Innehållsförteckning för September/October 2023 från Motorcycle Classics

We here at Motorcycle Classics, along with everyone else in the motor cycle community, were saddened a few months back at learning the news: The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, will be closing its doors for good in early September. While the museum has been a non-profit since its beginning in 1989, it has always been the home of many motorcycles from John and Jill Parham, founders of J&P Cycle. What began with 40 bikes in an old storefront in downtown Anamosa grew to a larger, 500-plus motorcycle collection after the museum’s move in 2010 to a repurposed larger building near Highway 151. More space not only allowed for the acquisition and display of more motorcycles, but it also provided room for exhibits and loans from other collections. And…

1958-1961 Matchless G11CS/G12CS Matchless also enjoyed early success in the Big Bear Run, finishing first, second and third in 1954 using G80CS singles with Bud Ekins in front. But as a clue to the future, Gene Fox finished fifth on an AJS Model 20 “Spring Twin,” sister to the 500cc Matchless G9 twin. So for 1958, AMC launched its own Desert Sled, the G11CS with a tuned 600cc twin developed from the G11 of 1956, installed in a motocross-style frame derived from the G80CS scrambler. The CS model featured a siamesed exhaust system, “western” handlebars and knobby tires. There was a choice of small or large gas tanks, and 19-inch or 21-inch front wheels. The G11CS lasted just one year before being replaced by the longer-stroke 650cc G12CS. The G12CS…

In 1970, if you were the typical Triumph fanatic eyeing the latest and greatest from the Meriden factory, you would probably have walked right past the TR6R featured here and gone for the Bonnevilles. The twin-carb setup was originally an accessory offering, but when the splayed port head kits sold out, Triumph decided to incorporate the new head in a new model. The first T120 Bonnevilles appeared in 1959 and quickly became wildly popular Stateside. The 1970 model Bonneville was good for more ponies (46 horsepower vs. 43 horsepower) and more top speed (108mph vs. 103mph) than the single-carb machine, and those with a need for speed overlooked the extra maintenance. “When I was a kid,” says Dennis Etcheverry, “Everyone wanted a Bonneville.” Bonneville lust has not gone away with…

Our story here is about a special 1966 Honda 305 Scrambler, a motorcycle owned for a cool half century by my friend Jerry Dowgin, but the story needs background to provide context. To riders of a certain age, the words “Honda” and “305” hold special meaning. Anyone with even a passing interest in vintage motorcycles knows the Honda story and how it changed the world. Triumph’s Edward Turner saw it coming when he visited the Honda factory in Japan in the 1960s and urged Triumph to prepare. Turner’s words fell on deaf ears while Triumph, the rest of the British motorcycle industry, and Harley-Davidson soldiered on, oblivious to the emerging giant that was the Japanese motorcycle industry. Small bikes, a well-marketed succession of moves up to larger bikes, the Honda…

The Pinelands National Reserve in southern New Jersey is an interesting place for many reasons. The Pine Barrens (as the area is commonly known) covers nearly a quarter of New Jersey, the most densely populated state in America, but very few people live here. There’s a lot of empty land and forest in the Pine Barrens (the area was a featured spot for dumping bodies on The Sopranos, and that probably wasn’t just a figment of some screenwriter’s imagination). Pine Barrens’ folklore, including the Jersey Devil, which we’ll get to in a minute, makes the area interesting. The Pine Barrens is a great destination for riding, motorcycle camaraderie and good food. The area has a rich history. America’s eastern seaboard formed about 200 million years ago; the Atlantic Ocean deposited…

From 1946 through 1953 a single race, the Springfield Mile, decided who would be crowned the AMA’s seasonal champion. Winning Springfield also determined who wore the coveted Number One plate the following year. Then, in 1954, the AMA changed the National Championship format into a season-long series of points-paying races. Competition took place on dirt tracks including Shorttrack, Half-Mile and Mile ovals, plus TT (dirt steeple chase) and Road Races on pavement. Each event paid points toward the seasonal championship. The first series champion was Joe Leonard who topped the field with seven race wins (of 18 events) for 1954. Ironically, the Springfield Mile was among his wins. Regardless of who won what and where, the racing remained as exciting as before, but it was the Mile races in particular…

Love for the Mystery Ship Kudos for an outstanding cover and story about Craig Vetter and the Mystery Ships (July/August 2023)! As an architect and industrial designer, I have always been fascinated by Craig’s innovative solutions. I also enjoyed Robert Smith’s very thorough background on the Ariel side hack rig (Something on the Side). I had a similar unit when I was living in Denver in the 1980s. I was the campaign manager for the election of Federico Peña for Mayor (he won). I frequently drove him to various civic events in the rig which always got lots of smiles and thumbs up. I think it was a 600 single. I wish I knew where to look for some of those old photos. Yes, as Robert points out, it was…

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering continues as one of the premier motorcycle-specific shows in the country. The 13th annual event was held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel, California. According to the event’s organization, more than 3,000 people attended with 250 or so motorcycles on display. There had been a threat of rain in the days leading up to the event, but thankfully the weather cooperated, and it was a perfect day for sightseeing on the lawn. This year, there were 29 awards given in 19 categories. In addition to the traditional categories (American, British, Italian, Japanese, other European, competition, custom/modified, choppers and bicycles/scooters), there were three special categories this year: Italian singles, 1970s Vintage Muscle and “Bring on the Baggers.” As in…

