Showing posts with label Board track. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Board track. Show all posts

Saturday, 26 July 2014

Wauseon Swap Meet and Half-Mile

Our friend Roger F in Ohio sent these photos through. Roger and his partner, Patty, took photos and Roger raced.

 The Antique Motorcycle Club of America has a national meet every summer in Wauseon, Ohio at the Fulton County Fairgrounds. The meet's centerpiece is the swap meet and classic bike exhibitions, which go on all weekend, with emphasis on American machinery, culminating with a judged bike show on Sunday morning. To enter, the bike has to run too. 

There are several acres of classic bikes and parts on display and for sale, with flat tankers from the teens to more modern early-'60s bikes, but the emphasis is on American street bikes from the first half of the 1900s. They have chapters outside of the USA too. 

Of course every Midwest fairgrounds has a grandstand and horse track, and they run a vintage half-mile flat track on Friday each year. Where else could you see a full hand-shift class run, or a dozen board trackers circling the track, forming up for a flying start? Very cool! And they also have some celebrity racers run a match race too. This year, Jay Springsteen was lured out of retirement and raced against Geo Roeder on a Norton. 

If you are an enthusiast of such things, check the meet out at http://wauseonnationalmeet.org/ . Gary, trim it how you see fit or summarize it yourself. 

 It was a great day, and my first half mile on my XR500. Very fun on a beautifully prepared crushed limestone cushion with big wide corners and short straights....thanks for sharing the pics....R

A couple of nice KRs...
Late-1920s Cleveland Four
Mid-'20s Excelsior Super X board track racer (replica?).
Indian Four - which was actually an Ace, until the Springfield company bought the rights.
Roger says, 'I asked the vendor about the Excelsior. It's a 1925 machine cut down for his kids in 1936, original since then, handed down in the same family. Totally cool...'
Gives you an idea how the grandstand fills up Friday evening as people get off work and make their way to the fairgrounds.
This is our friend Al Lonneville (#9) on the rigid Triumph battling a KR in the brakeless class. Patty took all of these.
I'm #40 on the pole in my heat. It didn't help. This was taken by our Motorhead friend Tom Beasley.

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Brave

Danny Hard Nine takes his 101 Indian Scout around the Offene Rennbahn Oerlikon, a 100-year-old velodrome in Zurich where they held motorcycle board track races in the 1920s. Read all about it in Sideburn #13. BP

Friday, 8 February 2013

Mayday Customs

Another mystery bike to track down. There's a Mayday Customs on Facebook but I don't think it's related. Any other leads? BP

Saturday, 12 November 2011

Luyckx

'Built from scratch' it's such an over-used expression, it's refreshing to have a reminder of what it really means. Beyond the unobtainium 24" tyres, one-off rims to match, and the donor '73 Shovelhead block, Belgian Tom Luyckx (pronounced Lerks), really has made most of this boardtracker with his bare hands. Sideburn #9 is a treasure trove. BP

Monday, 7 March 2011

Before it's too late...

I feel terrible today, like my head's in a vice, but it looks like Spring outside. So, if you don't already own a motorbike, buy one. G
Above: Is Marcus Moto Design's Sporty 'Daily Dirt', on sale in Sweden.
Below: Suzuki GN400 board track-style street bike on Uk eBay. Thanks to Mike for the tip-off.

We should add, when Sideburn links to bikes on sale we have no connection with them, we're not vouching for them and we often know nothing about their history, we just find them interesting. OK? Buy beware and all that.

Friday, 25 February 2011

BS1 in the Flesh

Finally got to Gaunlet to see BS1. The comments people come out with - even while I was just standing there in the street are classic; especially from the know-it-alls.What ever it is, hung on 23" wheels, it has perfect proportions - based on the H-D Peashooter, and I'd love to take it out for a good trashing. The attention to detail is gob-smacking.
Good job Corlioni. Good job Caleb. BP

Sunday, 2 January 2011

Conrad Leach at Gauntlett

Loyal Sideburn subscriber and world renowned artist, Conrad Leach indulges in some clever marketing by having his Cro Customs built Evo Sportster-powered board track/Brooklands-inspired street bike in the window of a Pimlico art gallery, Gauntlett, that is flogging his wares. G
Conrad's blog Conartism
UPDATE: Found a great online photo feature on this bike at ChopCult

Thursday, 16 September 2010

The Pope

Photo from Wingnuts.
These are the only Popes I have any interest in. GI
Read Pope's history at the Vintagent
Noel Pope - Many epic motorcycle record breaking attempts took place at Brooklands during the 1930s. Eric Fernihough raised the Brooklands lap record to 123.58mph in 1935 with his Brough Superior, topped in 1939 by Noel Pope at 124.51mph.

