Today in motorcycle history, December 23, 1947

  

  

  The Lambretta 'A' scooter goes on sale. Pregnant women across the UK moan simultaneously as Mod's kick at the wall of their mother's wombs, trying desperately to see their future.

  Ferdinando Innocenti hires General Corradino D'Ascanio, rumored to have a deep hatred for motorcycles, to the job of designing a simple and affordable two-wheeled vehicle. Ego, more than design, leads to the General having a falling out with Innocenti. With a big, "Screw you!", D'Ascanio disassociated himself from Innocenti and took his design to Enrico Piaggio, who produced what would become Lambretta's arch-rival Vespa. The final design of the Lambretta would be given to aeronautical engineer Pier Luigi Torre. 

  Much to Innocenti's chagrin, the Piaggio Vespa would become the standard for scooter. Finished in 1946, using aircraft design and materials, D’Ascanio's 98cc scooter had various radical design concepts, including a sleek, stress-bearing structure. The gear-shift lever was moved from the feet to the handlebars for easier riding. The engine was placed near the rear wheel. The internal mesh transmission eliminated the chain, a never-ending source of oil and dirt. The typical fork support was replaced by an arm similar to an aircraft carriage for easier tire-changing ability. The elegantly styled body protected the driver from wind and road dirt, and bore little resemblance to uncomfortable and noisy motorcycles. The smaller wheels and shorter wheelbase provided improved maneuverability through narrow streets and congested traffic. Combining the best elements of automotive, aeronautical and motorcycle design, the Vespa quickly became an icon of design and economy.

 Months later, at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, Innocenti introduced the Lambretta, beginning a long-standing rivalry with Vespa. The scooter was designed by Innocenti, his General Director Giuseppe Lauro and Torre. The Lambretta 'A' went on sale on December 23, 1947. At a time when gas was severely rationed, the scooter was a more efficient way to travel. And much more stylish. It had a top speed of 45 mph from a 123cc, fan-cooled engine. 9,000 of them were sold the first year.

  Lambretta's popularity (and sales) increased dramatically when Jimmy Cooper (Phil Daniels) rode a Lambretta Li 150 Series 3 in the 1979 film "Quadrophenia". Across the UK, hoards of Mod's, some screaming, some crying, ran to their local scooter dealers.

Did you know...the scooter was named after Lambrate, the Milanese neighborhood where the factory had stood prior to the war.

Today in motorcycle history, December 18, 1975

  

  

  

  36, 650 acres of salty, speed-lovers delight known as the the Bonneville Salt Flats Racetrack (Bonneville Speedway) is added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

  Allow me to give you a few of the mind-bogglin', eye-poppin', teeth-chattering motorcycle land speed records achieved at Bonneville...

  1956 John Allen on a 649cc Triumph hits 193.730 mph.

  1962 William A. Johnson does 224.57 mph aboard a 667cc Triumph.

  1966 Robert Leppan cranks out 245.60 mph on the infamous "Gyronaut X-1", powered by a twin-engine Triumph.

  1967 New Zealander  Burt Munro does a movie-making speed of 183.59 mph while positioned straight-out upon his 1920 Indian Scout.

  1990 Dave Campos' 3,000cc (180 cubic inch) Ruxton Harley-Davidson nails it at 322.150 mph.  Which is the longest held official record standing until 2006 when Rocky Robinson's Ack-Attack twin-engine, Suzuki clocks in with a speed of 342.797.  Robinson's Ack-Attack will top that in September, 2010, with the sphincter-twitching speed of 376.363 mph.

  2012 Brandon Nozaki Miller records a speed of 102.281 mph on a Zero S ZF6 making it the first electric motorcycle to go 100 mph.

   And you're still gonna brag your Sportster did 114 mph on I-95 in 1988?  

Today in motorcycle history, December 16, 2002

  


  

  Motorcycle racing legend, dealer and land-speed record-holder, Don Vesco dies.

  From Scrambles and TT races to being a factory rider for Honda, Yamaha and BSA, Don Vesco had the need-for-speed.  A serious need.

  In September of 1970, he set the motorcycle land speed record with a 251.66 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a streamliner powered by twin Yamaha motors.  Less than a month later, the Harley-Davidson factory broke the record with Don's longtime friend Cal Rayborn in the saddle.  So, you want to play that way...
  ...in 1975, Don piloted the Silver Bird Yamaha, (powered by two Yamaha TZ750's), and broke the 300 mph barrier.  Still feeling the need for a "bit more",  he broke his own record, turning in a speed of 318.598 on a twin-engine Kawasaki.  That record would stand for 12 years.
  You would think he's got to be happy with  300+ mph run.  You'd be wrong.
  Fast-forward to 1999, at the age of 60, he set the land speed record for a wheel-driven car with his "Turbinator" streamliner powered by a Lycoming turbine helicopter motor, which hit 427.832 mph.  Ok, enough?  Not quite.  At Bonneville, in October of 2001, Don Vesco and his "Turbinator" set an FIA World Land Speed Record of 458.440 mph!

