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ROYAL ENFIELD BUYS VINCENT!

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It would appear the historic Vincent-HRD marque is hurtling towards India!
In shocking news today, it appears Eicher Motors Limited, owners of the Royal Enfield brand, have claimed Vincent-HRD as their own, and plan to manufacture new Vincents in one year.  A bit of back story: Matt Holder of Birmingham purchased the names and rights of the Royal Enfield, Velocette, Scott, and Vincent-HRD marques at their bankruptcy sales, over the decades-long decay of the British motorcycle industry from the 1950s-70s.  The Holder family, with their HQ in a former Triumph warehouse in Meriden (the last Triumph factory building still standing), have kept these machines on the road by their continued manufacture and distribution of spares. When Enfield India, which had been selling 'Enfields' since it licensed the Bullet design in the 1950s, decided it would prefer it's 'Royal' back in 1994, they snookered the Holder family out of the right to the Royal Enfield name, using a team of lawyers to argue, successfully, that the Holders weren't actually trading under the Royal Enfield name.  Hence, Royal Enfields are now made in India: read the court decision here.
The latest model Bullet from Royal Enfield, the 2015 'Sideburner', co-designed with Gary Inman of Sideburn magazine, and Nico Sclater of Ornamental Conifer, who is rumored to have already moved to Madras to head up Cosmetics at Eicher Motors Ltd.
Now, the ever-growing Madras factory, owned by Eicher Motors Ltd, has reached across the waters to Birmingham once again, claiming the name 'Vincent-HRD' as its own, and announcing its intentions to produce a new V-Twin to rival all others.
Siddhartha Lal, MD of Eicher Motors Ltd, and now the Vincent marque
Siddhartha Lal, the Managing Director of Eicher Motors Ltd, explained, "the only reason to revive the Vincent marque, with all its amazing history and legendary riders like Rollie Free, is to make the fastest motorcycle in the world, once again.  We have the money, the design talent, and the facilities to do just that.  Our in-house industrial designers got their degrees at MIT and Cal Tech, and have come up with the latest generation of engines and chassis, which we will reveal in one year; April 1st, 2015, and the all-new the Vincent Black Rapier."
In a Vintagent.com exclusive, I can reveal that the new Vincent Black Rapier will be based on the remarkable Bernard Li design of 1994, using a supercharged engine co-designed by Lamborghini.
(thanks to the Egli-Vincent.com for alerting me to this startling news)

'WHAT MAKES A MOTORCYCLE COLLECTIBLE?"

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Motoring journalist Christopher Head recently interviewed me on the subject of the mysterious factors which really bumps a motorcycle's value on the auction circuit.  It's been published all over the Internet; below is the article as found on Astaire.com:
Still the most expensive motorcycle sold at auction: this 1915 Cyclone bitsa fetched $520k at a MidAmerica Auction in 2008
"What Really Makes a Motorbike Collectible?
by Christoper Head 2014

Vintage motorcycle connoisseur Paul d’Orléans talks about what really makes a classic bike desirable, how the Steve McQueen factor influences auction prices, and his fear that demand and prices for collectable bikes could be about to rocket thanks to growing interest from speculators priced out of the classic car market.
This 1939 BMW RS255 Kompressor sold for $480k at the Bonhams Las Vegas sale in 2013
Paul d’Orléans laughs at the suggestion that because a bike’s old or rare it is going to be collectable or desirable: “No! That’s never enough. Just because a painting is old doesn’t mean it’s valuable,” begins the author, journalist, Bonhams auction house consultant and all-round classic motorcycle expert. Indeed, just like their classic four-wheel counterparts, what gets collectors falling over themselves and pushes auctions into bidding frenzies is legacy and luxury.
“If a particular model did something at the racetrack in any one of many kinds of races that motorcycles do — grand prix racing, road racing, flat track, dirt, speedway, whatever — if a bike was considered an important, successful racer that makes it valuable,” he explains.
The famous Brough Superior sprinter 'Old Bill' was used by George Brough himself to win 51 out of 52 races entered - and Old Bill crossed that 52nd finish line ahead of rival George Dance on his Sunbeam, but George wasn't on it at the time!  Sold by H+H in 2012 for $469,800
As for the second criterion, luxury, if a bike was the epitome of premium in its day, so not just refined, but exotic and desirable too, then it will be even more so today. But then there’s the noise it makes too, by which d’Orléans isn’t referring to engines or exhaust systems. “Probably the biggest factor of all is the buzz,” he says. “If it is something that has a lot of press and a lot of folklore or mythology around it, or popular songs, or has been seen in movies or television shows or with movie stars that definitely does something. And that can be a huge factor.”
This 1929 Brough Superior SS100 sold for $465,000 at H+H in 2010
That’s why the top 20 and indeed top 30 lists of the most expensive bikes ever sold at auction features more Brough Superiors than any other make of motorcycle. Considered by many as the Holy Grail, the British brand, which produced bikes for just 21 years between 1919 and 1940 was known as the Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles in its day and with an asking price greater than the average British home at the time, they were similarly priced.
This fantastic 1926 Brough SS100 with JAP KTOR engine sold for $453,000 at the RM Battersea auction in 2012
Fast forward 70 years and it’s common for an SS100 model to go for upwards of £200,000 ($330,000) at auction and its less powerful SS80 sibling for £100,000 ($165,000) or more.
The demand for the Brough Superior has also been helped by the fact that it was the transport of choice for a number of celebrities of the day, including T.E. Lawrence and if a bike is associated with one famous name in particular, it can go from being interesting to desirable to threatening to set a new auction record.
The fame factor: this Von Dutch-painted, ex-Steve McQueen 1926 Scott sold for a phenomenal $276,000 in 2009, at an Antiquorum watch sale!
“The Steve McQueen factor can be a real wildcard. You know it can bump something up by ten times its normal price. There’s no rationality to it with McQueen, it’s all about desire,” says d’Orléans.
The Pope's 2013 Harley-Davidson Dyna sold for $327,000 at the Bonhams Paris auction this year
But does that make him unique among automotive collecting circles? “I don’t think anyone would care about a Bruce Willis or Peter Fonda or Arnold Schwarzenegger bike,” d’Orléans responds, “But the Pope! That was a big one!”
Crocker big twins occupy 25% of my Top 20 Auction Price slots...
The current Pontiff’s 2013 Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide is the 14th most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction. It went under the hammer in Paris this February for a scarcely believable $327,000. As such, it is one of only three bikes built in the 21st century to make it into the all-time top 30 list. The other two were incredibly rare, genuine factory racing Ducatis.
The sale of the Pope’s two-wheeler underlines that “It’s like any marketplace, whether wittingly or unwittingly, if desire is generated then you have price bumps,” says d’Orléans, who thinks that perhaps the only other living celebrity or sportsman that could add such a huge premium to a modern bike would be Valentino Rossi. If a bike that he had actually ridden to one of his nine MotoGP World Championships came up for sale, it could make the list. “A real Rossi world championship bike would go way up. But that hasn’t happened yet,” he says.
The 2010 Ducatis GP2 CS1 which sold for $320,000 in 2012 at RM Monaco
Unlike the classic car market, where the record price paid for a vehicle at auction stands at $29.65 million (€22.7 million) for Fangio’s 1954 F1 race-winning Mercedes-Benz, a lot at a classic bike sale is yet to come close to $1 million. The record is currently held by a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer which fetched $520,000 at auction in July 2008 in Monterey or $551,200 when adjusted for 2014.
This 1907 Harley-Davidson 'Strap Tank' single sold for $352,000 at a Gooding sale in 2006
Nevertheless, there are fears that as speculators and investors are priced out of the car market that they will all decamp, en masse, to the closest bike show and start driving prices up. As d’Orléans explains: “When you consider what a really nice classic Ferrari is costing now, you can pick up the equivalent motorcycle in terms of historical scale of importance in its genre for a pittance in comparison. You could spend $100,000 to $200,000 this year and pick up what anyone would consider one of the top 100 motorcycles of all time.”
This spectacular, original-paint ex-Daytona BMW 1938 R51RS sold for $132,000 at the Bonhams Las Vegas sale in 2010.
And if someone were to switch allegiance from four wheels to two, would they be able to ride it on a daily basis or would it have to be mothballed indefinitely to protect its value?
“I don’t think too many people use them as daily riders, but for pleasure, why not? You wouldn’t want to commute in downtown New York or LA but I know lots of people that use them for rallies and small tours. I’m riding a Brough Superior in this year’s [Motorcycle] Cannonball which is from Daytona Florida to Tacoma, Washington,” d’Orléans answers with a laugh that signals he’s aware of what he might be letting himself in for; that the course is over 4150 miles (6678 km) and will take 16 days to complete on a bike that uses technology that dates back to the 1930s and has no suspension other than a sprung seat."

©

49-MILES OF SAN FRANCISCO

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Steve Brindmore and his Featherbed Commando, leaving our warehouse in the last industrial area of San Francisco 
Pete Young and the Yerba Buena chapter of the AMCA host the annual 49-Mile Ride on the last Sunday of October, which is open to all pre-1975 motorcycles, and is regularly swarmed with over 300 bikes of all makes and configurations.  I was on the first 9 editions of the 49-Mile, but missed a few while abroad - it's always great fun to confound automotive traffic in SF, although a few times I reflected on the unfortunate 'New York Incident' while hordes of bikers maneuvered around cars; honks and fingers were occasionally exchanged, but no trouble ensued.
Chris Bonk and his original-paint 1951 MV Agusta 125cc two-stroke
The polyglot nature of the bikes present is what makes this ride special; mopeds, scooters, pre-War, military, Choppers, Cafe Racers, Britbikes, Italian 70s hotrods, Japanese 60s two-strokes, literally everything under the sun.  Everyone rides an old motorcycle, and that's good enough.
At the meeting point, the Bayview Boat Club (pointedly NOT a yacht club), a lovely ca.1978 Ducati 900SS
I discussed the 'club scene' with one attendee, who's invested much time over the years in the BSA Owner's Club. He lamented that 95% of the bikes riding the 49-Mile Ride would not be welcome at a BSA Club ride, which I opined was an excellent way to ensure the death of one-make and Vintage clubs.  The most popular and vital vintage motorcycle scene worldwide, and the one which attracts younger riders, is the broad spectrum of Custom bikes - Cafe Racers, Bobbers, Choppers, Street Trackers, etc.  Plenty of Custom riders have 'stock' vintage bikes too, but who wants to hang around with old farts who look sideways at their cool creations?  Food for thought.
A pair of BSAs, distinctly different cousins; an A65 chopper, and a B44 Victor Special
Enjoy this stop-motion tour of San Francisco, the photos are in order from the trip to my warehouse (Motopia) and back; I'll point out touristy hightlights for those far away!
Wonderfully ratty Harley Knucklehead
A buyer's choice of redness; Benelli (Motobi), Puch Grand Prix, Moto Guzzi Falcone Tourismo
An interesting pair of Bobbers; Knucklehead and Trophy

