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". 

Today in motorcycle history, March 14, 1908

   

      

  

  Philip Conrad Vincent is born in Wilbraham Gardens in the southwest London district of Fulham.

  

  Phillip Vincent bought his first motorcycle, a used 350cc BSA from Gamages (a  department store in Central London that sold everything from motor parts to pets to shotguns) at Christmas of 1924.  By the age of 18 he had a workshop and was designing and building his own machines.  In 1928 he had registered a patent for his design of cantilever rear suspension.

  Vincent formed his first company with Frank Walker, a family friend.  Howard R. Davies, founder of the HRD marque and winner of the 1924 Senior Isle of Man TT was in serious financial disarray and in 1928 Phil was able to acquire the trademark and remaining HRD motors, jigs, patterns and all spare parts for £450.  The company was soon named Vincent-HRD Co., Ltd., and the logo appeared with Vincent in very small letters over the top of the bold HRD.  Vincent designed a brand new motorcycle with his own spring frame and marketed it as Vincent-HRD, with a choice of either a JAP or a Rudge engine.



  In 1928, the first Vincent-HRD motorcycle used a JAP single-cylinder engine in a Vincent-designed cantilever frame.  After a disastrous 1934 Isle of Man TT, with engine problems and all three entries failing to even finish, Phil Vincent, along with Phil Irving, decided to build their own engines.  In 1935 the first all Vincent powered motorcycle, The 499cc Comet model was launched.  It was quickly followed by the 998cc Series A Rapide in 1936. 

  Vincent and Irving designed the Series B twin engine which powered the 1946 Series B Rapide.  In 1948 the liver-quivering Vincent Black Shadow and Black Lightning models, powered by the Series C Rapide were introduced.  They had a 998cc, 50 degree, OHV V-twin engine running a 7.3:1 compression ratio and was capable of 125 mph.

  At a Vincent Owners' Club dinner in the summer of 1955, Phil Vincent announced that the company could no longer continue in the face of heavy losses and that production of motorcycles would cease almost immediately.  

  In 1955, one week before Christmas, the last Vincent came off the production line and was promptly labeled "The Last".  Grown men were heard sobbing uncontrollably.






  Journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote that, "If you rode the Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die."

Today in motorcycle history, March 13, 1992

   

   

    

  The Ate de Jong directed, comedy-horror film "Highway to Hell" is released.

  Charlie Sykes and Rachel Clark are a young all-American couple that decide to run away and elope in fabulous, Las Vegas, Nevada.

  A funny thing happens on the road to Vegas, they completely ignore the warning of a local gas station attendant, Sam, when they're told to avoid backroads.  As expected, they take an abandoned backroad where Rachel is kidnapped by a zombie Hell Cop who takes her to Hell.  Charlie goes back to the gas station to ask Sam what the hell a Hell Cop is and how to save her.  Sam then gives him a shotgun with special ammo, and a car that has a very custom option.  On the highway, Charlie meets other dead people that live in Hell and even a zombie motorcycle gang.  On the road, he meets a mechanic named Beezle, with his young apprentice.  Beezle gives him tips on how to save his girlfriend.  After Charlie rescues Rachel, Beezle reveals himself to be Satan (Beezle-bub, get it?! [sarcasm]) and proposes a deal to let them, and his apprentice, go free if they can defeat a Hell cop in a race to the portal that connects Earth and the backroads of Hell.

  Confused?  Trust me, it's not hard to follow.

  It has Oscar-worthy performances by Lita Ford as The Hitchhiker girl, Gilbert Gottfried as Hitler, Ben Stiller as Pluto's Cook/Attila the Hun and Ben's mom, Anne Meara as Medea, waitress in Pluto's and dad, Jerry Stiller as The Desk Cop.

  "She Devils On Wheels" is available on DVD.