What's a WhiZZer?

The Whizzer appeared in 1939 and was built by Breene Taylor Corp. of Los Angeles, Califonia.  Just before WWII, the company was sold to Martin Goldman and Dietrich Kohlsaat who continued production.   Originally it was an engine and fuel tank with belt drive system you put on your bicycle of choice or had a local dealer do it.   It was billed as "America's Finest Bicycle Motor" until 1948.  Construction of complete machines changed things dramatically and from then on it was "America's Finest Motor Bicycle". They sold well over 250,000 units before things wound down in the 1960's.  

Although it shared a similiar design concept of the 'clip-on' engine with many other brands, like Ducati and Honda, the Whizzer is an all American product.

While not the most sophisticated or refined machine, the Whizzer was a gateway machine that allowed boys and girls to get their first taste of freedom and a glimpse of what lie ahead in two-wheeled adventures. Simplicity, durability and low cost helped make the Whizzer an enduring post war icon of  many teenagers dreams.

Whizz on !

Isle of Man TT sound stories on vinyl

As technology rushes forward at a dizzying pace, it's comforting to look back and see from whence we came and how we used to do things. Pull out that turntable and spin up some Isle of Man memories with us.  For many years, if you weren't able to go to the island yourself, you got your fix by listening to these Stanley Schofield (SS) albums. Here, in the USA, the importer was Grand Prix Records in Burbank, California although most fans found these listed in the back of Road & Track or Cycle magazines.

Graham Walker and his son Murray's commentary still resonates so well that it seems to put you right in the grandstands as you wait for Gary Hocking, John Hartle or John Surtees to rocket by. Then you'd  hear about the young Mike Hailwood as he enjoys a taste of victory and offers a glimps of what's to come.  

 BMW dominated the sidecar races with rider Helmut Fath and his passenger whose average speed was nearly two miles an hour faster than the second place finishers, also mounted on BMW.

The 1962 album has an illustration of Mike Hailwood and Gary Hocking duking it out on

MV Agusta's for nearly the enitre race with

Hailwood the winner at 99.59 mph. In the Lightweight 125 class, Honda mounted Luigi Taveri won, followed home by four more Honda racers to sweep the top five. It was the a magnificent time with exotic four cylinder machines dominating the races.

                                       

This 1963 Sound Stories features the Junior and Lightweight TT races with stars Hugh Anderson on the Suzuki two-stroke and Jim Redman on the Honda 250 four cylinder four stroke. Album illustrations by Bernard Wragg really captures the grace and speed at a time before we had slow motion film to allow us to appreciate the details.   Heat up some Castrol R on the burner and give it a listen!

 Here's a link to an earlier TT recording with Geoff Duke and Surtees doing battle. Give a listen !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlGTl5vHgKo

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.