Hanging out with Max Schaaf, vintage chopper revivalist with his blog 4Q Conditioning (Kim Young photo)
Host club Yerba Buena M/C provided the legal release forms and prepared the food!
Lots of Street Trackers, like this Triumph, and the Rickman behind
Lovely old Matchless G80
Honda CB750 in front of a Chevrolet Impala, just like the one I grew up in!
This young man has earned his imperious visage, riding a Simplex around the parking lot
Most 'CB' Hondas are now accepted into the AMCA under the 35 year rule...
We're off!!  More Hondas, this time a rare (for the US) 'Black Bomber' CB450 in original paint
Crossing the 3rd St drawbridge, right beside the Giants' baseball stadium downtown

Beside the ballpark...
Heading along the Embarcadero, towards the Bay Bridge
This youngster was excited to see all the bikes ride by, and eager to be included by the SF Piers
The old Fire Station on the Embarcadero 
The Ferry Building, which is now a shrine to fine foods
From left: Coit Tower, an 'F' Line vintage streetcar, a lovely Sunbeam with wicker sidecar, and the Piers where the America's Cup sailing races were recently centered
Max Schaaf of 4Q Conditioning and his custom Knucklehead 
Yes, SF has hills; this is the climb up Lombard St.
Mid-Lombard St descent, down a one-way brick road.  Not 'the crookedest street in SF', but picturesque
Kim Young with daughter Sirisvati on the back, heading downhill towards Alcatraz
A nice AJS Model 16 at the Marina
A Whizzer, the smallest machine on the ride, near the Golden Gate Bridge
A hot Puch Grand Prix and BSA A10 Road Rocket
Mondial 175 and Yam SR500...
The 900SS riding through the Presidio, towards Baker Beach and the Seacliff neighborhood
The BSA Road Rocket passes before the Palace of the Legion of Honor, a replica of the one in Paris
Akiko recently bought her Honda Dream after getting her license a year ago - this was her first Vintage ride!  Hope you dug it!
Paul Zell on his home-built NorVin, at the Cliff House
Beside the Cliff House, with Ocean Beach beyond
Rick Najera on his Knucklehead Bobber, in front of the Beach Chalet in Golden Gate Park
Heading south on the Great Highway along Ocean Beach
A Harley/Aermacchi Sprint SS350
A full-dress Moto Guzzi Ambassador in Golden Gate Park
An ex-Military Indian Chief
'Indian' Rick deCost
Guiding my Triumph Bonneville through familiar turf
Charlie Taylor and his Matchless Model X beside Laguna Honda reservoir
Atop Twin Peaks; a young lad is hooked!
Pete and Kim Young looking over SF from Twin Peaks
Blaise Descollanges on top of the world
Lovely Zundapp K700 and Nimbus outfit
Twin Peaks is ripe for a bit of scratching; no cars, nice bends
Heading down Twin Peaks towards downtown
The end of the day, back at the Bayview Boat Club, Steve Brindmore and Roland Batterscher
...and back to Bayview, with Ana and Katie at the BBQ


THE 1929 TT EX-WORKS SCOTTS

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WX179, the '29 TT Scott I found 10 years ago (and featured on TheVintagent.com in 2007), as photographed by the factory before the TT
Ten years ago, while following up an ad for a c.1926 Sprint Sunbeam, I found the 'Beam had gone, but the vendor had the remains of a 1929 ex-Factory racing Scott TT machine, which still bore its original registration from the race - 'WX179'.  As one isn't offered the chance to buy a Vintage-era TT motorcycle very often, I jumped at the chance, and had the bike shipped to a Scott expert in, where else, Scotland.  That the bike was never restored and eventually sold on is another story, but I did a little research on Scott's racing efforts of the period; the Yorkshire factory made significant efforts to win the TT long after their initial victories back in 1912 / '13, when its water-cooled two-stroke twin-cylinder 2-speeders were about the most advanced racer on the track.  Scott's greatest weakness was cooling; even with a capacious radiator, the lack of a water pump meant sustained high speed work was tough on the 'deflector' piston engines, and in fact Scott was the one 'important' British factory which never captured a Gold Star for a 100mph lap at Brooklands.
The Real Deal; a completely original condition, ex-Factory TT Scott, as owned and ridden by Phil Vare, for sale at Bonhams Stafford, April 27th
Still, a Vintage TT Scott is a remarkable machine, with peerless handling and an excellent turn of speed.  To find one in completely original condition, with only 3 owners from new (including the man who raced it at the TT, Phil Vare), is wholly remarkable.  Bonhams has this 1929 ex-Phil Vare factory TT Scott coming at for its April 27th Stafford auction, and I'll rely on their account to describe the machine itself:
Phil Vare rounding a hairpin on the Isle of Man TT course in 1929
"Yorkshire's Scott concern had a long and honourable history in both the Isle of Man TT races and on shorter circuits. Their TT participation started in 1909, in the era when two-strokes were held to have a power advantage over other machines, the ACU insisting that two-strokes were rated at 1.25 of a four-stroke's cylinder capacity and water-cooled ones - there was only the Scott - at 1.32! This rule was dropped in 1911 and in 1912 and 1913 Scott won, having, by 1914, made fastest lap in the first four 'mountain' races. 
Vare passing through town during the '29 TT
In 1929, Scott fielded six riders on completely re-worked racers with distinctive frames and running-gear and much more powerful engines. Owing to the late arrival of the machines, the Scott riders had to practise on earlier bikes or their own machines. P A E (Phil) Vare qualified on his own 1928 'TT Replica' Scott, with only brief rides on a Works machine before the race. All six started, but five went out, Vare being the last to go on the final lap. After a fall at Quarter Bridge damaged his twist grip he used the cut-out button when changing gear. This caused the holed piston that forced his retirement. Only Tommy Hatch finished, coming thirteenth in the race. 
The other side of the very special factory racing Scott; note 'TT side' oil filler with quick-action cap
What makes '7M' so unique a works Scott is that, after the race, Phil Vare negotiated a deal with the cash-strapped factory, in which his 'Replica' Scott was part-exchanged for the repaired '7M', which, when taken home to Norwich, was registered as VF 6543. Riding again for Scott in 1930, Vare rode the Senior TT on a spare '29 machine - retiring again with piston trouble - the supplied 'works' bikes being the 'vertical' Scott twins, described by him as 'un-rideable' 
Yes, a two-stroke with an oil pump!  Scotts don't use premix, but have a measured drip feed to the big ends.  Note drilled lower frame forging, and 'TT3' engine number
Phil Vare kept VF 6543 for some years, riding it at short-circuit events until selling it on when he was a Scott agent. Amazingly, it has had only three owners, the third, the vendor, acquiring it in the early '60s from the second owner Mr J F H Roberts (of Brentwood, Essex). Very commendably, and fully realising what a unique Scott he had, the vendor resisted the temptation to do a cosmetic restoration, restricting work to mechanical reconditioning, or the careful replacement of missing parts with period replacements, such as the '600' cylinder block now fitted ( a contemporary blind-head '500' block and pistons are amongst the spares offered with the lot). The engine has never run, nor has the machine been ridden in his ownership and thus re-commissioning will be required. 
The modified Velocette gearbox, as used by Scotts for years, here marked 'TT8'
Trophy winner at the 2012 Scott Abbotsholme Rally, and most emphatically not a racer 'reconstructed from parts' but an arguably unique, original and beautiful reminder of that pre-war era, VF 6543 comes with not only a V5 and old style continuation log-book but many papers relating to its history and copies of period photographs as well as detailed autographed letters from the late Phil Vare containing important details of this racer's - and Scott's - TT history."
A smiling Phil Vare in what look like Lewis Leathers racing kit, on his factory racing Scott.
I'm often asked what motorcycles are the most collectible, and I'd say this machine ticks almost all the boxes...except it isn't a big V-twin.  It will take a little more imagination to appreciate how truly exceptional it is to find an original-paint 1920s racer with full documentation and history from new; you simply can't do better.

BROUGH SUPERIOR TO CONQUER THE CANNONBALL...

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Motorcycle Cannonball writer Rebecca West recently interviewed me for thoughts on the September 2014 event, in which I'll ride Bryan Bossier's 1933 Brough Superior 11-50 across the USA from Daytona to Tacoma, in a team with Alan Stulberg of Austin's Revival Cycles.  I have a curious mix of dread and anticipation for the event; it's truly an endurance rally, 17 days of 320+ mile rides, a rigorous up-before-dawn schedule, and timed checkpoints at least twice daily.  Any maintenance needs to be done after the day's ride...and before the next!

Here's the interview; check out the Motorcycle Cannonball website here:

