Harley Davidson supplied thousands of traditional 45° V-twin WLA and WLC models to the Allied military during World War II, but the company also produced a small number of BMW-style machines for the war effort. Although the WLA was a good all-around military bike, the US army asked Harley-Davidson to produce a shaft-drive machine and Harley turned to the enemy for inspiration. BMW’s R75 was
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Monday, 9 September 2013
advertising, Events, Great Ocean Road, Harley Davidson, Harley Tours, Melbourne Convention Centre, motorbike, the Harley Sound, Tourism Victoria, Tours and Activities in Melbourne, Youtube Harley Rides
Sharing the Harley Davidson Brand
The Harley Davidson story is a marketing legend. Long known for giving its customers what they want, and understanding the people who ride their machines Harley Davidson have survived against all odds by leading the field with "Iconic branding".
If it were not for the iconic nature of the Harley Davidson motorcycle, and the throb of the Harley Sound emitted by their "head turning" machines, I
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Motorcycle Speed Trials week at Bonneville - Review and Pictures
Well, my time at the Bonneville Salt Flats is over. For a first visit to the Motorcycle Speed Trials, it was a great week, so I thought I would set down how I felt about the time I spent there.
The salt flats are huge and the Bonneville Speedway is at the west side of the now mainly dried up sea, near the town of Wendover on the Utah / Nevada border. Wendover is really the only place to stay overnight as it is the closest place to Bonneville. Comprising hotels and their casinos, as couple of gas stations, a handful of shops, Wendover is a strange place, but as the only other option is Salt Lake City which at 110 miles away, it is really too far.
Access to the Bonneville Speedway is via junction 4 of Interstate 80 where a tarmac road heads out about 4 miles across the salt flats. Pay your $20 for the day and then you drive onto the salt itself, and wow, what a feeling that gave me. This place is iconic, historic and famous. The Triumph Bonneville its name and the salt is flat, white and disappears so far into the distance, you can see the curvature of the earth here. A line of cones marks where you need to drive / ride a further 5 miles across the salt to get out to the main pits area.
Getting there for the first time is odd. There are no fences, no walls, no signs and nothing to tell you where to go. The salt is a completely natural environment, so nothing permanent is built or left here. The pits area is where all the bikes are worked on, there is a registration van, a scrutineering area, somewhere to buy food and drink, plus a few temporary toilets. You are free to walk anywhere and everyone takes full advantage of this. There were not many spectators and each bike was supported by a team ranging in size from its sole rider / mechanic to about ten, looking after the bigger, more complex bikes on a big budget.
Being able to walk anywhere makes the place very informal. Most people don't mind you walking up and chatting to them, providing they are not too busy.
As a Bonneville virgin, I found it quite hard to work out what was going on. There are so many different types of motorcycle of all shapes and sizes racing in so many categories that there isn't a sense of 'racing' at all, but one of everybody trying to simply get their bikes ready to go a fast as they can. These are not by any means all true speed demons running at 100, 200 or 300 mph, but a collection of diverse machines (and people) simply trying their best. For some, that means a speed of 60 mph on their motorcycles with small engines and for others, especially the streamliners, that means trying to crack the elusive 400 mph record. Some people enter their street bikes in the 'Run Whatcha Brung' category. The range is amazing.
What does seem to be common amongst most racers at Bonneville is they all seem to know a lot about the mechanics of their machines. Most people seem to spend most of their time working on, tinkering with, or completely rebuilding their motorcycles, under temporary gazebos (or eazy-ups as my American cousins call them).
The Speed Trials week takes place at the end of August and it was hot when I was there. Wide-brimmed hats, sunscreen and drinking lots of water are all essential, as are closed shoes to protect your feet from the salt. It is a dry heat, so not overly uncomfortable, although finding shade is important.
