Today in motorcycle history, December 3, 2000

 

 

 

 

  On a sunny and cool, 30 degree Sunday morning, approximately 25,000 riders roll up Western Avenue for the 23rd annual Chicagoland Toys for Tots ride. The ride/parade features a Mattel Hot Wheels bike (for the third year), a Santa Fe locomotive car, 12 Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade cable TV shows, and a Harley raffle. Bikers give and give, besides toys, $99,000 is distributed.

 

  But, it all began on...

 

  ....Wednesday, December 13, 1978, Ed "Aminal" Wisniewski, a Viet Nam veteran, organizes the Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade in his southside Chicago motorcycle shop, Fantasy Choppers, which at the time was located at 2532 West 63rd Street. 

 

  There were six people involved in the first run;  Aminal, Puppy, Mark-Off, Princess, Namu, and Thor.  On that Wednesday afternoon, three friends, Aminal, Puppy and Thor left Fantasy Choppers and headed to the Glenview Naval Air Station in Glenview, Illinois, with a van half-filled with toys and "Aminal" riding Puppy's Sportster because his ride wasn't "fit for travel".   They had nearly reached their destination when the chain broke on the Sportster.  So, in order to complete the event, as a motorcycle run, Aminal was towed by Puppy arm-in-arm from the van for about three miles. They made it to the Naval Station and dropped off the toys.  36 years later bikers are still riding and donating regardless of the weather (or the occasional breakdown). 

 

  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Today in motorcycle history, November 27, 1942

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Jimi Hendrix is born in Seattle, Washington.  Rock 'n' roll guitar is changed forever.

 

 

  What's Hendrix got to do with motorcycles? 

  Go into any biker/motorcycle bar anywhere and I guarantee you there is at least one Hendrix track on the jukebox/playlist.  Walk into any biker's garage and I guarantee you there is a tape/CD/radio station that has a Hendrix track. 

 

  There are 321 websites worldwide that deal with Hendrix music influenced motorcycles.

 

  To date, 19 websites that deal with Hendrix-themed motorcycle paint jobs.

 

  2 molded motorcycle fenders with a Hendrix image.  5 air-cleaner covers.

 

  9 known biker films with Hendrix on the soundtrack.  The quintessential biker film Easyrider  has a Hendrix track, "If 6 Were 9".

 

  148 biker-band's (bands that regularly play at swapmeets, biker party's, etc.) worldwide have had at least one Hendrix cover.  The infamous London band The Preacher's (the lead singer rode a 1960 panhead) covered "Hey Joe".

 

  "Purple Haze" has been used as the name of a "motorcycle hang-out" in 74 different books/magazine stories.

Today in motorcycle history, November 26, 1972

 

 

  Honda of Japan makes a last minute decision to enter the Trans-Am Series motocross race at Carnegie Cycle Park in Tracy, California.  The world meets the Elsinore.

 

  Honda hires "All Japan Motocross" National Champion Taichi Yoshimura and two Southern California riders, Jim Wilson and Bruce Baron, to ride Honda's first two-stroke moto race bike.  The two RC250M's were painted the color of the CR250M Elsinore that was to be released to the ever-growing US market in the spring of 1973.

 

  The CR250M weighed in at a wafting light 214 pounds and had 7.1 inches of travel up front, which was state-of-the-art at that time in ancient dirt biking history. The dyno showed that the Elsinore pulled a staggering rear wheel 28 horsepower, about three more than anything else short of a flat-out TT bike. 

 

   Named after the off-road race in Lake Elsinore, California, the best-known off-road race of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The popularity of the CR250M and its derivatives soared after Gary Jones rode a stock machine to win the 1973 AMA 250 national motocross series.

 

 

   Steve McQueen owned a CR250M, what else needs to be said?!

Today in motorcycle history, November 25, 1967

 

 

 

 

 

  At the historic San Francisco Civic Center, Evel Knievel successfully jumps two Triumph T120 Bonneville motorcycles with a 15' Triumph Motorcycle promotional banner tied handlebar to handlebar and two Dodge vans.  The jump was estimated at 91 feet.  On the previous day Evel had jumped four motorcycles and the same two Dodge vans for an estimated leap of 100 feet. 

 

  The weekend jump-a-thon would be capped off on Sunday with Knievel adding a VW bus (for the hippies at the show) for the last jump.  An attempt at a record-setting four motorcycles, two Dodge vans AND a VW bus.  After a long morning spent tracking down a VW bus to be used (with the slight risk of it being damaged), someone in his crew forgot to measure the distance. The final estimate for the record-setting Sunday jump was...an astounding...unknown.  The weekend's final known tally - 191 feet, no broken bones and a job-opening for a crew member. 

 

  Coincidentally, on that Sunday as Evel Knievel was jumping four motorcycles, two Dodge vans and a VW bus, San Francisco police arrested 7 hippies in a VW bus for "drug possession" on Haight Street.

Today in motorcycle history, November 22, 1940

 

 

 

 

  BSA is the target of the Luftwaffe once again.  Still reeling from the attacks on November 19, with barely time to catch their collective breath, BSA workers, the city of Birmingham and the country as a whole dig in.  Production of armaments and military transport were at red-alert levels so manufacturer's of all types were enlisted in the war effort.