"On September 5, the Motorcycle Cannonball will be welcoming back another familiar face to the endurance run in the form of Paul d’Orleans. For anyone involved in 2012’s event, you probably remember Paul and his small but extraordinarily quick 1928 350cc Velocette in the Class 1 Division — that and his chronicling of the journey through tintype photography, but we’ll get into that later. If you’ve never met him, he’s the motorcycle aficionado behind The Vintagent and a respected consultant for Bonhams who splits his time between New York, San Francisco, and Paris. This year, he’ll be riding a 1933 Brough Superior 11-50 courtesy of owner Bryan Bossier of Sinless Cycles. In stark contrast to the little Velocette back in 2012, this particular bike is the largest model in the Brough production lineup and boasts a sidevalve v-twin JAP engine featuring a 60-degree configuration that Paul claims to be very smooth.
Having gotten into the antique motorcycle scene well ahead of the curve, he loves Broughs and has owned many over the years. He views these beautiful, old British motorcycles as grand touring machines along the same vein as Harley or other American touring bikes. Ironically enough, by his own admission, he’s not a touring kind of guy, though. Like the seductive sounds of Calypso’s siren song, racing is what actually calls to him. It speaks to his soul and is his true passion in motorcycling.
We were fortunate enough to catch up with Paul in between his busy schedule (he’s in the process of publishing his third book in the last year!) in mid March regarding the upcoming event, the bike itself, the team he’s assembled, and their efforts to put a Brough Superior across the continent this fall. All in all, this multifaceted individual seems pretty confident at the prospects for success and what lies ahead.
Q: In regards to a Brough Superior making a transcontinental run, to your knowledge, has it ever been done before?
A: I don’t think so, at least not in modern times. I think this is the first time anybody’s done it, or at least tried — but we haven’t done it yet (laughter).
Q: Bearing that in mind, I guess the $64,000 question is: will it make it?
A: I do. I really do. I think we’re going to take it easy. The bike’s a little bit of an unknown quantity, because I know more about its history from when it lived in England than America. But I’ve been in touch with some of the people who worked on it back in England for the preparation of its more recent sale, along with my riding partner and the man who will be doing most of the preparation — who is certainly a capable mechanic — and we’ll be bringing the right spares and hoping to make it all the way through this time. It’s a strong bike.
Q: Will it be a challenge for the mechanics?
A: It’s so unpredictable. Some of the other folks who really didn’t have many problems in the past on the run have spent years developing these motorcycles. We’re basically taking an old motorcycle. It’s pretty much as it is — which may seem foolish in light of previous experience (more laughter) but, you know, we’ll just see how it goes. It really is the only luxury motorcycle intact in the event and definitely the only Brough.
Q: What's special about this model?
A: This was considered the most robust of the Broughs. It was used a lot by police forces in England, Canada, and in South America. It was actually a surprisingly fast sidevalve that would do 100 mph, but it was always intended as more of a sports tourer and not like a full house racing machine. Interestingly, it was also George Brough’s favorite motorcycle back in the 1930s. This was probably due in large part to the point he was at in his life.
Q: Any weaknesses or drawbacks?
A: Weaknesses of the bike include the timing side bush on the crankshaft, which drives the dyno. That bush is known to be slightly weak, so we’ll need to keep an eye on that. But otherwise the frame, the forks, the wheels, and the brakes are good. The gearboxes are standard. It’s basically the same gearbox as on a Norton Commando. It’s a good, strong bike. Broughs aren’t exactly known for their handling (limited cornering clearance), but it’s just a matter of getting used to it. It’s nothing dangerous.
Q: Speaking of brakes on old bikes, have you ridden this on any steep grades or inclines yet?
A: Actually, I haven’t been on this particular bike yet.
Q: Seriously?
A: Yes.
Q: I can only assume you’ll be remedying that soon . . .
A: Oh, absolutely. I just haven’t gotten round to it yet because it’s currently in Austin and I’m looking at a May deadline on my last book, but I’m not too worried about it. I’m going to be going to Austin probably during the summer to hang out with it.
Q: Who’s your team comprised of?
A: Bryan Bossier, the very generous owner of the bike I’ll be riding who lives in Baton Rouge, LA, should be along at some point; Alan Stulberg of Revival Cycles in Austin, TX, who is my riding partner and who will be bringing his No. 1 mechanic along; and Susan McLaughlin, who is my photography and life partner. I want to express my extreme gratitude to all of them, especially Bryan for the loan of the motorcycle. It’s pretty amazing when you think of it.
Besides being a rider with a need for speed and a self-professed flea market junkie, Paul’s also into tintype photography, as mentioned earlier. The tintype process was patented by Hamilton L. Smith back in 1856. A cheap process used mainly by beach photographers and other itinerant lensmen, it was also commonly used during the Civil War by photographers following the military encampments and early Western explorers. He was introduced to it two years ago by his paramour, Susan McLaughlin, who is an alternative process photographer, and he’s been smitten with both ever since.
Much like old bikes, the thing Paul loves about tintype is he doesn’t feel like it’s an obsolete process. He considers it a photo process that has a lot of character; it takes a lot of attention and the same kind of interest and dedication and love that it takes to get the best out of an old motorcycle. It’s a very natural relationship for him because, as he says, he’s already got something very much like that in his life with his strong connection to old bikes. The process is very unpredictable, which is surely akin to riding antique motorcycles, and a real draw for him.
This year, as in 2012, they’ll be using a mobile darkroom on the road with all kinds of temperature and altitude variants beyond their immediate control, which makes it all the more exciting in his view. If you’re not familiar with tintype, check out Paul and Susan’s latest joint endeavor at MotoTintype.com where you can visit several galleries consisting of their amazing work. Though all of the galleries are visually arresting and capture the viewer’s imagination, the Cannonball and Bonneville pix will be of particular interest to riders in this event. The love and enthusiasm brought to these intriguing images can only be matched by Paul’s love and enthusiasm for living life full speed ahead. We wish him and his entire team the best of luck in 2014."

A FIELD GUIDE TO CHOCOLATE RABBITS

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The rakish machine over which this rabbit hunches is mechanically somewhere between a Neander and a post-1930 BMW; with a clearly a riveted pressed-steel chassis.  The low-slung cylinder head and exhaust suggests a BMW R11
Among the various sweet charms of the Easter holiday is the tradition of giving/eating molded chocolate bunnies, along with various eggs and candies in this thinly veiled Springtime festival of copulation and the renewal of leaves and greenery in the northern hemisphere.  Of course, we like our bunnies best who ride motorcycles, and the finest chocolate houses seem to understand this, providing a variety of surprisingly vintage-looking choco-moto confections.
Even more exotic - this rabbit couple is riding a c.1921 Mars, the luxurious German 1000cc fore-and-aft flat twin
It would seem the world's stock of metal chocolate molds was created in the 1920s and 30s, as almost all the motorcycles can be identified from that period.  Certainly, few chocolatiers knew a Mars from a BMW or DKW by the 1960s, but they've carried on making the same moto-bunnies for decades hence, using vintage molds, or new ones based on the old patterns.  A less-than-comprehensive Google search for 'chocolate motorcycle bunnies' yielded these familiar creatures, all of which are charming, and hopefully as nice to eat as they are to look at.
This speedy devil rides a late 1930s DKW two-stroke, with its easily identifiable timing cover (for an electric starter) and pressed-steel frame and forks.  Note the clear chain drive and slant of the cylinder.

I couldn't find the engine-side shot of this Bunny family sidecar outfit, but have eaten them in years past - the machine is an c.1920 American V-twin with acetylene lighting, and 5 babies peering out from the chair...
The Easter Bunny on a scooter is another popular theme, which of course dates back to the 1950s, as does this Teutonic looking machine.  Perhaps a Fuji Rabbit scooter?
This is the raw pressing for a two-part choco-bunny mold, and the machine looks like another Germanic mid-1920s two-stroke, a typical family lightweight common in the period, with girder forks and a rigid rear end.  How popular would a nice 1960s Triumph Bonneville prove, with a rabbit retinue?  Are there any cafe racing chocolatiers out there?

STAFFORD SALE HIGHLIGHTS

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The twice-annual Bonhams sale at the enormous Stafford motorcycle show is always a bellweather auction, big enough, and with enough variety of machinery, to give a true indication of how the collector's motorcycle market is behaving.  Coming 5 months after the world's largest vintage bike sale by Bonhams and MidAmerica at Las Vegas, Stafford always brings out some of the best machines in the world, and thus sees some of the highest prices paid for motorcycles, anywhere. This year's roster of top Stafford sales is an interesting list, with a few unexpected names popping over the $100k mark, but I'll take the big fish in order.
One for the Vintagent's 'Top 20' auction sales, displacing...yet another SS100 for the #6 spot of Most Expensive Motorcycles in the World...
The top of the list is, as usual, a Brough Superior SS100, in this case a 1939 MX-engined model, which normally don't top price lists, being considered less collectible than the JAP-engined SS100s of the '20s and early '30s, when they could genuinely lay claim to being the fastest motorcycles in the world.  When George Brough grew fed up with his racing JAP engine's lack of development for a road-worthy motorcycle by 1934, he began using the more civilized 990cc engines from AMC, in both sidevalve (SS80) and OHV configurations (SS100).  This particular machine broke the boundaries for an MX100, being formerly the personal property of George Brough himself...and if you're going to spend a wad on a Brough Superior, you might as well buy George's!  It sold for £253,500  ($426,100).  That places it on the #6 spot of my 'Top 20' most expensive motorcycles in the world...at auction anyway.  After speaking with the new owner, I was assured he was prepared to pay 'much more' for a bike George was documented as having ridden and competed in the Edinburgh Trial upon.  So there's room for more growth at the top, but it will take more than one arch-enthusiast to get there...
Surprise of the day; a low mileage MV Agusta 750S 
Second billing goes, surprisingly, to a 1972 MV Agusta 750S, in lovely low-mileage condition (6500 miles on the clock).  Selling for a whopping £85,500 ($143,713), which is about double what I considered the going rate, the MV 750s have always seemed more collectible than rideable, as they're plenty common in people's living rooms, but not so much on the road... that's my personal 30-year survey.  They're undeniably gorgeous, and I've ridden a couple...but I think a Ducati 900SS is a better bike - faster and more nimble.  Ducati didn't win 63 World Championships with exotic 4-cylinder DOHC racers, though...so the MV wins as the stuff of dreams.
Original-paint 1914 Henderson...and my, how 100 years gives a beating to a paint job
Next up is a genuine rarity; an original paint 1914 Henderson 4-cylinder, which sold for £79,900 ($134,300).  The early 'long frame' Henderson is one of the most coveted of American motorcycles, considered a two-wheeled Deusenberg, being durable, fast, and very beautiful.  This particular machine was originally imported to Oslo, Norway, and clearly stored well.  This price reflects what it would likely fetch in the USA.
Very nice Series C Vincent Black Shadow
This 1953 Vincent Series C Black Shadow sold for £70,940 ($119,240), which is pretty much the global price for an immaculate 'C' Shadow.  This machine was originally sold to the Indian Sales Corp in San Francisco, and I wish I'd found it there!
The ultra-rare Bimota HB-1, one of 9 kits sold
The first of my 'also rans' in the 'I need to spend more than $100grand or I can't go home' category is a surprise: the first Honda-Bimota teamup, the HB-1 of 1975, Bimota's very first model, and one of only ten built between the first prototype Honda-based Bimota racer, and this machine in 1975.  Nine were sold as kits only, including this one, as Bimota weren't interested in selling complete road machines at the time (and sadly, are no longer doing thus today).  This HB-1 has an engine pumped up to 970cc, and I'm sure it still flies, although I doubt it will see much café racer time on the streets, having just been purchased for £57,500 ($96,650).
An all original 1939 Brough Superior SS80 with petrol tube sidecar
The last of the big sellers was another Brough Superior, this time a late SS80 with AMC engine and a Brough petrol-tube sidecar, as originally specified.  It's believed this machine is all original, and is in lovely shape.  It sold for £55,200 ($92,783).
If you needed an Ugly, er, Egli-Vincent, this one with new crankcases could have been yours for a bid over $33,827...
Lest you think it was all crazy money at Stafford, a perusal of the catalog shows the vast majority of machines sold were affordable, and some were downright cheap.  Just don't expect to find a big British twin for easy money nowadays - not even a Hesketh...

By the way, the 1929 Ex-Works TT Scott I featured a few weeks ago sold for £31,050 ($52,300).

THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE MOTORCYCLE

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The 1910 Winchester, formerly on display at the Cody Firearms Museum sold for $580,000
According to The Star (of DeKalb County, Indiana), the world's most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction passed discreetly under our noses on September 9th, 2013, at the second annual Auburn sale of new auction company Worldwide Auctioneers. A 1910 Winchester sold for $580,000, with a second machine from 1909 'failing to sell' with a bid of $520,000.  I've spoken with the former owner of the 1910 Winchester, who consigned the bike with Worldwide, who confirmed he'd sold his 1910 machine for $580,000 last September, and is still interested in selling his 1909 Winchester, if you're interested, and can meet the new price.
A rare Winchester enameled metal sign from 1909
Winchester is a legendary name in American guns, and for a very short while (1909-11) assembled motorcycles under its badge, using single-cylinder Marsh-Metz engines.  The Winchester was clutchless with a flat belt direct-drive, and a total-loss battery ignition; motorcycling at its most basic, yet still selling for a very expensive $160.  Apparently around 200 Winchesters were produced under contract by the Edwin F Merry company in San Francisco, which is still in business as a bicycle wholesaler; the Merry company sold motorcycle and automobile parts and accessories, according to their company history.
The Edwin.F.Merry company in the 1920s - founder Edwin is on the far right
This confirmed sale puts the $580,000 1910 Winchester at the #1 position of my 'Top 20' most expensive motorcycles list, finally displacing the hybrid 1915 Cyclone which sold for $520,000 back in 2008.  I was present (and emceeing) that MidAmerica auction, but the Winchester went completely under my radar, until today.
The 1910 Winchester motorcycle, from the legendary arms factory
Gun collectors are known to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the most collectible rifles and shotguns or historic pistols, and an arch-enthusiast of the Winchester gun factory could conceivably have paid the price of a very fancy shotgun to have something a little different in their gun room...