After walking around and watching what was happening for a couple of hours, the seemingly chaotic nature of the event began to make sense. Riders get their motorcycles ready and take them to scrutineering for the essential safety checks. Get through that (and many don't first time around) then you head down to the pre-stage area to await your turn to run on one of the two tracks. Waiting is something you have to be good at if you are a competitor or team member, as there is lots of waiting at Bonneville. Lots of entries, an emphasis on safety and very long tracks that have to be cleared by the previous rider all take their toll on time. Eventually though, you are told to ride out to the start area for one of the two tracks and after another wait, it is your turn.
As a spectator, you cannot really watch the riders blasting down the tracks, as they are so long (5 miles and 11 miles) that you cannot see the entire length. I think spectators are meant to stay in the pits area, but I didn't do that, preferring instead to drive out to the pre-stage and start areas. Taking photographs for me is a passion, so getting out to these areas was essential.
What I really enjoyed was speaking to the competitors at the start areas. Now free of getting their motorcycles ready, riders seemed to enjoy talking about their machines, where they are from, speeds they have reached and what they hope for on the imminent run. Then they are off. Whether on a large or small bike, a standard model or a specialist build, a seasoned or novice competitor, all riders just want to go as fast as they can. The riders I spoke to ranged in age from 13 years to 75 years old. They all gave off the same feeling of excitement and this certainly encouraged me to think about competing myself one year. I really would like to give this a try.
There is one thing to watch out for each visitor or racer at Bonneville. The salt is really bad for your vehicle. Competing motorcycles get covered in the white stuff and I am told some components need to be stripped down to eliminate all traces of the salt. Cars driven on the salt don't suffer as badly, but the rental car I used needed a lot of cleaning to avoid a big bill from the rental company. There are a couple of car washes in Wendover and they certainly were very busy soon after the weeks racing finished.
Would I recommend going to Bonneville to watch the racing as a spectator? Yes, I would, although don't expect many comforts - this is raw racing at its most basic. Would I want to race? - if I can find the right bike and somebody to take as a mechanic, you bet I would!
Here are a selection of my favourite pictures from the week.....
The salt flats are huge and the Bonneville Speedway is at the west side of the now mainly dried up sea, near the town of Wendover on the Utah / Nevada border. Wendover is really the only place to stay overnight as it is the closest place to Bonneville. Comprising hotels and their casinos, as couple of gas stations, a handful of shops, Wendover is a strange place, but as the only other option is Salt Lake City which at 110 miles away, it is really too far.
Access to the Bonneville Speedway is via junction 4 of Interstate 80 where a tarmac road heads out about 4 miles across the salt flats. Pay your $20 for the day and then you drive onto the salt itself, and wow, what a feeling that gave me. This place is iconic, historic and famous. The Triumph Bonneville its name and the salt is flat, white and disappears so far into the distance, you can see the curvature of the earth here. A line of cones marks where you need to drive / ride a further 5 miles across the salt to get out to the main pits area.
Getting there for the first time is odd. There are no fences, no walls, no signs and nothing to tell you where to go. The salt is a completely natural environment, so nothing permanent is built or left here. The pits area is where all the bikes are worked on, there is a registration van, a scrutineering area, somewhere to buy food and drink, plus a few temporary toilets. You are free to walk anywhere and everyone takes full advantage of this. There were not many spectators and each bike was supported by a team ranging in size from its sole rider / mechanic to about ten, looking after the bigger, more complex bikes on a big budget.
Being able to walk anywhere makes the place very informal. Most people don't mind you walking up and chatting to them, providing they are not too busy.
As a Bonneville virgin, I found it quite hard to work out what was going on. There are so many different types of motorcycle of all shapes and sizes racing in so many categories that there isn't a sense of 'racing' at all, but one of everybody trying to simply get their bikes ready to go a fast as they can. These are not by any means all true speed demons running at 100, 200 or 300 mph, but a collection of diverse machines (and people) simply trying their best. For some, that means a speed of 60 mph on their motorcycles with small engines and for others, especially the streamliners, that means trying to crack the elusive 400 mph record. Some people enter their street bikes in the 'Run Whatcha Brung' category. The range is amazing.
