Motorcyclism

On this day, June 13, 1917, Alan Bedell left Los Angeles, California on his Henderson motorcycle arriving in New York City traveling 3,296 miles in seven days, sixteen hours and fifteen minutes later, breaking the record set by "Cannonball" Baker on an Indian Twin.

The Henderson motorcycle suffered just one flat tire, went through three sets of Champion spark plugs and used three Duckworth chains. Bedell suffered just one crash, which somewhat damaged his knee, on a wet road in Indianapolis and averaged 17.89 mph.

Using the stock 3.5 gal gas tank, Bedell's only changes to the machine were the addition of a Mesinger air cushion saddle and a Carlton generator to power the original Coffman spotlight.

Unfortunately, the young Californian was not to make or break many more records, as tragically his young life ended a short time later when he fell victim to the influenza epidemic of the First World War. Bedell died on February 24, 1918 at age 21.

Photo: Alan Bedell when he set a transcontinental record in 1917.

Oily Rag: Life is a canvas

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Motorcyclism: Life on a Motorcycle

On this day, May 10, 1960, Erwin George "Cannonball" Baker, a motorcycle and automobile racing driver and organizer in the first half of the 20th century, died of a heart attack at Community Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was 78.

Baker set 143 driving records from the 1910's through the 1930's. His first was set in 1914, riding coast to coast on an Indian motorcycle in 11 days. He normally rode to sponsor manufacturers, guaranteeing them "no record, no money".

In 1915, Baker drove from Los Angeles to New York City in 11 days, 7 hours and fifteen minutes in a Stutz Bearcat, and the following year drove a Cadillac 8 roadster from Los Angeles to Times Square in seven days, eleven hours and fifty-two minutes while accompanied by an Indianapolis newspaper reporter.

In 1924 he made his first midwinter transcontinental run in a stock Gardner sedan at a time of 4 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes. He was so impressed by the car, that he purchased one thereafter. In 1926 he drove a loaded two-ton truck from New York to San Francisco in a record five days, seventeen hours and thirty minutes, and in 1928, he beat the 20th Century Limited train from New York to Chicago.

Also in 1928, he competed in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, and set a record time of 14:49.6 seconds, driving a Franklin. His best-remembered drive was a 1933 New York City to Los Angeles trek in a Graham-Paige model 57 Blue Streak 8, setting a 53.5 hour record that stood for nearly 40 years.

This drive inspired the later Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, better known as the "Cannonball Run", which itself inspired at least five movies and a television series.

In 1941, he drove a new Crosley Covered Wagon across the nation in a trouble free 6,517-mile run to prove the economy and reliability characteristics of Crosley automobiles. Other record and near-record transcontinental trips were made in Model T Fords, Chrysler Imperials, Marmons, Falcon-Knights and Columbia Tigers, among others. He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Via Indiana Motorcycle Historical Society

James Dean is riding his first motorcycle, a Czech Whizzer.

James Dean's passion for fast cars and bikes is almost as legendary as the man himself. His first real motorcycle, a 1947 CZ 125-cc, was presented to him by his uncle Marcus Winslow when he was just 15 years old. The CZ was lightweight and easily maneuverable, giving Jimmy a sense of freedom that was inaccessible to most teenagers in the small farming town of Fairmount, Indiana.

In 1948, the Fairmount High School principal, Roland Dubois, asked students to compose a short autobiography and Jimmy proudly wrote, "My hobby, or what I do in my spare time, is motor cycle. I know a lot about mechanically and I love to ride. I have been in a few races, and I have done well. I own a small cycle myself." Marvin Carter, the man who sold Marcus the CZ, later remembered: "Jimmy was really a pistol.

They called him 'One Speed Dean.' One speed: wide open. "Jimmy often raced his bike on an improvised track behind Carter's motorcycle shop and quickly developed a reputation for mischief. When he enrolled at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, Jimmy traded in his CZ for the more "exotic" Royal Enfield 500-cc, which was soon replaced by a maroon and gold striped 1952 Indian Warrior TT.

While living in New York, Jimmy stored his motorcycle at the Greenwich Village garage where future actor Steve McQueen worked as a part-time mechanic and the two would bond over their love of bikes. After earning the starring role in Elia Kazan's East of Eden filmed in 1955, he used part of his salary to purchase a used red 1953 MG TD sports car and a shell blue 1955 Triumph T110.

Three days after the filming of East of Eden wrapped, Jimmy traded his T110 for a 1955 Triumph TR5 Trophy at Ted Evans Motorcycles in Culver City, California. Like his first Triumph, the Trophy was shell blue, but Jimmy made made a number of modifications to it, including the removal of the muffler in favor of louder pipes. He also flipped the passenger seat backward, the same way Marlon Brando, his idol, did on his 1950 Triumph 6T in the classic "The Wild One" filed in 1953.

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Photo scan of a postcard sent to Molenaar Harley-Davidson of Hammond, Indiana in 1958. Molenarr's was one of the longest running Harley dealerships in America. Harry and Signe Molenaar owned and operated the shop from 1933 to 1998.

On this date, January 12, 1970, George Brough, motorcycle racer, world record holding motorcycle and automobile manufacturer, and showman, died at the age of 79. He was known for his powerful and expensive Brough Superior motorcycles which were the first superbikes.

The name Superior was suggested by a friend but his father reputedly took it personally. George’s motorcycles lived up to the claim, however, and he brought together the best components he could find and added distinctive styling details.

He had a flair for marketing and in 1922 rode a Brough Superior SS80 which he called Spit and Polish at Brooklands, managing an unofficial 100 mph lap. All told, 3,048 motorcycles of 19 models were made in 21 years of production. Most were custom built to customers’ requirements and rarely were any two of the same configuration.

Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was for fitting of all components, then the motorcycle was disassembled and all parts were painted or plated as needed, then the finished parts were assembled finally. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was certified by George Brough.

The SS100 model was ridden at 100 mph or more prior to delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 mph or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it returned to the shop for rework until it performed properly. His legacy lives on in the many Brough Superior motorcycles maintained by enthusiasts to this day.

Nice article @ Biker Switchboard

On This Day - Herbert James "Burt" Munro Died Burt Munro set his first New Zealand speed record in 1938

On this date, December 30, 1912, Lee Humiston, using a 1,000 cc twin cylinder chain driven Excelsior circled the banked one-mile oval track at Prince’s Playa del Rey, California in 36 seconds flat to become the first motorcyclist in the world “officially” timed at 100 mph.

One week after his milestone accomplishment, “The Humiston Comet,” as he was promptly nicknamed by the press, surpassed Jake DeRosier’s record for 100 miles, trimming nearly seven and a half minutes from the fatally injured rider’s best time. Excelsior had won the race to the magic 100 mph mark and they had smashed the Indian-held record for the 100-mile distance as well.

The publicity was enormous. Every school boy in America knew that a man had traveled at 100 miles per hour on a motorcycle, and that he had accomplished this feat on an Excelsior built in Chicago.

Indiana Motorcycle Historical Society

In this photo, dated 1910, a Central Union Telephone company employee is on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Marion County, Indiana. The Central Union Telephone Company provided telephone service to New Castle, Indiana and Indianapolis, Indiana in the late 1800's to the 1920's.
Photo attribution: Indiana Historical Society