8-VALVES FOR THE ROAD

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A lusty 1000cc V-twin from 1924, with 8 valves up top, in an Anglo-American hybrid
It was clear from the earliest days of 4-stroke engine design that multiple valves in a cylinder head had clear advantages over just two; the valves themselves would be lighter, making an easier life for valve train components and valves less likely to break.  It's also possible to move more air through two (or more) small valves than one big one, as the total surface area of multi-valves could be larger than a single valve port, without risking a crack across the cylinder head from a weak structure with one mighty hole.
The granddaddy of all 8-Valve motorcycles, the 1914 Peugeot 500M 500cc parallel-twin 8-V DOHC racer (see story here)
Thus, in the 'Teens and '20s a lot of factories experimented with 4-valve single cylinder or '8-valve' V-twins, especially in the racing world.  Indian was first with an 8-v twin racer in 1912, followed soon after by H-D, while across the pond, Triumph and Rudge were building 4-valve single-cylinder bikes, while Anzani had an 8-v twin.
1924 McEvoy 8-V V-twin racer with Anzani engine, as seen at Vintage-Revival Montlhery in 2013 (see story here)
Today, original 8-valve V-twins from the Vintage era are pretty near the top of the collectible heap, but lovers of performance, and hot-rod Vintage motorcycles, still experiment with installing modern reproduction 8-v cylinder heads onto 'J' series Harley crankcases (as per my post on Harry Hacker's Harleys), and the same with Indian products.  A few have experimented with Rudge 4-v cylinder heads atop JAP crankcases, which sounds fun too, although all these experiment suffer from the same afflictions of the original 1920s designs; inadequate top-end lubrication, and a strain on components due to a sudden and significant increase in power!
One of Harry Hacker's compelling experiments adding a pair or reproduction 8-V cylinder heads to a Harley JD bottom end. (see story here)
In their experiments, today's tinkerers are hardly alone, nor are they the first garagistes to DIY an 8-v engine.  Way back in 1924, it seems the Excelsior importer for Belgium, a Mr Taymans, decided to fit a pair of Triumph 'Ricardo' 4-v cylinder barrels and heads atop an American Excelsior V-twin, making a very handsome road-going OHV roadster, the 'American-Excelsior-Triumph'.  According to the Motor Cycle magazine, he built several of these beasts, although this article is the only evidence I've seen of one...have any survived?

From 'The Motor Cycle', July 24th, 1924:

"AMERICAN-EXCELSIOR-TRIUMPH
An American V-twin Fitted with British Four-valve Cylinders

Something new in ‘hybrids’ has been evolved by Mr. R. Taymans, a well-known motor cyclist and motor cycle agent of Brussels.
Agent for the American Excelsior, he has a great admiration for the strength, rigidity, and excellent steering qualities of this machine; he has also an equal admiration for the productions of Britain.  So he has manufactured an eight-valve American Excelsior, employing two four-valve 500cc Triumph cylinders adapted to the Excelsior crank case.
A Triumph Ricardo with 4-valve cylinder head, produced from 1921-28
Standard Parts.

With the exception of a slight alteration in the cams to produce greater efficiency, entirely standard parts are used, and the only structural alteration has been the dropping of the engine almost two inches in the frame.  The standard Schebler carburetor is fitted, and with it the machine will do 78mph; this is increased to 82mph with a three-jet Binks.

According to the constructor, the acceleration is terrific.  Altogether, the machine has been on the road for a full year, and with a sidecar.  It is not purely an experimental machine, but is actually on the market, many of them having already been sold all over the continent of Europe. Complete with electrical equipment, the machine is priced at £132.  Mr. Tayman’s firm is Taymans Fréres, 641, Chausée de Waterloo, Brussels, Belgium. "
A much later Triumph with 8-V cylinder heads - the prototype for the TSX model, with special Weslake cylinder heads...a parallel twin like the 1914 Peugeot, but even 60 years later, the French machine's DOHC spec was too advanced for Triumph!  (read more here)
A pair of c.1912 Indian 8-V cylinder heads, offered on eBay of all places, several years ago (read the story here).
A 1929 Harley DAR 8-valve racer from the Wheels Thru Time Museum, seen at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2010 (read more here)

1978: WHAT WERE THEY WORTH?

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George Disteel late in his life, using 'duct tape' as an eyepatch to help him see despite cataracts
An old friend forwarded a pair of newspaper clippings from a 1978 auction, held by Butterfield+Butterfield auctioneers of San Francisco (now absorbed into Bonhams), of the various contents from the estate of noted Bay Area eccentric 'Crazy' George Disteel.  I've written previously about Disteel, but hadn't seen the prices fetched by his motorcycles at the auction -it makes fascinating reading, and sheds light on how the priorities of the motorcycle collector market have shifted in the 35 years.
The San Francisco Chronicle article of Jan 26, 1978, with a story of George Disteel's estate auction...
If I were to ask a savvy classic motorcycle fan today, which was the more valuable, a Vincent Black Shadow, a Norton International, or a Moto Guzzi Falcone?  The answer would likely be in that order, that 'of course' a Shadow is among the most coveted of vintage motorcycles, and anyone who's been reading the classic press the past 30 years could explain exactly why - the speed records, the exploits of Marty Dickerson and Rollie Free and George Brown, the Phil Irving connection, all of which seems correct and natural today.  But history is a mutually agreed-upon construction (or disagreed upon!), a narrative which suits the needs of the present.  And at present, we apparently need the Vincent Black Shadow as top dog, with consequent demand and bidding wars at auction pushing prices over $120k for decent examples.
The Butterfield+Butterfield auction list and results for George Disteel's estate
In 1978, though, collectors felt the three machines - Vincent, Norton, and Guzzi - were of equal value - $1550 - at least in that California auction room.  As someone who entered the 'classic bike' scene just a few years later, I concur that in the early '80s, a Moto Guzzi Falcone was a rare exotic in the USA, highly esteemed for the quality of its build and innovative design.  Moto Guzzi, the only factory of the 3 still in business at that date (Norton was limping along in limbo, and Vincent gone since 1955) had a far better reputation for the quality of their castings and machine work than either British brand, and Norton OHC singles bathed in the glory of decades of racing success of their racing brother, the Manx.  I can confirm that both an Inter and a Falcone were every bit as desirable as a Shadow until the current generation.
The 1965 Cycle World road test of a Vincent Black Lightning - 'an evil-handling beast'
Vincent twins had a reputation in the USA for excellent top speed potential, but frightening handling, the legacy of a profoundly negative Cycle World road test of a Black Lightning in their Sept.1965 issue.  In fact, the tester said, "The Vincent motorcycle may be fast, but it is an evil-handling beast, with simply awful brakes. It is the most dangerous motorcycle ever to come our way, and we are not sorry in the least that it is no longer being made." Which is a far cry from their current reputation!  (By contrast, I've road tested a 1950 Vincent Black Lightning, and found it absolutely fantastic, with excellent handling, and a thrill to ride).

Using an 'inflation calculator', $1550 in 1978 dollars equals around $5800 in 2014, a 275% inflation over 36 years.  What would can we expect to pay today for these machines?  While I can't account for the condition of Disteel's bikes (they're still around of course, I know of several in the SF Bay Area still), here's what you'll have to pay for really good examples of each machine:


- H+H sold a 1950 Norton Model 30 International for $33,900 in April 3013 (courtesy theFuelist.com)

35 years later, the Vincent is valued by collectors at 4 times the value of the Norton and Moto Guzzi, a situation which would have puzzled collectors in 1978, who would have pooh-poohed the notion of the flawed Vincent twin having more value than the race-bred Norton and high-quality Moto Guzzi.  Food for thought; today's values are exactly that, and not an indication of tomorrow's values...

'NOT SO EASY'

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The fantastic '70s title drawing of 'Not So Easy' (1973)
For the past 6 months I've been intensively researching the history of choppers for my upcoming book 'Chopper: the True Story', with the publisher Gestalten, for whom I wrote 'The Ride' in association with Chris Hunter, Gary Inman, and Dave Edwards.  'The Ride' is still the #1 motorcycle book on Amazon.com, and 40,000 copies are in print...let's hope 'Chopper: the True Story' will be as successful!
Evel Knievel was under contract with Harley-Davidson in 1973, so H-D's permission was required to film him at his Anaheim stadium jump in 1973.  Here Cliff Vaughs pats Evel on the back, as he tests the ramp, and his Sportster, the day before the big jump
One of my research projects was to dig a little deeper into the story behind 'Easy Rider', and specifically the creation of the 'Captain America' and 'Billy' choppers.  I've reported previously that it was the combination of Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy which produced these machines, and spending time with Cliff last week, plus interviews with others who were witnesses to the building of the bikes, has actually deepened the mystery for me, rather than clarifying the story!  This will all be explained in the book...  I've certainly learned a lot more about the importance of black and Latino influences on the creation of the motorcycle style we call chopper from my research, and the relationship of hot rod/custom culture to the evolution from the bob-job to the chopper.
Cliff's wife Wendy Vaughs rides an Aermacchi/Harley two stroke in an evasive move
After discovering that the last remaining 'Captain America' chopper now resides in the Los Angeles area (previously it was on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa), it seemed appropriate to reunite Cliff Vaughs with the motorcycle he organized for 'Easy Rider'.  That reunion happened last week in Los Angeles, and the story will be published in print around the time 'Chopper' is published in September (sorry to make you wait, but it's worth it, and part of the deal I worked out with Gestalten).
Luckily, Evel's jump was a success, and Vaughs' shot of him airborne, in slow motion, is a thing of beauty
Cliff Vaughs continued his relationship with Peter Fonda after after 'Easy Rider' was finished, and in 1973 Vaughs directed 'Not So Easy', a motorcycle safety film featuring Fonda and Evel Kneivel, as well as Cliff and his then-wife Wendy as rider/examples in the film.  Harley-Davidson provided an example of each bike in their range for the film, from Aermacchi two-strokes to big twin, all of which are used.
Peter Fonda addresses the audience at the beginning and end of the film, in his usual laconic style
Pat de Turk, Vaughs' house-mate at the time, recalls: "In 1974, I found myself living with Cliff again in Venice, where he had a huge collection of new Harley Davidsons in his backyard.  I worked with (assisted) him on the making of "It's Not So Easy", his motorcycle safety film. I was with the filming of Fonda, Knievel, Billy Smith, and Otis Young (Cliff told me he cut Otis's scene). Then I once took out one of the full dress hogs for a ride, and then watched as over the next few weeks/months all the bikes just seemed to disappear."
Cliff Vaughs riding on the Pacific Coast Highway during 'Not So Easy'
'Not So Easy' disappeared from the 'Net a few years ago, but has reappeared via a 'safety film' website: it's a fabulous period piece, and the title logo alone deserves some kind of award for '70s chopperland coolness. Stay tuned for more news of my 'Chopper' book.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

