvaged and design, development and engine assembly continued.    It took only four weeks to clear the debris. The heat from the fire had weakened the steel supports holding up the building and it had to be completely torn down.  New steel was soon rising and closed in followed by machinery, tooling and assembly lines by the end of July 2002.  Not a single employee was laid off and many even volunteered their time to assist with the recovery.  This was a wise investment in their own future and typical of the British and their attitude in times of adversity.    By September Triumph's were being produced on a limited scale and full production was reached by December 2002.    The factory is now known as one of the most efficient motorcycle factories in the world, and now produces 46,000 motorcycles per annum.