Today in motorcycle history, February 24, 1990

   

  


  


   

  Publisher, promoter, hot-air balloonist, motorcycle rider and motorcycle collector Malcolm Stevenson Forbes dies at 70 in Far Hills, New Jersey. 

   Known for his extravagant spending on parties, travel, and for his collection of homes, yachts, aircraft, art, Faberge Eggs and motorcycles.  Malcolm Forbes grabbed life by the balls.  And squeezed 'em hard.

  Forbes came to motorcycles late in life (he was 60) but, by the time he picked the first bug out of his teeth he had already bought another.  And another.  And another.

  Malcolm founded the motorcycle club, "Capitalist Tools" using his estate in New Jersey as the clubhouse and for the meeting place for tours that he organized for fellow New Jersey and New York riders. Tours ranging from the shorelines of both Oceans to the Great Wall of China.  


  Forbes had a climate-controlled garage with a collection of over 60 motorcycles.  Though  the collection was known to be mostly Harley-Davidson's he also had  a super rare (only 412 were ever built), ultra-cool, 1982 Bimota SB3 with a Suzuki GS1000 engine.

  He was also instrumental in getting legislation passed to allow motorcycles on the cars-only Garden State Parkway in New Jersey.     

  Malcolm Forbes was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Today in motorcycle history, February 21, 1946

   

  

  Anthony Daniels is born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

  In the low-budget comedy-horror film "I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle" Anthony Daniels plays an eccentric priest who attempts to exorcise the bike’s evil spirits.

  Set in a suburb of Birmingham, England, the film is about a man named Noddy and his girlfriend Kim who operate a motorcycle courier/messenger business.  One day Noddy buys a classic 750cc Norton Commando for 1100 pounds (he lies to Kim and tells her he only paid 600, mistake number one) with the intention of restoring it.  The bike, however, is possessed by the evil spirit of a man who was being summoned by an occultist performing a satanic ritual, who was then killed when a motorcycle gang shoots him with a crossbow.  The arrow goes through  the occultist and then penetrates the Norton's tank, bringing with it the evil spirit.

Whenever the spirit is overcome by a seeming blood lust, the bike would start up, ride on its own and kill people.  Are you with me so far?  Ok.  Noddy brings the Commando home to fix the damage caused by the crossbow.  He replaces the gas tank, with help from his friend, Buzzer.  Buzzer decides to steal the gas cap for "funzies", then the bike kills him by decapitation.  The fun begins.

  Anthony Daniels played the Droid, C-3PO, in all six of the Star Wars films.  Really.

Today in motorcycle history, February 19, 2013

  

  

  

  

  How many more times will I write this... Indian announces it's unveiling their new motor at Daytona.

    
  Another attempt to lure buyers away from Harley-Davidson.  In their own words...

  "Indian Motorcycle, the original American motorcycle company, today announced its power-packed schedule of events for Daytona Bike Week 2013, which takes place March 9-16, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
  Making History: The All-New Indian Motorcycle Engine Reveal - Saturday, March 9, 9 p.m., Dirty Harry's Pub, 705 Main St. Daytona Beach Bike Week will prove to be a pivotal moment in the history of Indian Motorcycle and a historic milestone in motorcycling.  The long-awaited (?), completely new Indian Motorcycle engine will make its debut to members of the press and motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.  A special unveiling event will be held on Saturday, March 9 at 9 p.m. EST at Dirty Harry's Pub on Main Street in the heart of Daytona Beach.  Special celebrity guest Mike Wolfe, host of HISTORY Channel's "American Pickers" series and diehard Indian Motorcycle fan, will be on-hand to join the celebration.  No tickets are required for this chance to take part in history, but a fully charged camera is highly recommended.  The public reveal promises a great time, some surprises, and plenty of American pride."


  "...long-awaited..."?  Who really even knew they were building a new one?  "Special celebrity guest... and die-hard Indian Motorcycle fan"?  Celebrity?  Die-hard original Indian motorcycle fan but, die-hard fan of the current Indian Motorcycle?   "...promises a great time..."  If I don't have a great time, then what?  You promised.

  I hope they succeed, I really do.    

Today in motorcycle history, February 18, 1968

  




  

  Over 200 bikers turn out for the fourth annual Polar Bear Rally  at Randy's Triumph motorcycle shop in Sterling, Massachusetts.

  Clad in leathers, ski-masks, parkas, half-helmets with custom made face shields, some riding bikes equipped with homemade fairings, some with covered sidecars, the bikers begin their "unofficial opening day" ride.