Thursday, 12 August 2010

Dancing With The Devil

SB#5 uncovered an ingenious Indian fakey, in SB#6 we have a real deal board track bone shaker. Photography Troy Chico Moto Critchlow. BP

Saturday, 17 July 2010

BS1 Boardtracker

Hey Ben ...
18 months and it's finally finished ...
Sportster powered and board track styled
Corleone x

Built by Caleb of Cro Customs. BP

Thursday, 7 January 2010

Olde Shakey

For Sale in France (via UK web auction) with possible delivery to UK. 1200cc H-D™ board track racer. BP

Monday, 7 December 2009

Bad Salzuflen






Snaps from Tom of the Dutch Brothers, taken at the Custom Bike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Thanks Tom.

Saturday, 3 October 2009

The Phantom


Now you're not going to be getting this new-age bone shaker sideways on the shingle, but you will crick the neck of every man, woman and child; and small animal, on the high street. Norton powerd, and some tastefuly 'disguised' modern pleasantries mean you can rev the nuts off it and possibly even get a wheelie out of it? More SB#4 Love action. BP

Wednesday, 3 June 2009

Board Track




Siberian Larch that my local (for the moment) velodrome is made of, gives me wood. It's hard to see from this snap just how steep the banking is. It's a work of art. I went along to suss out if they had a Tomfoolery class. Bottom line is, there's no chance in hell I'll be allowed around on my mystery French rat bike even if I do fixie it - one of the many things I didn't realise about track bikes is that they have shorter cranks so the pedals don't ground out while weaving on pursuits. But they do run 'clinics' when you can rent a real McCoy bike and all the gear (but I am NOT going to wear Lycra). BP

Saturday, 2 May 2009

pedal power




€10 impulse buy. Wouldn't have given it the time of day, but those lugs gave me the hots and I couldn't walk away. I'm going to join the fashionista and make a fixie out of it + they just built an all-wood turn left board-track velodrome 15 minutes from where I'm living, so now there's no excuse. BP

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Board tracker on UK eBAY


Kinda. It's that Thomas Harvey bike we posted here. Sideburn's friend Fordy emailed to tell us about it, but only 20 mins before the auction ended. But here are the details if you want to ring the owner up. It didn't sell. The rest is all the seller's own words. GI

Harley Sportster Board racer influenced bike
relisted as the highest bidder apparently thought he was buying a fatboy and bid on this bike by mistake... it took him three bids to realize that it wasn't a fatboy and wasn't road legal, I should say it is common sense to read the advert before bidding... there are two telephone numbers listed and you can contact me via ebay to ask any sensible questions. If you are still struggling to understand what is for sale I think it is safe to assume you are an idiot and advise that you steer clear of any motorized transport for your own safety. Thankyou

completely one off
Rigid frame
21" wheels
FRC Sprotor rear brake
copper oil lines
one off pipes
handtooled leather seat by Deb lawson
nickel plated pipes, bars, springs and various parts
absolutely immaculate
show it or it could be made road legal very easily and would be great fun blatting around the countryside
for more info ring 01527575934 or 07913325297

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Build your own board tracker


This guy in Kansas is. He started from scratch and is using, I think, a Briggs & Stratton 22 horse V-twin. Respect!
Totally inspirational. GI

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Off the shelf Board Tracker update


I really wasn't sure about this bike when we first saw the Thomas Harvey website. It wasn't the bike so much, because I think it's a looker, as the idea that motorcycling can support a company that makes a bike like this. I thought if you wanted a modern-powered very trad take on a 1915 board track racer you'd build, or commission, a one-off. Maybe this is the start of something else for the company. Or a labour of love sideline.
Also, that's a big, heavy motor to run without a front brake. Where is it designed to be used? We'll tell you as soon as we find out.
But Sideburn wishes him the best of British. We like a trier. GI

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Monday, 17 November 2008

Glory Days


This striking 3/4 life-size bronze by sculptor Steve Posson, graces the AMA's Motorcycle Hall of Fame, in Pickerington Ohio.