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Like building models?  How about 1/1 scale?  Bonhams is having a blowout kit sale at their 'Banbury Oxford' auction June 7th; full-scale motorcycle models for the home hobbyist who's ready for some table-top assembly.  Bring your own glue and paint bottles.  As these kits are pre-opened, some parts may have gone missing in the hands of careless children.  The original boxes and instruction sheets are missing, but you're clever, and can sort that out, right?   Here's the selection:
The model-maker's dream; a 1928/31 Brough Superior 680.  With a home nickel-plating kit, and some ingenuity, you could join the oh-so-exclusive ranks of the Superiori...
For maximum slogging power, how about a 577cc 1928 Ariel Model B sidevalver?
Off-roaders and retro '13 Rebels' re-enactors will love this 1952 AJS Model 18S, the original 'Wild One' 
For those plotting evil or ready for a caped adventure, the sinister 1955 Vincent Black Prince makes a perfect project for your bat cave or mad scientist's lab...
Perhaps tweed jackets and a briar pipe are more your style?  How about a 1952 Vincent Series C Rapide?
For something Britxotic, how about Edward Turner's original OHC edition of the venerable Ariel Square 4?  This is (or will be) the 1934 600cc version...
Go Flat Tank, or go home!  You can join the ranks of true Vintagents with this 1928 AJS K7 'Big Port, a venerable sporting mount from the age of the 'fast bicycle'...

SECOND ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE FILM FESTIVAL

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Fantastic poster art for MFF#2 by Lorenzo Eroticolor
After the great success of last year's inaugural Motorcycle Film Festival in Brooklyn, plans are well underway for this year's Festival, happening September 24-27th at our new venue The Gutter in Brooklyn.  Last year the MFF sneakily premiered the global sensation 'Why We Ride', and showed an impressive array of feature narrative and documentary films, plus short films as openers, at 3 different venues in Brooklyn.  This year, with a single venue, it will be much easier to see (read:find) the films screened, and we've already had dozens of submissions, but are still looking for more!  We know there are some motorcycle-related films out there débuting before or in September, and we'd like to show them.
MFF founders Jack Drury and Corinna Mantlo flanked by yours truly and JP of the Selvedge Yard
Our judging panel has grown this year to accommodate the larger number of submissions, and includes a lot of esteemed names in the motorcycle/film world, including filmmakers Ultan Guilfoyle (curator of the 'Art of the Motorcycle'Guggenheim exhibit), Peter Starr (maker of over 40 films including 'Take it to the Limit'), Amos Poe (seminal no-wave maker of 'The Blank Generation'), Eric Ristau (Best of the MFF winner last year with 'Best Bar in America'); motorcycle artists Shinya Kimura (Chabott Engineering), Roland Sands (Roland Sands Design), and Paul Cox (Paul Cox Industries); plus moto-culture fixtures John Patrick (The Selvedge Yard), Stacie B London (East Side Moto Babes), Paul d'Orléans (The Vintagent), and Chris Logsdon (The Shop Brooklyn).  Film submissions are in excellent hands, and every entry will be judged on its merits.
A nice story from Cafe Racer Italia on MFF#1
With rapidly approaching due dates, and a flood of submissions from abroad (hey American filmmakers...what you got?!), the MFF is now accepting submissions online, to expanding the possiblities for more films to be submitted, quickly.  Here are the submission rules:
  1. All standard submission rules still apply. That means a submission still needs to be a Quicktime (.mov) file, compressed at H.264/AVC, to 1920x1080 resolution. 8-10mbps preferred, no less than 6 please
  2. We still need your submission form included in the submission
  3. We also need still photos from the film and, if possible a promo poster or image and a high def of the filmmaker/s. All less than 1500px in their largest dimension please?
  4. All submission fees still apply
  5. ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY JULY 1ST!
How to submit a film electronically:
  1. Please collect all submission materials mentioned above (film, form, pics, etc) and place them into a single .zip or .rar file.
  2. Upload that file to the transfer portal of your choice; for example, Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, Hightail, etc...we don't care how you get it to us as long as it's complete. We can accept FTP transfers but much prefer the other methods.
  3. Email us a link with the title: "MFF Submission [title of film]" to the uploaded submission file.
  4. In your email, please include your name and contact info. It's on the form, but this makes it easier to search our email.
  5. Send your submission fee by Paypal to: motorcyclefilmfestival@gmail.com We can accept payments in other ways including wire transfers, etc. but Paypal is by far the easiest. We are still accepting fees in the mail if that's how you roll. 100% of submission fees are used for operating costs of the festival - cloud storage, hard drives, website maintenance, etc.
See you there!!


EGLI-VINCENT FOR YSL...

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From the YSL L'Homme Sport fragrance campaign featuring Olivier Martinez on a Godet-Egli-Vincent
The new ad campaign for YSL fragrance L'Homme Sport features French actor Olivier Martinez riding a Godet-Egli-Vincent Black Shadow through the Mojave desert just east of Los Angeles. The bike is a Patrick Godet creation (the only officially sanctioned builder of new Fritz Egli frames), and uses fresh-cast engine cases for a capacity of 1330cc, giving around 110hp...which gives stunning performance, especially with an all-up weight of less than 200kg.  While Godet has built and raced Vincents for decades, his series production of complete Godet-Egli-Vincents began in 2006, with financing from his partner, the French singer Florent Pagny.  The new-spec engines can be ordered in various capacities, with the example used in the YSL ad campaign the largest and most powerful street machine offered.
The Godet-Egli-Vincent featured in both the ad campaign and the 'Ton Up!' exhibit at Sturgis
Michael Lichter and I featured this very machine last year in our 'Ton Up!' exhibit at Sturgis, and it garnered plenty of attention with its menacing all-black livery, half-fairing, and upswept Gold Star exhaust pipe.  You can examine the bike in detail in Michael Lichter's stunning photography within our book documenting that show, 'Cafe Racers' (Motorbooks 2014).  The stunning black Godet-Egli is considered by many to be the ultimate vintage café racer, and can be ordered/purchased for less than the cost of a restored 'standard' Vincent Black Shadow these days...I know which one I'd rather have!  But then, I have a café racer heart...
The Godet-Egli-Vincent through the artificial water splash...
In the ad shoot, Olivier Martinez, whom Americans might know as the husband of actress Halle Berry, rides the machine himself with no stunt doubles (as per the Chanel ad campaigns with Kiera Knightly featured previously in The Vintagent), at times through an artificial water ford for dramatic effect.  Enjoy the 'making of' video below, which gives an idea of how much effort/money is required for a simple fragrance ad campaign, which can typically budget $15-20M for a single fragrance... but then, perfume is a hugely profitable, mega-$Billion industry, selling what is basically scented water in a groovy bottle, and needs the romantic associations attached through advertising...
From the 'making of' video (below), the high-dollar photo shoot involved helicopters and dozens of crew
Olivier Martinez and his wife Halle Berry...


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WIN A RIDE ON THE CANNONBALL?

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Only one week left to enter far your chance to win the Cannonball Golden Ticket raffle 
In one week, Matt Olsen, specialist extraordinaire of Harley Knuckleheads (along with his father), will announce the winner of his raffle for an all-expense paid seat aboard his 1936 H-D EL Knucklehead on the 2014 Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Rally.  Called the 'Cannonball Golden Ticket' raffle, the grand prize winner will have full use of Matt's personal Knuck, which has been thoroughly sorted and is extremely reliable.  The winner will also have Matt's services during the rally to keep the bike running well - basically all the winner needs to do is show up at Daytona with a helmet and a motorcycle license on Sep.4th, and go riding for 17 days across the USA, to Tacoma Washington.
Matt Olsen's ultra-reliable 1936 H-D Knucklehead, which some lucky rider will take across the USA with full support, and all expenses paid...
The Cannonball rally filled up its 100 available rider slots within two days of the announcement of the rally dates, and Real Riders from around the world are banging on organizer Lonnie Isam's door in hopes of getting a slot in case of a cancellation...and now the waiting list is as long as the entry list! Put simply, even if you wanted to ride the Cannonball this year, unless you got Lonnie's email blast and responded immediately, you're S.O.L.  The 'Golden Ticket' is the most likely way someone will gain entry on the ride, and what a way to do it - to have the motorcycle, maintenance, and all your expenses (hotels, meals, fuel, even your flight to Daytona from anywhere in the world) paid for if you win the Grand Prize.
Michael Lichter's photo of 2012 Cannonball riders Sean Duggan and Bill Buckingham riding through Wyoming through the Grand Tetons.  The Cannonball is epic, and the toughest vintage motorcycle ride in the world.
Matt Olsen conceived of this idea as the rules of the 2014 Cannonball include motorcycles built before 1937, which means only owners of the first-year model of Harley's first OHV production bike, the model EL Knucklehead, are eligible.  First-year 'Knucks' are incredibly collectible (one sold in Las Vegas earlier this year for over $150k) and rare, and Matt would in any other year simply hop on his bike and go.  But this year, he and wife Britney have a new baby, so Matt decided to participate in the Cannonball in a different way, by offering his bike to a stranger.  He decided a raffle was the only way to recoup the considerable expense of participating in the Cannonball (I estimated the expenses of my 2012 Cannonball at $14,000, plus full month of late night bike rebuilding beforehand), so is selling 'Golden Tickets' for $500 each.  As of this date, less than 15 people have signed up, so the chances of winning are excellent.  And if you think $500 is a lot to spend on a chance for a 3-week vintage motorcycle holiday with all your expenses paid, you shouldn't enter.  I support Matt in keeping the bar high - after all, he's got to spend 3 weeks with a stranger who's riding his bike.  Would you want some random Joe who spent $1 or $20 on an off chance, or someone who Really wants to do the Cannonball, and will risk $500 for the opportunity.  Makes sense to me.
Michael Lichter photo of yours truly blasting my 1928/33 Velocette Mk4 KTT through the Rockies; all the mechanical trouble I experienced was worth 1000 miles of riding like this...
There's a second place winner spot in the raffle too; an all-expense paid trip to Milwaukee for personal tour of the H-D museum and archives, which was donated by the Harley Museum itself. As you can see, Matt has generated a lot of goodwill in the past, and shown his bike-building skills with his 'Born Free 4' winning custom Knucklehead.  He says of the H-D he'll loan out for the Cannonball, "I have owned it for over ten years and ridden it and pushed it to its limits.   It is the oldest Harley Davidson to complete an Iron Butt Run, and the oldest bike to do it with a passenger.  I am comfortable in saying that it is the only bike that will be running the Cannonball in September that has been ridden 24 hours straight and  gone 1100 miles in less that 24 hours. Even though a '36 EL is over 75 years old, it performs like a new bike, and holds up really well.  Whoever wins the Cannonball Golden Ticket will have 2 of the best weeks of their life."
The 'wet plate' print included in every Golden Ticket entry was made by Susan McLaughlin and me (MotoTintype.com) exclusively for Matt Olsen, in support of his Cannonball raffle
All entrants get some groovy swag, including a 'wet plate' print taken by yours truly (with Susan McLaughlin of MotoTintype.com) of a Harley Knucklehead on a dirt road in Marin County.  This shot, and the print, were made exclusively for Matt, to support his generous loan of his personal machine to a stranger, so they can experience the remarkable Motorcycle Cannonball.