Riding to high school aboard his brother’s 1974 Kawasaki H1 500 triple ensured Steve Baugrud was one of the coolest kids in class. By the time he was in 10th grade, Steve had been riding since he was 5 or 6 years old and he’d already earned plenty of motorcycle memories. But the 2-stroke H1 he rode to school was the first real street machine he’d spent much time on, and he wouldn’t soon forget the experiences. Decades after last riding the H1 to classes, in 2021 Steve was actively in the market for a Kawasaki triple he could call his own. So, when an ad without any photos appeared on Cycletrader.com for a reasonably priced 1974 Kawasaki KZ400, he didn’t initially think anything of it — as the KZ…

Kenny Roberts’ 1975 Indianapolis Mile win remains a race of historic proportion. During the evening of Aug. 23, 1975, KR wrestled to victory circle one of the most unorthodox dirt track race bikes ever, a flat tracker powered by a 120-horsepower Yamaha TZ750 inline 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 2-stroke engine originally developed for road racing. But for 24 and nine-tenths laps the race appeared futile for Roberts. After starting from the back row he ultimately overtook race leaders Corky Keener and Jay Springsteen on the final go-round, nipping them by inches at the finish line. It was the only time KR led the race that otherwise seemed a lost cause for the defending two-time Grand National Champion. Readers unfamiliar with that race are encouraged to set this issue of Motorcycle Classics magazine…

Today’s world is full of superlatives, but occasionally something comes along which truly deserves being extolled as the biggest and best. And that’s indeed very much so with the 940-page large format (11.1 x 14.2-inch) English-language Ultimate Collector Motorcycles masterwork just released by Taschen Books, a luxury art book publisher based in Cologne, Germany, which until now had never dealt with anything to do with two wheels and an engine. For there’s little doubt that this massive two-volume 220,000-word title weighing 20.68 pounds in total is the finest book about motor cycles yet published in any language, both in terms of content and presentation. Anyone who spends $250 will not be disappointed with their purchase. And, for full disclosure, I say that as someone asked to read the title through…

The term desert sled has now become cemented into the motorcycle lexicon alongside café racer, chopper, bobber, adventure, cruiser and the rest. But the desert sled wasn’t born in a marketing meeting: it was in the Mojave Desert. America’s western deserts are unforgiving places full of surprises. Rocks, sand dunes, sinkholes, dry rivulets, levees, all with a side of cactus and rattlesnake. But they also lack speed limits and intersections, making them ideal for off-highway racing. Perhaps the highest profile proponent of desert racing in the classic era and one of its fiercest competitors was, of course, Steve McQueen, who espoused the racer’s philosophy in the movie Le Mans: “Racing… it’s life. Anything that happens before or after, it’s just waiting.” Perhaps the archetypal desert racer of the era was…

The knights, resplendent in shining armor (they spend eight hours a week polishing) dismounted and walked to the door of the shabby warehouse. Knocking loudly on the door, they shouted they were there for The Avocado. The door was opened a crack, and a beady eye was seen. “Whaddya want,” a voice snarled. The first knight stuck a mailed foot in the opening. “We are here for the Avocado,” he repeated loudly. Enough of Dungeons and Dragons. The actual story of how Dennis Etcheverry rescued a green 1970 Triumph TR6R from the clutches of a strange and sketchy individual is entertaining enough. Dennis is a master welder who is a partner in Norman Racing, a service facility for high-end sports cars. After hours, he collects motorcycles, mostly British. Even if…

The Motogiro d’Italia, a legendary event, has been a decades-long dream for me. Friends who have experienced it raved about the incredible time they had. Riding around Italy for a week on classic motor cycles sounded like pure bliss. However, obstacles like the logistics of traveling from the U.S. and finding a suitable ride kept my dream on the back burner. But then, towards the end of summer 2022, my good friend Mateo (despite not being Italian) made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He had purchased a charming home in Montefegatesi, a small ancient town near Pisa, and generously offered me a place to stay and use of a classic bike if I registered for the Motogiro and flew to Italy. It was as if the stars had finally…

The parallel-twin 2-stroke engine, both air-cooled and liquid cooled, has arguably delivered more thrilling performance to more people at an affordable cost than any other two-wheeled 20th century engine format. But contrary to popular belief it wasn’t dreamed up in the Hamamatsu factories of Japanese manufacturers Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, even if they were the ones who ultimately exploited it the most. Over the years between them they’ve produced more than one million such devices, which their Honda rival’s patriarch Soichiro Honda always disdained as so-called “stink wheels.” They were crude and dirty devices which had no place in his company’s lineup — except, that is, for powering the first-ever Honda Dream motorcycle he built in 1949! Instead, credit for initially developing this engine layout belongs to West German manufacturer…

Best Seller! THE COMPREHENSIVE VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE PRICE GUIDE 2023/2024 EDITION The 19th edition of the Comprehensive Vintage Motorcycle Price Guide contains over 160,000 prices for over 105 different motorcycle marques in six different conditions. Through hundreds of hours of research and data entry, formed by the opinions and data gathered by more than 450 worldwide dealers, auctioneers, collectors, and experts in the vintage field, this is the most accurate price guide available. It also contains more data than any other, as all major marques (and many lesser-known marques) are included. #11828 $20.95 Members: $18.86 Best Seller! BACKROADS OF ROUTE 66 This wonderfully illustrated, up-to-date guide to the natural, cultural, and historical gems hidden just off the legendary Route 66 outlines 30 trips for curious travelers. In this completely revised and…