What does seem to be common amongst most racers at Bonneville is they all seem to know a lot about the mechanics of their machines. Most people seem to spend most of their time working on, tinkering with, or completely rebuilding their motorcycles, under temporary gazebos (or eazy-ups as my American cousins call them).
The Speed Trials week takes place at the end of August and it was hot when I was there. Wide-brimmed hats, sunscreen and drinking lots of water are all essential, as are closed shoes to protect your feet from the salt. It is a dry heat, so not overly uncomfortable, although finding shade is important.
After walking around and watching what was happening for a couple of hours, the seemingly chaotic nature of the event began to make sense. Riders get their motorcycles ready and take them to scrutineering for the essential safety checks. Get through that (and many don't first time around) then you head down to the pre-stage area to await your turn to run on one of the two tracks. Waiting is something you have to be good at if you are a competitor or team member, as there is lots of waiting at Bonneville. Lots of entries, an emphasis on safety and very long tracks that have to be cleared by the previous rider all take their toll on time. Eventually though, you are told to ride out to the start area for one of the two tracks and after another wait, it is your turn.
As a spectator, you cannot really watch the riders blasting down the tracks, as they are so long (5 miles and 11 miles) that you cannot see the entire length. I think spectators are meant to stay in the pits area, but I didn't do that, preferring instead to drive out to the pre-stage and start areas. Taking photographs for me is a passion, so getting out to these areas was essential.
What I really enjoyed was speaking to the competitors at the start areas. Now free of getting their motorcycles ready, riders seemed to enjoy talking about their machines, where they are from, speeds they have reached and what they hope for on the imminent run. Then they are off. Whether on a large or small bike, a standard model or a specialist build, a seasoned or novice competitor, all riders just want to go as fast as they can. The riders I spoke to ranged in age from 13 years to 75 years old. They all gave off the same feeling of excitement and this certainly encouraged me to think about competing myself one year. I really would like to give this a try.
There is one thing to watch out for each visitor or racer at Bonneville. The salt is really bad for your vehicle. Competing motorcycles get covered in the white stuff and I am told some components need to be stripped down to eliminate all traces of the salt. Cars driven on the salt don't suffer as badly, but the rental car I used needed a lot of cleaning to avoid a big bill from the rental company. There are a couple of car washes in Wendover and they certainly were very busy soon after the weeks racing finished.
Would I recommend going to Bonneville to watch the racing as a spectator? Yes, I would, although don't expect many comforts - this is raw racing at its most basic. Would I want to race? - if I can find the right bike and somebody to take as a mechanic, you bet I would!
Here are a selection of my favourite pictures from the week.....
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
A great day on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
A few months ago, I met motorcycle TV presenter Henry Cole at a motorcycle event in London.
“It is your fault I stayed at the Madonna Inn in California” were my opening words to him. A broad smile appeared on his face, as he clearly understood what I meant. Sort of kindred spirits, we seemed to hit it off, as we share a passion for long-distance motorcycle touring on custom motorcycles.
When I was planning my long motorcycle tour of the USA, I bought a series of videos of one of the TV series’ that Henry had made. Called ‘The World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides’ these showed him riding some terrific roads in the USA on a motorcycle. I used one or two for ideas about where to ride for my own trip and this included staying at the Madonna Inn in California, hence my introductory words to Henry.
At that bike event in London when I met him, Henry mentioned he was going to go to the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats in August to ride a Brough Superior and to make a television programme about the racing. We compared dates and it soon became clear I would be nearby, at the end of a road trip around Colorado with Jackie and her family. “Why not come and join us on the salt?” asked Henry. Why not indeed. I had wanted to go to Bonneville for a long time, so flights were changed and a plan was hatched.