Go to the Cannonball Golden Ticket website to enter, and I recommend you do!  It's the ride of a lifetime, and one person out of a small batch of entrants will be very lucky indeed.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT VILLA D'ESTE

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Daniel Kessler on his 1933 Universal-JAP 680 - the 'Swiss Brough' - has a go around the grounds of Villa Erba
Concours d'Elegance are marvelously silly things.  Lining up a bunch of expensive cars and bikes seems at times an exercise in pride (of ownership) and envy (of same), with a dressing of greed (the value bump from a win); deadly sins all.  Owners sweat while judges - and who anointed them? - pronounce 'winners' and 'best of show' over a display of obsolete industrial design.  I was one of those judges at the Concorso di Villa d'Este; so why did I readily accept the inviation? It was equally silly for me to fly to Italy from San Francisco for a long weekend, especially as I was scheduled to fly right back to Europe 10 days later, to show my MotoTintype photography at Wheels+Waves in France.  So again, why do it?
23 hours of this in 4 days...
...but the first view of Lago di Como is always breathtaking
The best concorsi are curated as exhibitions, with much thought given to the classes and categories, which vehicle goes next to the other and the story thus told.  In the best case, the public is enlightened by the mix, discovering connections and influences, observing the movement of history, delivering a few 'aha' moments with the inevitable 'ahh's.  They provide an opportunity to see ultra-rare machinery in the metal, and on the grass, albeit in a no-touch environment, which is understandable but frustrating at times.  Then again, if everyone who so desired was allowed to caress Ernst Henne's original-condition 1929 BMW WR750, it would be worn to a nubbin by now; we all missed our chance to be flying-helmeted Heroic World Record Breakers by not being born in 1900, with prodigious natural riding talent, and in Germany. Henne was the one who did the work, so we must be content to watch; it was the same in '29.
A chance to pose on the 1929 Ernst Henne world-record supercharged BMW, with George Cohen supplying the proper 'flat cap' for period correctness (Henne's streamlined aluminum helmet not being available...)
The concorso in question is sited on one of the world's beauty spots (Lake Como), on the grounds of two fantastic old villas, neighboring Este (for the cars) and Erba (for the bikes), and has a generous benefactor (BMW) who takes care of the details, like building the interesting pavilion for the bikes, plus security, and cars/drivers to get people around, and plane tickets for mugs like me. The organization is excellent, as is the curation of the vehicles, invited according to themes; for 2014 the motorcycles fit categories of 'The Great Gatsby', 'The Elegance of Sidecars', 'First Steps from Japan', 'Sixdays in the Sixties', and 'Top in Class', plus a once-in-a-lifetime display of supercharged World Speed Record motorcycles, who battled each other between 1929 and 1937. That is, when BMW took on the world, and vice-versa, with manufacturers as large as BMW and Gilera or as small as Zenith and OEC building technically brilliant machines. It was the last truly romantic era of pan-European motorcycle speed competition, and between the builder/competitors, the speed wasn't abstract; it was personal.  Seeing those 5 bikes together was reason enough to attend the show, and I was happy to do the 'work' which paid for my ticket.
The lineup of 1929-37 World Speed Record machines; Henne's 1937 BMW streamliner ('Henne's Egg') with the 1937 Gilera Rondine streamliner behind.  The BMW provided Henne's retirement ride, and it held the record for 15 years, until broken by competitor NSU.
A four-day trip to Italy leaves no time for jetlag, and I arrived Friday morning for a judge's meeting with my esteemed comrades at Villa Erba, headed up by the immortal Carlo Perelli (and here's hoping - he started working for Motociclismo in 1947!), with English journalist Mick Duckworth, BMW's head of moto-design Edgar Heinrichs, French journalist Francois-Marie Dumas, and Italian TV star Lucca Bizzarri.
Peter Nettesheim demonstrates his 'world's oldest BMW' 1923 R32; an easy starter!
I've judged with Carlo before (this was my 3rd go at the Villa), and knew my other colleagues personally, barring our celebrity judge, who was the only one of us hounded by autograph-seekers.  Our proceedings were overseen by author Stefan Knittel, the mastermind behind the concorso di moto, plus our master of ceremonies Roberto Rasia dal Polo.  After our jury pow-wow, it was cocktail time at Villa d'Este proper, to mingle amongst the beautiful, fabulous, and rich involved with the automobile concorso.  
Edgar Heinrichs,Ola Stenegard, and Stefan Schaller - BMW moto in a nutshell, with their prototype hotrod
It's also BMW's moment to unveil their prototypes for the year; perfectly understandable given they've paid for the venue (and our drinks).  If you've ever hankered for an electric convertible Mini, the little blue cutie which crunched silently up the gravel path was for you. The prototype two-wheeled BMW hotrod which Ola Stenegard and Edgar Heinrich cobbled up in their workshop was equally silent, although it wasn't electric - an aftermarket micro-switch had been left on overnight, and the battery was flat. So much for dramatic flourishes, but the bike looked great, and we got plenty of chance to hear it the next day.
Dinner with friends at Villa d'Este; entrants, judges, and BMW brass...
The motorcycle crowd separated off to a gigantic green chandeliered dining room afterwards, the judges and entrants and BMW's motorcycle design and museum heavyweights.  I had the good fortune to sit beside Stefan Schaller, head of BMW motorrad, who asked my opinion - what did I think BMW should do next?  Ever the diplomat, I replied, in a nutshell, 'Less R&D, more RSD...and where's your electric motorcycle?' I'm not sure he was pleased, but he got what he asked for...
The 1922 Beardmore-Precision with sleeve-valve Barr+Stroud engine (350cc) and full leaf-springing front and rear - plus that fabulous 'trout' sidecar in original condition.  A technically fascinating motorcycle...
Saturday morning was open to the public at Villa Erba (for the first time - and quite a crowd had queued up), while judges scanned the bikes, a less formal process than at other shows.  It's expected all the bikes run, and they do, so there's no moment of tension for owners as 5 guys in blue blazers (the bikies don't wear them, but the car guys do) stand around and watch you work up a sweat.  The focus of this Concorso is 'eleganza' and 'best of theme' with no points system; less subjective than it sounds, and our discussion in the judge's chamber mid-afternoon was enlightening.  In a first for me, it was suggested one bike was 'too shiny' to be a winner, and that a gorgeous Brough SS100 shouldn't win because it isn't American, in the 'Great Gatsby' class (I've been overruled at a show when the chief judge simply assumed a Brough should win for Brough-ness itself, and so it did).
The fabulous 1929 Opel Motoclub with sidecar owned by Matthias Hühn
Sorting through the 'Elegance of Sidecar' class was the most difficult, as they were all brilliant, and a passionate discussion arose regarding the 'fish', a Beardmore-Precision with sleeve-vale Barr+Stroud engine with a trout for a chair!  It was my opinion the sidecar outshone the condition of the bike, which was very badly faux-patinated, but then again, the bike itself was the most technically interesting machine of our judged classes (the watercooled, supercharged, DOHC, four-cylinder Gilera record-breaker wasn't judged...and besides, one already made 'Best in Show').
Another shot of Daniel Kessler with his 1933 Universal-JAP 680 with groovy sports sidecar
Our judge's panel had collectively around 250 years' intensive/professional experience with motorcycles - let that sink in for a moment - and the round-table talk while sorting out winners is the real reason I come here; it's the most stimulating discussion of the year, men (yes, gents only this time) with a lifetime of passionate motorcycle study, discussing bike history, culture, and preservation in a closed room with no interruptions. It's brief (2 hrs max), heady, and I wish it happened more often, because it charges my batteries to be in such a room.  As our professional obligations divert attention through the year - deadlines and events and travel - big shows like Villa d'Este and the late-lamented Legends of the Motorcycle Concours are a magnet for real devotees of motorcycling, and such a private seminar is rare indeed.  We don't need much time as the 'groundwork' is long ago done - just dig into the big questions at hand - and while we don't agree on everything, we all smiled simply to be present in such company.
The fantastic supercharged 1930 Zenith-JAP world record holder, from the 'scandal at Cork'...
Post-judging left time for a free Riva water taxi to Villa d'Este, a breathtaking ride, to check out the car show going full swing. The gravel terraces easily accommodate 52 cars, with a stunning view of the lake to rest the eyes between dazzling show vehicles. There's no crowding, as there's no public entry; it's entrants and professionals only on Saturday for the car show, but on Sunday all the cars are driven to and around the expansive parklands at Villa Erba for the public's pleasure.  While we motorcyclists have a charming purpose-built pavilion in a park, the 'car people' parade slowly through the Villa's outdoor café, amidst hatted ladies and summer-suited gents, potted geraniums, roses, bougainvilleas, mahogany Rivas burbling over the lake; the environment is absurdly lovely, and why the Pebble Beach crowd (and I use the term advisedly) has set its sights on Italy as the better place to go.  Because it is, if you're pockets-deep into the car thing.
The Concorso at Villa d'Este; no bad angles, no bad viewpoints...
Sunday morning the top 3 bikes of each category were lined up on the red carpeted bandstand at Villa Erba, and we judges had a chance at the microphone to explain our thoughts to an audience. The 'silly' part is that, of course, all the bikes entered in the Concorso were worthy of red-carpet treatment, but we had a job to do, and the winners were spectacular.  Our 'Best in Show' was a surprise this year, because it wasn't on the carpet as a category winner - the glorious red-tyred Opel/Neander outfit was ridden up the gravel path at the last minute, a dramatic flourish, which also (truth be told) gave us an extra slot in the winner's circle for the too-good sidecar class.
Dressing the part; the original concept of the Concours d'Elegance was a mix of fashion and vehicles, and Matthias Hühn and his Opel Motoclub hit all the right notes
The remainder of the day was spent milling around the cars which now occupied the grounds of Villa Erba, and, my job done, catching up with far-flung friends. Two 'side exhibits' at the Villa included a Maserati anniversary cluster, and a platform with customized BMW motorcycles (customs at Villa d'Este!), reflecting BMW's foray the past two years into collaborations with various small workshops.  Last year the Roland Sands 'Concept 90' débuted here, and this year a dozen bikes were on show, including 'Sonic Seb's Lucky Cat Garage dustbin sprinter (seen in action at Wheels+Waves) and El Solitario's 'Impostor', which I dubbed 'the world's most hated motorcycle' for an upcoming article in Cycle World, and is more popularly known as the 'flying shopping cart'. BMW was brave to display it (in the far-back corner), although they haven't braved it in their press announcements. Then again, you never know what you'll get back when you hand a bike to Spanish anarcho-artisan David Borras.
Test riding 'the world's most hated motorcycle' and chatting with builder David Borras of El Solitario
That night the car concours announced its winners at a black-tie dinner, with a substantial fireworks display at the end, reflected in the lake's waters.  Bikers aren't invited, so I had a no-tie dinner in Cernobbio with friends, and enjoyed the spectacle from nearby, while soaking in a last bit of Como's magic.
The Riva water-taxi service between the two Villas
I think it's safe to say Villa d'Este has the best programs of any concours - hardback, with separate books for cars and bikes.
The Flash Gordon bodywork of the 1937 Gilera supercharged record-breaker, which did 170.27mph that year on the Brescia-Bergamo autostrada
Pinch me.
Most amusing car was this fabulously lowbrow green '72 Fiat Aster 132 Zagato coupe, complete with a box of 8-track tapes on the passenger floor.
Terribly crowded around the Maserati brigade...well, not.  This is as crammed as it gets at Villa d'Este, except for the bars, which take a fight to get at; a thirsty crowd...
The poster showing last year's winners, including the Soviet IMZ M-35K, a controversial Best in Show
Riva parking only at the floating pool/dock of Villa d'Este
Lovely '34 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with Gurney-Nutting boattail; used here as a party centerpiece on Friday night
A bit of downtime/boat time with BMW's Ola Stenegard, David Borras of El Solitario, and yours truly
The trophy girls were dressed by a Milanese fashion school, and their hats were auctioned off for charity
Terrific original-paint 1913 Wanderer of Ulrich Schmid, with an equally fantastic Motosacoche sports twin behind (and Edgar Heinrichs wondering how to judge them!)
The 'Great Gatsby' lineup, all American twins and fours, plus the odd Brough...
Peter Abelman aboard his '59 Yamaha YDS1, yes, at Villa d'Este, smoking where the patrons can't....
Best at the Lake, or just best of the best, the original-paint 1929 BMW WR750 in all its sensual glory