  Don Vesco was inducted into AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Today in motorcycle history, December 11, 1922

  


  

  William G. Henderson, co-founder of Henderson Motorcycles and founder of Ace Motor Corporation, dies as a result of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  In 1911 William and his brother Tom started Henderson Motorcycle Company in Detroit, Michigan.  By January 1912, the Henderson brothers were offering a 57 ci (934cc) in-line four-cylinder, chain drive model.  The in-line four and the long wheelbase would become the trademark of the company.

  On June 13, 1917, Alan Bedell rode his Henderson from Los Angeles, California, to New York City (3,296 miles) in seven days, sixteen hours and fifteen minutes, breaking the record set by "Cannonball" Baker on an Indian Twin.  Such a proud moment for the Henderson brothers that beer was free in Detroit that day.
  Despite their record breaking and endurance racing success, the financial effects of World War I took their toll.  Henderson Motorcycles were officially sold to Ignaz Schwinn, owner and manufacturer of Schwinn bicycles and Excelsior Motorcycles.  Production was moved to Chicago, Illinois.

  After heated arguments over the direction that Henderson was moving, William said, "Screw this.", packed up the truck and moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In the fall of 1919, he started Ace Motor Corporation producing in-line four-cylinder motorcycles quite similar to the Henderson.
  On December 1, 1922, shortly after 11:00am, while test-driving his new design, the Ace Sporting Solo, he was struck by a delivery vehicle. Thrown from the bike, he was rushed to Frankford Hospital where he died a few hours later.
   Ace Motor Corporation ceased production in 1924.

Today in motorcycle history, December 10, 1962

  
  

  Columbia Studios/Horizon Pictures release "Lawrence of Arabia".  The film is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema.        Based on the life of T.E. Lawrence. The film depicts Lawrence's experiences in Arabia during WWI.  Lawrence's emotional struggles with the personal violence inherent in war, his own identity, and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and his newfound comrades within the Arabian desert tribes.

                   ***********************************************************

  Two months after leaving military service, T.E. Lawrence was fatally injured in an accident while riding his Brough Superior SS100.

  A very experienced rider (he had owned seven Brough Superior's previously) the crash occurred on a narrow road in Dorset, close to his cottage, Clouds Hill.  A dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on bicycles, forcing him to swerve hard to avoid them.  Lawrence lost control and was thrown over the handlebars.  He suffered severe head injuries that left him in a coma; he died six days later on May 19, 1935. 

 
  One of the doctors attending him was the neurosurgeon, Hugh Cairns.  He consequently began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle dispatch riders through head injuries and his research led to the use of crash helmets by both military and civilian riders.

  Lawrence's last SS100, registration GW 2275, is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

  The next time you're flipping from channel to channel and bitching about there being nothing to watch, I highly recommend renting/buying/borrowing/stealing "Lawrence of Arabia".

Today in motorcycle history, December 9, 2005

  


  


  

  The EICMA (Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori) "Best of Show" winning concept bike, the Ducati Hypermotard, makes it's only North American appearance at the Long Beach (California) Cycle World International Motorcycle Show.

  Only a few hours after its unveiling, the Ducati Hypermotard, had already won its first important recognition.  The prototype designed by Pierre Terblanche was awarded the prestigious "Best of Show" at the "Designers Night" held by the Motorcycle Design Association.  The new Ducati jewel was chosen from the many new concept motorcycles proposed at EICMA, the 63rd International Motorcycle Exhibition.

  The Ducati Hypermotard was a radical concept bike that took power, aggressiveness, versatility and sport performance to new extremes. Taking advantage of the compactness and agility of a traditional Supermotard, Ducati upped the ante with leg-wetting street power thanks in part to it's 1078cc, fuel-injected, air-cooled,  90 degree twin.

  Supermotard's sexy styling can still make the blood boil.  However, this bike offered what no Supermotard could: speeds of 135 MPH, fuel injection and 100 horsepower and only 385 lbs of dry weight!

  Cycle World's review said it all, "The Ducati Hypermotard is  the most extreme mountain conquering, urban assaulting machine EVER."

Today in motorcycle history, December 5, 1975

  



                                    

  

                              

  On December 5, 1975, the last of the Triumph T150 Trident's are shipped out,  288 are destined for Australia and another 224 for the USA.

  A last minute management decision at Norton-Villiers/Triumph  (NVT) diverts them from those highly competitive markets to fulfill an order of Tridents for the Saudi Arabian police force (sadly, most police forces in the United Kingdom had already switched to BMW's, but some like the Yorkshire Constabulary still used Tridents).  Five shipments, totaling 450 bikes were sent to Saudi Arabia, but the last 130 were still in Britain when the Saudis cancelled the order - so NVT decided to sell them in the UK as the exciting, new Triumph "Cardinal".
  Much to their chagrin, in 1982, dealers in the UK were told to begin bringing the bikes back from Saudi Arabia. These bikes had low mileages, but were very poorly maintained and were totally encrusted in sand. Then in another great management decision, they were restored and sold as 'stock' T160's.  

 Severe thunderstorms rumbled across England as Edward Turner began rolling in his grave.