Naked Vincent Comet for Vintage Racing

Dave Dunfey built and races this slick 1952 Vincent Comet, a 500cc, single cylinder machine.

When the "fuel tank", which is a beautiful fiberglass cover over a real purpose built fuel tank, you'd never know how much work went into this bike.

Take a minute to absorb the details, like the custom made shocks front and rear.

 Action photo by Dawn Deppi at Roebling Road Raceway March 2011.

Simeone Museum Motorcycle Exhibit 2009

2009 marked the first time motorcycles were presented at the Simeone Foundation Museum, located in Philadelphia, PA. It has now been a regular feature on the calendar each August and this years featured marque is Ducati. The museum houses a spectacular collection of working Sports Racing Cars that range from pre-war Alfa Romeo's to Ferrari Testa Rossa and Grand Sport Corvette. Bugatti and Aston Martin's with LeMans history are in attendance too. Complete information on the Simeone Foundation can be found at http://www.simeonemuseum.org/ 

The motorcycles featured in this temporary collection were later transported to nearby Malvern, PA for the Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance for judging at the anuual event at the Radnor Hunt Club. Details on that event can be found at http://www.radnorconcours.org/  The featured marque was Harley-Davidson and featured a special collection of competition assorted machines. Special guest judges were AMA Hall of Fame member Ed Fisher and his son Gary Fisher, both winners of AMA Nationals at Laconia, New Hampshire.
 

America's oldest motorcycle ? You'll read about the Spiral in a future post. It belonged to the late Harry Buck, who passed away about a year after this exhibit.

BSA Classic Racers Part II - The present

Englishman JohnCronshaw brought this well sorted BSA racer to Roebling Road for the AHRMA 500 Premier class race, where he finished second to a determined Tim Joyce on a Seeley Manx.

Note that enormous oil bearing frame backbone and the custom cut-out for the Carb bellmouth. Every detail is exquisite in design and application. 

Look closely at those upper and lower triple clamps, custom made as are the stubby clip-ons that fit so tightly inside that Peel fairing.

BSA racer from the 1970's Part I

This is the ex-Bob Oliver BSA 650 Lightning roadracer. When I first laid eyes on this machine, it had been stored in a wooden barn,  nose-down in the dirt, a victim  of moles creating a network of tunnels that the BSA has sunken into. It was wedged in at a forty-five degree angle, buried up to the middle of the front wheel. What a sad fate for any motorcycle. We grabbed a couple of shovels and started digging.

At some point this BSA 650 was taken off the race track and road registered in the early 1970's. Much work is to be done if it were to be made usable again. As it sits, it is an interesting artifact of it's period.

All the good bits are there, they just happen to be knackered!

Sold at auction for $650.00, a dollar per cc. The new owner is a dedicated Brit -bike guy who'll no doubt help her regain some of her former glory. Do your part, save an old bike today.

Check out http://www.myclassicmotorcycle.com/ to see what's at this years

Chadds Ford Classic Motorcycle Auction April 9/10, 2011

Stars of the Century, MV and Harley-Davidson

A restored 1913 Harley Davidson V-Twin and a 1999 MV Agusta F4 750 Oro side by side,

both sporting machines for road use from companies with a racing heritage.  

The four-wheeled equivalent might be a Ford Model T and a Ferrari F40, but don't be fooled into thinking it was just affluent Country Gentlemen riding Harley's in the pre WWI era, the Harleys used for Boardtrack racing and Hill climbs were as aggressively campaigned as any of their contemporaries. 

The big V-Twin Harley is the epitome of refinement, from its rear stand for easier pedal starts to the chain drive which replaced the leather belt now offering more positive drive. That deluxe leather saddle has springs discreetly tucked underneath and the front forks end now offered minimal springing for a more plush ride too.  

The V-Twin offered more than twice the horsepower than the earlier single cylinder model that allowed Harley Davidson to become the dominant force in American motorcycling.  

From Carbide lights to Carbon Fiber bodywork, the evolution of  motorcycles and the materials they're made from continues to move forward.

MV Oro #289 /300 worldwide production, it's a rare sight on the roads ten years after it's introduction, but pointed the way forward for the new MV Agusta company and all it's current models.

Those lovely four pipes tucked under the seat of the MV F4 sound fantastic even in stock form

Full carbon fiber bodywork, magnesium wheels and engine plates, sand cast engine cases, alloy sub-frame, Ferrari designed 750cc  four cylinder inline short stroke engine. This bike was hailed as both an engineering and asthetic tour de force. It still holds up well with the passage of time.

1969 Norton Commando S

The Norton Commando first appeared in 1968, and this 1969 750cc S model offered a mix of styles, part scrambler, part cruiser. These were the glory days of the Commando with the famed Norton Girls draped over them in every advertisement promising Freedom, Temptation, Rideability and so much more.

The Isolastic frame really did a great job of keeping the vibrations from wearing the rider out. This bike had great performance, but was desperately in need of disc brakes to cope with the power, the eight inch, twin-leading shoe drum just wasn't up to the task of sporting riding.

Best exhaust system on a Commando? Stylistically yes, but passengers would likely disagree.

The vertical twin cylinder engine was good enough to allow for top speeds near 125 mph. No wonder the Commando still is in big demand on the classic scene. It is still a usable classic and one capable of traveling great distance effortlessly.

1912 Harley-Davidson 'Creek Find'

       

 This 1912 single cylinder Harley-Davidson X8A has spent the majority of its life broken up in a big way. Yet today it's been reunited and is a time capsule of originality despite it's long faded finish. Once upon a time, this was Harley-Davidson's most popular machine, that was in production from 1904-1918, the "Silent Gray Fellow", which featured a De Dion Bouton engine 35 cubic inches and producing 5 horsepower. Top speed was a claimed 45 mph.

According to the current owner, the bike was cut in two with a saw, and it's motor was plucked out and put to work as a pump engine in a mill. The frame, now in two parts, was thrown in a nearby river, seemingly lost forever. Just old junk afterall.

But when the water dried up, the remains of the bike protruded from the now dry riverbed

 and the crafty new owner, undaunted by the challenge, set off to find the engine. A nearby mill was located and the old Harley engine was purchased and put back in the correct slot after the frame was welded back together again. Amazing, but true.

Fortunately, the current owner sees no reason to restore the bike, content that it now runs very well and has a fantastic story to share with others. The collector who owns the bike has over twenty pre-1920 Harley-Davidson, but this is one of his favorites. From the carbide lamp to the California license plate from pre-war era this is a usable one hundred year old motorcycle.

This bike is virually 100 % percent orignal except for the replacement leather drive belt and tires.

Those brass plungers on the tank help the oil keep flowing. Below is the magneto and exhaust cutout for maximum performance. Primitive and rustic she may be, but in her time she was

'state of the art'.  

Not every bike should be restored to showroom shape,

some proudly wear the scars of a long and interesting life and are better bikes for that reason.

Think before you restore !