[Note: due to a hard drive failure, my 'real' camera's photos were unavailable, so I've used iPhone pix here, mixed with BMW's press photos]








INSTAFAMOUS, INSTABROKE

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My monthly Classic Bike Guide page, with an illustration by Martin Squires
I've been writing a monthly column for Classic Bike Guide for over a year now, and I tend to focus my essays on motorcycle culture, when not simply poking fun.  A few columns have hit a nerve, but none more so than my meditation on the Custom bike-building scene, and the struggles I've observed with my friends, trying to make a business of their craft, or art, or vision. The BikeExif post on the demise of Spain's Radical Ducati inspired my thoughts last March, when I wrote 'Instafamous/Instabroke', as did a conversation with David Borras, also of Spain, who's El Solitario is recognized globally, yet he and his crew daily confront the realities of running a business to support David's radical design sensibility.  Chris Hunter of BikeExif asked to reproduce the essay, which I think is a first for his website; no motorcycle images! Not all my readers frequent BikeExif, but might enjoy the read.  Thanks to Classic Bike Guide for ok'ing the BikeExif post, and this one too:
The hilarious illustration of 'self-papparizing blogo-grammers' from BikeExif 
"I’ve been mucking around with old motorcycles since the 1980s, and like many, financed my bike habit via the sport of Arbitrage. That is, turning a profit on a bike after giving it some love.
It wasn’t an income; the only people living off the motorcycle game were (impoverished) moto-journalists and employees of legitimate dealerships. I knew lots of fellows, and a few ladies, who spent all their time repairing and modifying bikes, and none aspired to be anything but a garagiste. At the time, Von Dutch lived in a trailer, Ed Roth had long-ago lost his Revell contract, and only bands sold t-shirts.

It never occurred to us that someday we’d be aglow with some sort of notoriety. But ‘some sort’ is now within the purview of every human on the planet, via the joys of InstaFame. A downloadable phone trick has the power to make us globally recognizable in weeks. Via the savvy curation of images, we trigger a mutual oxytocin drip in our fans and ourselves, liking and being liked, tapping away like starving lab monkeys, who’ve chosen the button for ‘attention’ over the one for ‘food’.

It’s fame, man, to the hungry end, and maybe even bigger when you’re dead; is that the ghost of TuPac or Indian Larry I hear laughing over posthumous sales? Don’t think I’m judging; I owe the mysterious gods of the Internet a debt of gratitude for my own lifestyle; let’s just hope I don’t owe them my soul.

The shimmering dust of glamour has always coated parts of the motorcycle scene, and right now it’s falling on handsome, bearded guys wearing heritage work clothing and riding ’69-clone choppers or knobby-tyred customs, or girls doing seat-top acrobatics aboard same.

The original meaning of ‘glamour’ was the art of enchantment, a spell-caster’s ability to create an illusion around a person, place, or thing. And while the packs of self-paparazzing blogo-grammers crowding custom bike events are indeed beautiful and achingly cool, I fear our glamour is a spell cast in the mirror.

A mix of hopes and pleasures motivate today’s custom motorcycle builders; the joy of creativity mingled with glow of Web attention, and now there’s an established recipe for making a ‘cool’ bike, tested via the comments section on a hundred moto-blogs.

It’s easy to mistake the whoosh of online chatter for a wind to fill your sails, and a virtual wind is exactly that, while selling garage-altered metal to strangers has always been difficult. Savvy shops sell logo’d up clothing and calendars and keyfobs, scattering brand stickers in an Autumn of moto-foliage… but even such sales will only pay the bills, not the salary of a desperately-needed employee – or your own.

There are two ways to profit in business; large sales volumes with small profit margins, or high-end retail, and the successful moto-businesses sell the tanks and levers and rearsets the Wannabes need for an InstaFamous custom.

At the rich end of the spectrum, the market for hundred grand choppers evaporated in 2008, and I know exactly one builder who’s sold an art-gallery motorcycle for big bucks. Every other shop, then, is in competition for a limited audience, even if it seems at times that ‘everyone’ thinks we’re cool and ‘everyone’ wants your bikes…but is that the magic mirror?
The demise of Radical Ducati, as per this example, inspired this essay...
The first signs of iCustom casualties have recently appeared even in the luminous portal of Bike EXIF; shops going belly up, euphemistically ‘starting other projects’, i.e., jobs which pay. It hasn’t exactly been a Gold Rush (that’s happening in the App-creation world itself), and I know young bike builders don’t expect to get rich.

Still, it seems the business of pushing aesthetic boundaries with a motorcycle is best trod with a trust fund springing your step, or proceeding with deep humility and little expectation of worldly increase; the hackneyed rule for artists.

I’ve spoken with genius motorcycle builders whose controversial but gloriously innovative customs have netted them almost zero sales. A ‘like’ isn’t a dollar. But then again, as they slowly go broke or accustomed to reduced circumstances, the refrain is ‘there’s nothing I’d rather be doing’.

The coolest bike boom since the 1970s has kids buzzing like bees at Wheels + Waves, DirtQuake, and Born Free, and featured in popular books like the ‘The Ride’, to which I contributed. Riding bikes while young, beautiful and creative is a heady cocktail, as is the glamour of InstaFame.

But let’s not confuse the rain of electrons, following our every move, for a rain of cash. Because in the end, bikes are just motorcycles, but business is business."

[Want to read this in Spanish?  Click here.]

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DAIMLER TO BUY A STAKE IN MV AGUSTA?

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The rumors are unconfirmed, but it appears MV Augusta will have a German partner soon, as Daimler is in talks to buy a minority stake of that venerable Italian company.  As you'll recall, MV was owned by Harley-Davidson for two years, did nothing with the brand, then handed it back on a silver platter to the Castiglioni family two years later...strangely, the same family who took Aermacchi from H-D's hands, decades prior.  When Harley dumped MV in 2010, they paid all that company's debt as part of the deal, reportedly losing many Millions in the process.  MV Agusta has been on shaky ground since, but has an excellent engine, chassis, and styling, and does well in World Superbike racing.  The financial strength of Daimler could be a real godsend to the small Italian company.  So, what's up with German auto companies buying Italian motorcycle brands?
The awesome DKW 'singing saw' three-cylinder two-stroke of 1953; part of Audi's DNA
When Audi bought Ducati in 2012, the world scratched it's head - a German car company adding a struggling, small production Italian sportbike to its highly successful line of cars?  It took a deeper look into Audi's DNA to find a connection - the highly successful DKW racers of the 1930s through 1950s, screaming two-strokes on which Ewald Kluge won the Isle of Man Lightweight TT in 1938, with an 11-minute lead over the next bike, an Excelsior. Between 1925 and 1956, when DKW, NSU, BMW, Gilera, and Moto Guzzi disbanded their factory GP teams, DKW won more German championships (38) than any of its rivals.  In the 1930s, of course, DKW was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, and part of the Auto Union (an alliance of Wanderer, Horch, DKW, and Audi), which had a deep interest in motorsport.  Auto Union became simply Audi after Volkswagen acquired the name in 1964.  DKW continued to support racing, in motocross, into the 1970s, with successful ISDT entries and motocross championship contenders, all lightweight two-strokes.
The Daimler Reitwagen; not the first motorcycle, but the first gasoline-powered two-wheelerish thing
So much for Audi.  But Daimler?  It's only motorcycle connection, if you can call it that, was a mobile test-bed for the 1885 'Otto' engine (the first four-stroke gasoline-powered engine) called the Reitwagen. The Reitwagen had two big wheels, and two smaller ones for balance, and was clearly never intended to be a moto-cycle, ie, a powered vehicle using the unique physics of the two-wheeler.  The Reitwagen was a drais (an early, wooden-framed, pedal-less bicycle) altered to accommodate a platform holding the motor, on which the engine (designed by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach) sat, supported by two smaller wheels.  It was ridden 8 miles on Nov 10, 1885, before the saddle caught fire, and Daimler turned his attention to improving his engine, for installation in carriages, airships, and boats.
The 1885 patent drawing of the Daimer/Maybach engine
So, why take a stake in MV Agusta?  Apparently it's the Mercedes sports-tuning branch AMG which will attach to MV, and with its considerable engine and chassis tuning experience, we may see an interesting cross-pollination of technology between the two companies.  The motivation might be pure jealousy, with BMW's long-standing motorcycle connection, and Audi's return to the fold via Ducati.  Mercedes-Benz has no history with motorcycles, but who can resist the cool of owning a very fast bike?