  The ride?  Mt. Wachusetts, the highest elevation in Massachusetts.  For the fourth straight year the riders prove they're a match for the steep ride up the snow covered summit of Mt. Wachusetts.  Three of the BMW bikers came down from Rhinebeck, NY, enduring 8-degree weather and a mixture of snow/sleet stinging their faces for a hundred-plus miles.  Three Triumph riders and a half-crazy woman on a BSA Lightning came from Swanzey, NH in 6" of snow.

  "Worth every second, every snowflake.  My bike loves the cool air and, call me nuts, so do I! I loved the ride." said Alvin "Cryer" Sullivan of Jaffrey, NH, standing near his 1954 Velocette MSS fitted with one of Wilson's Watsonian sidecars.  Cryer's sidehack seemingly over-stuffed with a surplus of scarves, gloves and knit-hats.  "Just in case." Sullivan says, smiling.

Today in motorcycle history, February 14, 1992

    


     

  "Hell's Belles" star and burlesque queen, Angelique Pettyjohn dies in Las Vegas, Nevada.



  Angelique Pettyjohn was born Dorothy Lee Perrins in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah.   

  Angelique gave us a long, long list of memorable characters, in both TV and film, from "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' to "Clambake" with Elvis Presley.  But, none stir my memory more than the exchanges between her and the late Adam Rourke ( "Hell's Angels On Wheels", "The Savage Seven") in "Hell's Belles"......

  "Tampa, how long you gonna play with that dumb-old thing?"

  "Cherry, baby, it ain't even broke in yet."

  "Well, neither am I."



  Hell's Belles - A Supercharged Triangle - Two Chicks....Two Guys....And One Out-of-Sight Cycle! 

Today in motorcycle history, February 13, 1989

      

  

  Another actor performs in the award-winning role of "the injured motorcyclist".  James Caan crashes his Harley-Davidson in Santa Monica, California.

  According to police reports, "Actor James Caan was hospitalized with broken ribs, minor facial lacerations and bruises after he crashed his new motorcycle Sunday in Santa Monica.", St. John's Hospital and Medical Center nursing supervisor Corinne Rogers said.

  Caan, 48, was applying the brakes of the new Harley Davidson when he lost control and crashed, according to Police Lt. Frank Fabrega.

  Known for playing "tough guy" characters, he once put the brakes on motorcycle riding opponents in "Rollerball", bruises in "El Dorado", had minor facial lacerations and broken bones in "Misery" and, of course, he was shot in "Godfather". 

Today in motorcycle history, February 12, 1987

  

  

  

  One time savior of the British motorcycle industry, Roger Dennistoun "Dennis" Poore dies in London at 70.

  Dennis Poore was a British entrepreneur, financier, and when the mood struck, racecar driver.  Matter of fact, he used his personal wealth to bankroll the founding, in 1950, of the racing journal "Autosport".  

  Twenty-years later,  Poore would sell off the propeller business from Manganese Bronze Holdings PLC and use the funds in a heroic attempt to stave off the collapse of the British motorcycle industry.  Buying engine manufacturers Villiers first and then Associated Motor Cycles (AMC), meaning iconic brands Norton, James, AJS, Matchless and Francis-Barnett were thereby all owned by the Manganese Bronze group.  

  BSA Group merged in July, 1973 in a government-encouraged "shotgun wedding" with Norton-Villiers as Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT) - with Dennis Poore as new NVT Chairman.  The pints were flowing in celebration as people remembered that Poore had rescued Norton from the brink of folding in the 1960's. Then BSA collapsed.  The celebratory pints went dry.  The motorcycle interests of Manganese Bronze and BSA were put into Norton Villiers Triumph Ltd, and the non-motorcycle interests of BSA were bought by Manganese Bronze.  With the purchase of BSA came its subsidiary Carbodies, builder of the FX4 London Taxi; the classic "black cab". 

  Then  when, without warning, in September Poore announced the closing of Meriden works effective February, 1974.  Of the 4,500 employees, 3,000 are to be let go.  Faced with unemployment and having their products handed over to a rival firm, the workers rose up.   This immediately starts an 18-month employee 'sit-in' and the closure of the Meriden plant.  By late 1973, all the Triumph models except the T120 Bonneville are discontinued.

  After disposing of the motorcycle manufacturing arms, Poore continued to head Manganese Bronze as a taxi and component manufacturer until his death.