 

  Designed by the legendary Val Page the BSA M20 started life as a heavy-framed sidecar model with a simple 500cc single cylinder side-valve engine.  With low compression and plenty of low-end torque through a standard BSA gearbox, it may not have been a speed-model but it could pull a pub off it's foundation.

 

  Brought to the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) in Chertsey, Surrey, where they were originally shot down for military service, criticized for being heavy and too slow with poor ground clearance.  After debate it was saved by its reliability and ease of maintenance.  As the need for transport quickly gained speed orders were placed for large quantities.  Most M20's were used by the British Army, but soon the Royal Navy and the RAF also commissioned the bikes from BSA. 

 

  Designed as a general-purpose motorcycle for convoy escort and dispatch use, the M20 saw action in almost every theater of war.  Early 1939 models were made from standard civilian parts with the addition of military fittings, such as a large 8-inch Lucas DUl42 headlight fitted with a black out mask, a timing-gear cover with a screw-in plug for access to the magneto drive-pinion nut and special filler caps for the gas and oil tanks. These early models were also fitted with a long spiked kickstand pivoted from a lug brazed on to the rear frame tube that could be used as a weapon if needed.  Factory ledgers show that BSA exported K-M20 models to India, South Africa and Sweden, as well as civilian dealers and distributors.

 

    On a side note - there were eight major air raids оn Birmingham between August 9, 1940-April 23, 1943.  Other than BSA (motorcycles, an array of weapons), SU (carburetor's), GEC (plastics), Rover (engines), Fisher  & Ludlow (shell casings), Austin works (military vehicles) and Reynold's (light alloy tubing) were also targets.  Іn total, 2,241 people were killed, аnd 3,010 seriously injured, 12,391 houses and 302 factories were destroyed.

Today in motorcycle history, November 20, 2001

 

  Honda's road to world domination continues as they announce it has begun production of a new 125cc motorcycle with it's new joint venture company in China, Sundiro Honda Motorcycle Co., Ltd.

 

  A commemorative ceremony to mark the foundation of the company was held as a lineoff ceremony for the jointly developed M-LIVING motorcycle ('WanLiXing' in Chinese).

  M-LIVING is designed to incorporate the major attributes of the GL125 and CG125, both well-known "business motorcycles" in the Chinese market, as well as the renowned characteristics of the Honda brand - engine durability, superb fuel economy and emissions technology that meet forthcoming regulations.  Emissions being such a big issue to the Chinese government (damn it, where's that sarcasm key).

  The new motorcycle, to be sold at an affordable price of 5,500 yuan (in 2001 that was an unheard of $656.00), will be an ideal means of transportation especially in regional cities and agricultural districts where motorcycle sales have increased drastically in recent years.

   Honda President and CEO Hiroyuki Yoshino attended the foundation ceremony and said: "This new company has begun with big dream$ in the world's largest motorcycle market, where the economy is growing at a tremendous rate. I am excited by the energy displayed by this new company. It reminds me of the spirit we at Honda experienced in our early days. I am convinced that blah, blah, blah...will provide customer satisfaction in China."

Today in motorcycle history, November 19, 1940

 

 

 On the night of Tuesday the 19th of November, 1940, the German Luftwaffe bombs the BSA factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham.

 

  Just аs іt hаd іn the Fіrst World War, the Birmingham Small Arms Company turned itself оver tо the war effort, becoming а key supplier fоr the British military аnd therefore, аn important strategic target fоr the Luftwaffe. At approximately 9:25pm a low flying aircraft dropped two bombs which destroyed the southern end of the BSA building, trapping hundreds of workers. BSA's own fire brigade pumped the Birmingham and Warwick canal dry trying to put out the fire. Workers involved іn Britain's Civil Defense were brought іn tо help search fоr аnd clear bodies tо get the plant bаck іntо production.   

 Twо BSA night-shift electricians, Alf Stevens аnd Alf Goodwin, helped rescue theіr fellow workers without giving a thought to their own safety.  Alf Stevens wаs awarded the George Medal fоr hіs selfless acts оf bravery іn the rescue аnd Alf Goodwin wаs awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

 The raid turned оut tо be the mоst devastating attack оn BSA іn the course оf the war.  The net effect оf the November raids (Small Heath was bombed again November 22) wаs tо destroy machine shops іn the four-story 1915 building, the original 1863 gunsmiths' building аnd all nearby buildings.   53 BSA employees were killed, 89 were injured, 30 оf them seriously аnd rifle production wаs halted fоr three months.  Іt would be six weeks before the last оf the bodies were to be recovered frоm the site.

 

  The Government Ministry of Supply and BSA immediately began a process of production dispersal throughout Britain. Factories were set up at Tipton, Dudley, Smethwick, Blackheath, Lye, Kidderminster, Stourport, Tyseley, and Bromsgrove to manufacture Browning machine guns, Stoke, Corsham, and Newcastle-under-Lyme produced the Hispano cannon, Leicester and Studley Road produced the Besa machine gun, Ruislip produced the Oerlikon 20mm cannon, Stafford produced rocket projectiles, Tamworth produced two-pound gun carriages, Mansfield produced the Boys Anti-tank gun and Shirley produced rifles.  These were dispersal factories which were in addition to Small Heath and the other BSA factories opened in just two years following the 1940 blitz. 

 

  At its peak Small Heath was running  an incredible 67 factories engaged in war production including the M20 500cc side-valve.  BSA would eventually produce 126,000 M20's for service in WWII.