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'CAFE RACERS' REVIEWED IN ULTIMATE MOTORCYCLING

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The website Ultimate Motorcycling has a review of my 'Café Racers' book (my text, Michael Lichter's photos), based on our 2013 Sturgis 'Ton Up!' exhibit. The show featured 35 café racers, of which 12 were vintage, and the rest contemporary; several machines were built for the show, as Michael Lichter's 'Motorcycle as Art' exhibit has been running for 14 years now, and contemporary custom-bike builders are literally banging on his door to be included. This is understandable; there is no other motorcycle exhibit with 250,000 potential motorcyclist/viewers within a 20-mile radius.  Sturgis is a Thing unto itself, which needs an essay from me, but I was just too busy with the exhibit last year... 
From the book: Ray Drea, head of styling at Harley-Davidson, built this remarkable 'XRCR' for 'Ton Up!', from an XR1000 engine and lots of carbon fiber - wheels, bodywork - plus upside-down forks and killer styling.  It was my favorite bike in the show...but sadly, H-D can't build it, as they no longer make the XR engine...
I'm joining Michael Lichter to co-curate an exhibit again this August, 'Built for Speed' at the Buffalo Chip, featuring race bikes from various disciplines (drag, road, dirt, salt), plus custom bikes inspired by these genres. It'll be another great show...and I'll be there test-riding my Cannonball Brough Superior for the first time, as Revival Cycles, my team #38 partner, is exhibiting their cool Ducati 'Pyro' in the show.  If any readers are interested in an 'Alt.Sturgis' ride through the Black Hills on Saturday Aug. 2nd, let me know...it'll be vintage only, "no baggers, no do-rags, no tits".  I might relent on that last point, but you know what I mean.
One that didn't make it into the book; Mark Mederski's '69 Honda CB750 café racer, modified by him in 1970. Mark wrote the forward to the book.

Reincarnation is real — at least for motorcycles that start out as conventional, factory-built models but then are reborn to an entirely new life as cafe racers.

Unlike choppers, bobbers and some other types of customs, cafe racers are modified not just to achieve a certain aesthetic; they are sculpted in a form-follows-function high performance motif.
Noted moto-journalist, Paul D’Orleans in collaboration with photographer Michael Lichter take what is perhaps the most in-depth and sumptuously illustrated look at this decades-old motorcycle genre in their book, Cafe Racers Speed, Style and Ton-up Culture.
Ben Part (of Sideburn Magazine) contributed some 1980s/90s photographs of London's 'other' café racer club, the Mean Fuckers, and an essay by Dave Lancaster about the club is really good!
If you read about motorcycles very often, you probably couldn’t help but read D’Orleans work as a commentator for Classic Bike Guide, feature contributor to Cycle World and Motor Cycle News magazines, and publisher of the website TheVintagent

D’Orleans does an amazing thing in Cafe Racers – he provides a history of motorcycling’s earliest days and how cafe racers evolved, became widely popular in the 1960s and beyond that is almost clinical in its completeness, yet he keeps it from being as dry as a helmet owner’s manual.
For example, in describing how two of the earliest motorcycle developers might have decided whose bike was best, he lays it out thus:

“Had Sylvester Roper and Henri-Guillaume Perreaux met with their respective steam-powered creations, you can be damn sure they would have raced! How do I know? Contemporary accounts of both men record their extensive testing of their surprisingly similar beasts on the dusty, horseshit roads of 1867, the year both men invented the motorcycle.” Such pithy prose can’t help but keep you reading and grinning as you go.
Quite a few 'wet plate' photographs are included, which Susan McLaughlin and I shot in the past 2 years as part of our 'MotoTintype' project.
Add to that 200 stunning, large format, full-color studio shots of some of the best examples of cafe racers you’ll ever see, 75 period and historic black and white images slathered all over 224 10” x 12.25” heavy stock pages and you have a book that is as much presentation quality art as it is a technical masterpiece.

Along the way, D’Orleans portrays what makes a bike a cafe racer. The clip-on handlebars, rear-set footpegs, bump seat, abbreviated or absent front fender, custom paint, all arranged in a way the puts the rider in an aggressive, chest on tank riding attitude are the generally recognized qualities, but at the end of the day, it is what the owner makes it. No two are exactly alike, as Lichter’s images demonstrate.

Divided into only three chapters, Cafe Racers covers the range from the racing bikes that started it all like the BSA Gold Star Clubman and Norton Manx to owner-conceived originals to factory-built limited editions like the Ducati 750 Super Sport, MV 750 Sport and custom bike-builder masterpieces like the Honda 450 Brass Café from Dime City Cycles, the over-the-top BSA-based Berzerker from Speed Shop Design, Kafe Storm from Brian Klock of Klock Werks and the hyper-glossy H-D XR1000-based NessCafe from Arlen Ness, and much, much more.
The discussion of café racer history includes 100 years of 'racers on the road', from the 1914 Norton 'Brooklands Road Special' to contemporary customs.  Here's a page about the 1970s/80s...
Even if you haven’t been particularly drawn to the cafe racer scene up to now, if you appreciate Spartan, essential motorcycles that are an art form unto themselves, you will find Cafe Racers Speed, Style and Ton-up Culture a fascinating read and a great addition to your library.
Book Data:

  • Title: Café Racers Speed, Style and Ton-up Culture
  • Author: Paul D’Orleans with photographer Michael Lichter
  • Published: 2014
  • Publisher: Motorbooks, an imprint of Quayside Publishing Group, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
  • ISBN-13: 978-0760345825
  • MSRP: U.S. $50.00 U.K. £35.00 Canada: $55

'BUILT FOR SPEED' REVIEWED IN 'CYRIL HUZE POST'

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Michael Lichter, English custom motorcycle legend John Reed, and Paul d'Orleans at the press reception for 'Built for Speed'
The world's most popular custom motorcycle website - the Cyril Huze Post - was kind enough to review my 'Built for Speed' exhibit at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, which ends tomorrow.  I'll write my own notes on the show here soon, but 5 days of travel plus the effort of physically mounting a show with 32 motorcycles and 100 pieces of art has left me temporarily drained and 'away from my desk'.  Enjoy Cyril's reportage:
Clem Johnson's Vincent dragster the 'Barn Job', loaned by John Stein.  A miracle of race design, developed over 40 years.
Sturgis 'Motorcycle As Art' by Michael Lichter and Paul d'Orleans.  Race Inspired Motorcycles 'Built for Speed'


The 14th Annual Michael Lichter’s “Motorcycle As Art” exhibition officially opened on Sunday August 3rd under the theme “Built For Speed”. The who’s who of the motorcycle industry gathered at the Buffalo Chip exhibition hall to admire the  beautiful and rare display of more than 35 race-inspired custom motorcycles curated by internationally famous photographer Michael Lichter and vintage motorcycles expert Paul d’Orleans. Members of the press had the opportunity to get a preview of this exhibition and to learn about the builders and how they found inspiration in one of the many branches of racing: Speedway, Flat Track, Drag Racing, Board Track,  Grand Prix, Land Speed Record, etc. Each machine is displayed with its description and racing style origin, from “Cut-downs” of the 1920s, “Bob-jobs” of the 1930s, “Café Racers” of the 1950s, ‘Drag-bike’ Choppers of the 1960s, and ‘Street Trackers’ of the 1970s. 
The flathead Harley custom from Kevin 'Teach' Baas, who works with the local High School shop class to build bikes!
As always, entry to the Buffalo Chip's 7000' purpose-built Michael Lichter art gallery is FREE and this year, hours have been extended, now opening at 10:30am into the evening concert hours (10:30pm).  The show is open until Friday night August 9.  To find the gallery, head to the Buffalo Chip and turn east on Alkali Road; go to the East entrance.  The gallery is next to the EAST entrance and does not require a ticket to enter.
Paul Cox's 'Sword of Damocles' - a work of functional art, built by a master craftsman
Michael Lichter wants to give a special thanks to the 'Motorcycle as Art' industry sponsors; Ace Cafe Orlando, Avon Tires, Baker Drivetrain, Burly Brand, Carhartt, Crusher Exhaust, Hot Leathers, Icon Motorsports, J&P, Kuryakynb, Motor Bike Expo Italy, Mustang Seats, Progressive Suspension, Ridewright Wheels, Tucker Rocky/Biker's Choice, S&S Cycle.
Indian's 'Spirit of Munro' streamliner, built by Jeb Scolman from a prototype 111 engine, and his own ingenuity.  The level of fit and finish on this all-metal machine is peerless
The 32 motorcycles in 'Built for Speed' include customs by long established and emerging builders, side by side with factory-loaned machines.  Builders sending bikes include Alan Stulberg (Revival Cycles), Arlen Ness, Bill Dodge (Bling Cycles), Bill Rodencal (Fat Dog Racing), Brandon Holstein (Brawny Built), Can 'Bacon' Carr (DC Choppers), Dan Rognsvoog/Skip Schultze, Jason Paul Michaels (Dime City Cycles), John Reed (Uncle Bunt), Kenji Nagai (Ken's Factory, Japan), Kevin 'Teach' Baas (Baas Metal Craft), Kirk Taylor (Custom Design Studios), Matt Olsen (Carl's Cycle), Michael O'Shea (Medaza Cycles, Ireland), Nate Jacobs (Harlot Cycles), Pat Patterson (Led Sled Customs), Paul Cox (Paul Cox Industries), Paul Wideman (Bare Knuckle Choppers), Roland Sands (RSD), Skeeter Todd, Tator Gilmore, Warren Lane, and Zach Ness (Arlen Ness, Inc). 
Artist Conrad Leach sent 3 pieces to the show, including his iconic 'Lucky 13', one of 100 photographs and prints on the walls.
Factory-built machines include a custom 'Street' 750 from the Harley-Davidson design dep't, Indian's 'Spirit of Munro' streamliner built by Jeb Scolman, and a Land Speed Racer from Confederate Motorcycles, alongside Icon 1000s''Iron Lung' road racer, a replica of George Smith's 'Tramp' from S&S, Deus Ex Machina's 'Dakdaak' Honda CRF 450x, and Clem Johnson's original Vincent 'Barn Job' from John Stein.

Artists on the walls include Conrad Leach, Darren McKeag, David Uhl, Eric Hermann, Harpoon, Jeff Nobles, Marc Lacourciere, Michael Lichter, Richie Pan, Scott Jacobs, Scott Takes, Susan McLaughlin and Paul d'Orleans, Tom Fritz, Trish Horstman, and an all new '21 Helmets' display of race-inspired Bell Helmets from SeeSee Motor-Coffee in Portland.
'2nd Place' by Richie Pan, part of a sacreligious triptych honoring the memory of 'Big Daddy' Ed Roth
The SeeSee Motor-Coffee '21 Helmets' exhibit, which included historic Bell racing helmets, and artists like Maxwell Paternoster
The reception crowd was double the number from last year, with an estimated 2300 people passing through the halls that evening.  Michael Lichter's 'Motorcycle as Art' shows have been held for 14 years, and attention continues to grow.
The 'Ducafe' from Ireland's Medaza Cycles - sent from abroad for the show!
The curators; Michael Lichter and Paul d'Orleans




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