 |
1975 Honda 750 |
March 30, 2021– As of September, 2020 Honda is the
largest manufacturer of motorcycles on the globe. Honda has 33 production facilities in 22
countries and sells the most units (motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and ATVs) worldwide. The Big Red Wing’s Super Cub has accounted
for over 100 million units since its debut in 1958
 |
Honda produces a wide variety of motorcycles |
March 23, 2021 – Founded in 1921 Moto Guzzi is
celebrating 100 years! The company was a
venture between shipowner Emanuele Vittorio Parodi,
his son Giorgio and Carlo Guzzi. Moto
Guzzi motorcycles were some of the best-performing racing motorcycles from the
late 1930’s to mid 1960’s.
 |
1938 Moto Guzzi 250 |
March 16, 2021 – Honda’s CEO
Kawashima in 1963 set an ambitious goal of increasing sales in the USA from
40,000 to 200,000! Grey Advertising came
up big with the slogan “You Meet the Nicest People of a Honda.” Using children, housewives, young couples and
other respectable people in the ad changed the perceptions of motorcyclists in
the eyes of the public and increased the popularity of Honda to record levels.
 |
Honda's highly successful 1964 ad campaign |
March 9, 2021 – I was on spring break and visited family in Mississippi. Did some good riding while I was there.
 |
I visited the Water Mill Opry near Sciples Mill in Mississippi during spring break |
March 2, 2021 – Shozo
Kawasaki started his company Kawasaki in 1878.
During the postwar reconstruction of Japan Kawasaki grew into a leader
of helicopter manufacturing. In 1966 a
small team was sent to the USA charged with breaking into the motorcycle industry.
Kawasaki’s presence was felt quickly but
in 1969 the company produced the legendary Kawasaki H1 powered by the Mach III. The two-stroke triple was for a time the most
powerful production bike in the world.
 |
1963-1975 Kawasaki H1 MachIII |
February 23, 2021 – One of the largest increases in
motorcycle riders in the USA came directly after World War II. Veterans returned home after having ridden
motorcycles during the war (Harley Davidson provided about 90,000. The economical growth in the USA and the
surplus of motorcycles created a positive environment for motorcycling growth. The cruiser style gained in popularity at
this time.
 |
Motorcycle popularity grew after WWII |
February 16, 2021 – Dallas Thibodeaux and Rozell Nunn, Jr
organized the first National
Biker Roundup in 1977 in Kansas City, Kansas. The rally has grown from 49 riders to well over
30,000 riders attending the now five-day event and the NBR websites states, “”The
National Biker Roundup is the largest camping motorcycle rally in the USA and
is organized by a group of African American motorcycle clubs.” Attendees donate food and/or money for local
charities. Unique to the rally is the
yearly change of venue (with every 10th rally returns to the home
city of Kansas City). The 2021 rally
will be in Perry Georgia August 10-15.
 |
The highly successful National Biker Roundup |
February 9, 2021 – Ducati brothers, Adriano, Bruno and
Marcello founded an Italian company making components for radios. During WW2 the factory was destroyed forcing
the brothers to restart in spite of great hurdles to overcome. The new company started making four-stroke
engines and in 1945 they produced their first motorcycle operating as a
manufacturer for Cucciola. In July 1949
Ducati made the first Ducati 60. The
brothers’ financial difficulties in 1948 led to the sale of Ducati to the
Italian government.
 |
1949 Ducati 60 |
February 2, 2021 – Happy Groundhog Day! During the early 20th
century motorcyclists in northern countries just could not stand not riding in
the winter, so riders started putting studs on tires and riding on ice. It wasn’t long until the ideal of ice racing
emerged. The first recorded ice race happened in 1924 in Sweden, according to the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Soon longer studs were used and lean angles
increased. In 1939 the first sanctioned
race was held in Moscow. Ice racing has
grown and spread across the world.
 |
Early ice racing |
January 26, 2021 – Early motorcycles used wire spoke
wheels. In 1927 the Czechoslovakian
company Böhmerland fitted a motorcycle with cast wheels, but it would not be
until the 1970’s popular motorcycle manufacturers started using them on road
bikes. The Yamaha RD400C was the first by
a big maker to be sold with cast wheels.
 |
Yamaha RD400C with cast wheels |
January 19, 2021 – 1949 saw the introduction of sidecar
racing in the World Championship. The British
duo of Eric Oliver (rider) and Denis Jenkinson (passenger) on a Norton Manx won
2 races and finished with 27 points.
Eric won the championship 3 more times with two different
teammates. Eric made some innovated changes
that advanced the sport.
 |
Eric Oliver was a leading force in sidecar racing. |
January 12, 2021 – The first time motorcycles were
used in combat was 1916 when General “Black Jack” Pershing used Harley-Davidson
J-series motorcycles to engage Pancho Villa in the rugged terrain of the SW desert. The general and the US Army liked what they
saw during the 11-months in Mexico leading to more extensive use in WWI.
 |
Men on HD getting ready to hunt for Pancho Villa |
January 5, 2021 – The first Boss Hoss V8 motorcycle
was built in 1990 by Monte Warne, a commercial pilot. Working in his 5,000 sq. ft. shop in Dyersburg,
TN. Powered by the Chevy V-8 motor the
Boss Hoss produced 350= horsepower!
