Motorcycles are about more than just renegades
By William Klatt
Posted: 09/06/2010 07:04:30 AM PDT
Motorcycles have been around since the late 1800s - if you count the first steam-powered models invented by the Germans.
But it wasn't until 1901 that the first American motorcycle, the Indian, was born, followed in 1903 by the Harley-Davidson.
A few years later, the American Excelsior and Henderson surfaced, but during the worldwide depression, those companies folded and became history.
During the early years, Indian motorcycles outsold Harley-Davidsons 3-to-1 because of their performance on the racetrack. Both companies produced their machines for the military in World War I. During World War II, Harley-Davidson produced more than 85,000 motorcycles for the Army.
American GIs experienced the lighter, faster, easier-to-handle European cycles and when they came back home they stripped their bikes to get the same results, or at least close, as the European bikes. Thus, the word "chopper" originated in motorcycle lingo.
In 1947, during a motorcycle rally in Hollister, bikers tore up the town and created a bad image for cyclists for years to come. After rounds in the local pubs, the renegade riders went bananas burning rubber, knocking over signs and racing up and down sidewalks and main streets.
In 1949, Harley-Davidson made sensational improvements with its new hydro-glide fork, airflow fenders and fast-action brakes. People stopped to look in awe at the showy, sleek, beautiful lines of the machine - the Madonna of her
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day.
I bought my first Harley-Davidson in 1949 for $982. It turned out to be a classic. In mint condition on today's market, my Harley would be worth well over $40,000. Hindsight is always 20/20.
The crack of the throttle, the roar of the cast-aluminum open-flow muffler and the might of the power plant, my Harley could run off and hide from the older Harleys and Indian Chiefs. With this power and performance, I felt like the Big Kahuna of the highway.
Throughout my biking days, I rode in rain, sleet, mud, fog, loose gravel, high winds, blistering heat and snow-packed highways. I outraced a streamliner and outran a tornado in Kansas. These incidents were all for the love of Harley. Looking back at all my hare-brained escapades, I often wonder if I was playing with a full deck.
Milwaukee, Wis., situated on beautiful Lake Michigan and home of Harley-Davidson, is a splendid place for bikers to splash the summer away. Every summer evening, 40 or 50 Harleys lined up along Bradford Beach, while girls who love motorcycles came out of the barn in droves to ride the two-wheelers.
Motorcycling is a clean, fun-loving sport and adventurous lifestyle. After 38 years, and when legislators passed the California helmet law, I gave up riding. The lure of the open road beckoned no more.
In the early 1950s, American Indian Motorcycle Co. filed for bankruptcy. British motorcycles, the Triumph, Norton and the BSA captured the American market until the end of the decade. The British Vincent Black-Shadow scooted by anything on the highway at 125 mph.
In 1960, Honda Motorcycle Co. of Japan stormed the American motorcycle market with unsurpassable modern technology. Other Japanese companies, Yamaha and Kawasaki, soon followed. British motorcycles lost ground, and by the end of the 1960 Harley-Davidson's future was uncertain.
By 1989, Japanese racing bikes reached 150 mph. The Japanese Yamaha attained speeds of 180 mph to be considered the best bike of the decade. The big four Japanese manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki - dominated the motorcycle industry.
During the mid-1980s, Harley-Davidson introduced its new sportster bike. With its vintage look and new evolution engines in other Harley models, the company was successful at selling numerous bikes in the '80s and '90s. It was second only to Honda, which sold 10 million bikes by the end of the century. Harley-Davidson became known as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles.
Many motorcycles have personalities and are designed for different events - racing, endurance, hill climbing, motocross, jumpers, tourers and luxury. In the past 35 years motorcycle manufacturers have upgraded motorcycles with acceleration, disc brakes, electric starters, liquid cooling and exhaust systems. The results are power, style and performance.
The golden age of motorcycling arrived in the past 20 years. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, married couples and females are riding for the thrills, enjoyment and feeling of freedom. Motorcyclists of today are a far cry from the renegade bikers of yesteryear.
William Klatt is a 25-year San Pedro resident and a retired businessman.
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