...A fool couldn't ride the Vincent Black Shadow more than once, but a fool can ride a Ducati 900 many times, and it will always be a bloodcurdling kind of fun. That is the Curse of Speed which has plagued me all my life. I am a slave to it. On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME."

Today in motorcycle history, January 16, 1971

  In Season 3, Episode 15 of 'Adam-12', "Log 26: LEMRAS"-- Reed and Malloy admire the bikes not the "bikers".

  The LAPD introduces the LEMRAS (Law Enforcement Manpower Resource Allocation System) to assist in identifying high-crime streets, including part of Officer Pete Malloy and Officer Jim Reed's patrol area, which was used in stopping a rash of burglaries involving motorcycle-riding suspects.

  "Oh Dear Lord!  It's Hollister all over again!", cries one woman.

Today in motorcycle history, January 15, 1999

  The "British Bulldog", Anthony Barlow, of Merseyside, England, wins his third ICE race in a row. This time he totally dominates at Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria, Louisiana.

   Motorcycle ICE racing is the equivalent of Speedway Racing on ice. Bikes race counter-clockwise around oval tracks between 260 m (0.16 mi) and 425 m (0.264 mi) in length. The tracks and the scoring is also similar to that of Speedway Racing.

   The bikes bear a slight resemblance to those used for Speedway, but have a bit longer wheelbase and a more rigid frame. The sport is divided into classes for full-rubber and studded tires. The studded tire category involves competitors riding on bikes with spikes up to 1.2 inches in length screwed into each tread-less tire, each bike has 90 spikes on the front and 200–500 on the rear. The use of these spikes in this discipline necessitate the addition of special protective guards over the wheels which extend almost to the ice surface. The spiked tires produce an incredible amount of traction and this means two-speed gearboxes are also required.  And as with speedway, the bikes do not have brakes.

   There is no broadsiding around the bends due to the grip produced by the spikes digging into the ice.  Instead, riders lean their bikes into the bends at an angle where the handlebars just skim the track's ice surface.  With speeds approach 80 mph on the straights, and 60 mph on the bends it takes some balls. The safety barrier usually consists of straw bales or banked-up snow and ice around the outer edge of the track.  All make for nice soft landings.  Yeah, you bet.

  The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme sanctioned teams and individual meetings are held in Russia, Sweden and Finland, but events are also held in the Czech Republic, Germany and since 2000 in Hungary.

   By the way, in case you're thinking about building a bike for the next ice race in your neighborhood and your wondering what to use, the Czech-made Jawa 4-strokes have dominated the sport for years.  But, that doesn't mean your H2 won't work, I'm just sayin'.

Today in motorcycle history, January 14, 1983

Tragedy strikes the Dakar Rally as Frenchman Jean-Noël Pineau is killed at Leo, Haute-Volta during the In-Gall-Korhogo stage.
In his fourth rally, Team Yamaha-France rider Pineau was killed on a section of tarmac near Leo when his Yamaha XT 550 collided with a military vehicle.   There have been nearly 60 deaths at Dakar.  The causes can vary as it is a long distance rally, these can range from accidents between vehicles and people to persons being caught up in conflicts between forces, which have happened twice in its history.

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them - but I want one anyway..."

                                                                                 HST

Today in motorcycle history, Janury 12, 1964

  Elvis Presley arrives on his 1957 Harley-Davidson FLH at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, at around 6:30 p.m to begin recording.

  Elvis decides that he and everybody else is hungry and starts off this 5 hour session by sending out for a take-out order for all. After re-recording "Ask Me" and "Memphis Tennessee", from the May 1963 session, he delivers a moving performance of "It Hurts Me".

  This ballad would remain a personal favorite for several years, the 1957 Harley-Davidson panhead would remain a personal favorite right up until he died.

Today in motorcycle history, January 11, 2004

The 2004 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show makes it's stop at the Convention Center in Washington, DC, giving the Capital motorcycling population their first look at the 2-wheeled marvel,  the Triumph Rocket III.

  It appears to have very little in common with the 740cc, air-cooled, Amal-powered  BSA Rocket-3 where the name was borrowed from.  This version has a boastful 2,294 cc (140 cubic inch), fuel-injected, 12-valve,  DOHC, liquid-cooled, shaft-drive straight three, 140 bhp @ 6000 rpm.  It is 98" long and 38" wide (not for the short-legged), 774 lbs (wet) with 6.3 gallon fuel capacity.

 Triumph's hard work paid off with the critic's at least,  being awarded Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine's 2004 Bike of the Year and Motorcyclist's 2004 Cruiser of the Year.

 The 2004 Rocket III is one of the newest models to be on exhibit at the UK National Motorcycle Museum.