Since then Monte has grown Boss Hoss Motorcycles and has dealerships in
multiple countries.
 |
Custom painted early Boss Hoss |
December 29, 2020 – The famous motorcycle case scene and jump with Steve McQueen in the
classic movie The Great Escape was
done in one take. The 65-foot jump over
the fence was done by stuntman Bud Ekins on a 1961Triumph TR6 Trophy (painted
to be a German BMW R75). Artist Von
Dutch converted the motorcycles for the movie while working for Ekins at Bud’s
shop.
 |
The Great Escape iconic motorcycle jump
|
December 22, 2020 – Many adventure riders enjoy riding unpaved mountain passes in the Rocky
Mountains, but on August 10, 2013 John Ogden Jr. road his big Victory Vision over
Ophir Pass (11,789 feet) near Ouray, Colorado.
He set two world records that day: First Victory motorcycle over Ophir
Pass and largest displacement (1731-cc) motorcycle ridden over the pass. John is a National Evangelist for the
Christian Motorcyclists Association. |
John Ogden Jr. at Ophir Pass |
December 15, 2020 – The sidecar predates the motorcycle, but in 1903 W.J. Graham from Enfield,
England put forth a patent for a motorcycle sidecar. The sidecar gained popularity extremely quickly
due to lower cost and usefulness.
 |
Adapted from their use with bicycles, the sidecar became very popular. |
December 8, 2020 – Although “lane splitting” or “filtering” is common in Europe it is not in
the USA. In 2017 California passed AB-51
make lane-splitting legal and is currently the only state where it is legalized. Utah legalized “filtering” – a motorcycle
moving between two lanes of traffic when traffic is stationary.
December 1, 2020 – 1914 saw 30 motorcycle manufacturers in the United States. Henderson, Excelsior, Flying Merkel, Thomas,
Ace, Yale, Cleveland, Pierce (maker of Pierce-Arrow cars), Cyclone, Iver
Johnson, Orient, Curtiss, and Royal were among the US makers of
motorcycles. However, Indian and
Harley-Davidson were the only motorcycle manufacturers to survive the great
depression.
 |
Early American motorcycles at the Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Valley, NC
|
November 17, 2020 – Suzuki made weaving looms for Japan’s silk industry in the early 1900’s. In the 1930’s founder Michio Suzuki began an
engineering firm and began manufacturing cars and engines. In 1952 Suzuki produced its first motorcycle,
the Power Free, it was a motorized bicycle. On Sunday November 15, 2020 Joan Mir and his Suzuki
won the MotoGP World Championship.
 |
1952 Suzuki's first motorcycle
|
November 10, 2020 – Joseph Merkel started making single cylinder motorcycles under “The
Merkel” moniker in 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By 1905 Joseph was making racing motorcycles
and became a leader in the American racing world. He patented an innovating spring front fork which
was the precursor of today’s telescopic front forks. He also developed the rear
monoshock system. “All roads are smooth
to the Flying Merkel” became one of the company’s taglines.
 |
The Flying Merkel circa 1914 |
November 3, 2020 – 1980 saw Honda and Kawasaki leading the way with fuel injection. Kawasaki equipped the Z1000 with fuel
injection raising the weight slightly and the price approx. $500. It took a while for other manufactures to
make the change, but now fuel injection is the standard.
 |
Kawasaki1980 Z1000 with fuel injection - new technology at the time. |
October 27, 2020 – ARAI is recognized globally for high quality racing and road riding motorcycle
helmets. ARAI began as a hat company in
Japan by founder Hirotake Arai who was a motorcyclist and at one time a
motorcycle stunt rider.
October 20, 2020 – The longest running production motorcycle is the Royal Enfield
Bullet. The Bullet first appeared in 1932
but did not begin its continuous production until 1948. In many countries it is considered a beginner’s
motorcycle.
 |
1948 Royal Enfield Bullet |
October 13, 2020 – Jim Davis became the first winner of an AMA sanctioned national flat
track race in 1924 on a 1-mile track in Toledo, Ohio. Later in life he stated, “I won the first
official race I entered and won a pair of rubber goggles and a quart of
oil. I was on top of the world.” Racers these days get a little more than that when
they win.
 |
Flat track racer Jim Davis in the 1920's
|
October 6, 2020 – The Harley Davidson Sportster is one of the most widely recognized
motorcycles in large part for its versatility and the face that it has been in
production since 1957. The Sportster has
been produced continuously since its introduction, the longest of any HD model.
 |
1957 Harley Davidson Sportster with 883cc engine
|
September 29, 2020 – Improvements to motorcycle braking has always been welcomed. In 1952 the first hydraulic brakes were used
on motorcycles, a technological advancement still used today. |
Valentino Rossie hard brakes prior to a turn.
|
September 22, 2020 – Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen (known as KTM) is an Austrian
company which created its first prototype motorcycle in 1951 and is now a
leader in dirt bike motorcycles.
September 15, 2020 – Founded in 1903 the Yonkers Motorcycle Club in New York is the oldest
MC. The clubs first president George
Eller guided the group transition from the Yonkers Bicycle Club to the Yonkers
MC. The club was an early sponsor of a
lot of motorcycle events.September 8, 2020 – In December 1978 the first Dakar Rally took place with 80 cars, 12
trucks and 90 motorcycles (182 vehicles).
There was no separation or divisions among the vehicles. 74 vehicles finished with Frenchman Cyril Neveu winning the inaugural race, even without winning any individual stage. Cyril eventually won four more Dakar Rally
races in 1980, 1982, 1986 & 1987.
After the first year of the rally vehicle divisions were created.
I could be wrong, but have heard that there is also a replica of that Harley-Davidson shed in almost every Harley-Davidson Dealership in the world. Thanks for the fun facts Oz!
ReplyDeleteI have heard there are some dealership with a replica, but never seen one at the shops I have visited. Glad you enjoy the fun facts.
ReplyDelete