Having completed that Colorado road trip, a few days ago, Jackie and I caught a plane to Salt Lake City and we drove out to the town of Wendover, on the Utah / Nevada state line close to the Bonneville Speedway, and checked into a tacky hotel in this very strange town.
It wasn’t long before we headed out onto the salt flats and past the sign to the legendary place where so many land speed records have been set.
Driving on the salt immediately made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There is something about the place that evokes a feeling that great things had happened here. In 1960, Donald Campbell ran (and crashed) at over 360mph here. Three years later, American Craig Breedlove drove jet thrust car ‘Spirit of America’ to a speed of 407mph here. Of course, in August 1967, almost exactly 46 years before I first stood on the salt, a chap called Burt Munro set an under 1,000cc world speed record on his modified 1920 Indian motorcycle. All stirring stuff and images flashed through my mind as I drove the 5 miles across the salt to the main pits.
I found Henry waiting in the pre-stage area. That big smile greeted me once again as we shook hands and Henry introduced me to the team. The motorcycle he was about to ride for the very first time on the salt stood there looking magnificent.
Driven by a need provide safe conditions in which to ride, the organisation of the running of the speed trials is very well organised, but it does take a considerable time while waiting your turn to run. For a first-time rider like Henry, the anticipation grows and I could tell he was eager to get his first run accomplished. The bike he was riding is a combination of parts from the original 1952 750cc Brough Superior and more modern additions. With plenty of time to think about what lay ahead, Henry went from his normal jovial self to periods of quiet thought. I wouldn't say he was nervous, but he was certainly full of anticipation of what would be a tremendously exciting thing to do.
After a considerable period of time, during which racers flashed past on the nearby salt tracks, the time had come for the group of riders to move from the pre-stage assembly area out to the main start point. Henry donned his helmet and quickly rode away for his first ever ride on salt. The rest of the team, including mechanics, his film crew and this by now unofficial team photographer, jumped into the support vehicles and followed in Henry’s tracks a couple of miles to the start area.
Bonneville Speedway has two parallel tracks. The shorter is the Mountain Course and is 5 miles long, comprising 2 miles for acceleration, the one measured speed mile and 2 miles for slowing down. The International Course is a total of 11 miles long, with 5 miles to accelerate, one measured speed mile and 4 miles to slow down. Henry was to run on the shorter Mountain course. Riders run in both directions and it is the average of the two runs that determines the overall speed. Henry was running in a brand new class for particular vintage machines (the class system seems very complex) and so was certain to set a new record time. The team were anticipating a speed of around 105mph for this first run.
Another longish wait ensued while other racers were on track, doing their out and return runs.
Anticipation levels grew as we waited in the surreal environment of the densely-packed salt pan. Keeping cool under the blazing sun is almost impossible. It soon became clear that there was a risk that Henry might not complete both of his runs before the course closed at 6pm. The delays between different groups of riders being out on the course, safety sweeps of the track to ensure no parts had fallen from machines running at speed, and the switching of track direction for return runs had all taken their time, and had taken their toll on the amount of available time left in the day.
Henry and the bikes mechanic, Sam, discussed some last minute thoughts and eventually, Henry’s time to make his first run grew nearer.
Finally, Henry was called forward and rode over to the start line.
I don’t know what was going through Henry’s mind, but it must have been excitement mixed with some nerves. He was about to ride down one of the most famous speed tracks in the world on a vintage-class (and very expensive) motorcycle. Not only that, but he was being filmed doing so as well, so was under considerable pressure!
In a flash, that was it, Henry was gone. He set off across the salt with just a series of flags and a rev counter to guide him. We wouldn't know how he did for a few minutes until we drove back to the impound area where the riders gave to wait until their return run. Henry was there waiting for us, hands shaking as he described the run and how he felt. He had experienced a “tank-slapper” or speed wobble during that first run but being an experienced biker, he had slowly eased back on the throttle to regain control. His speed was 103.941 for the measured mile which was quite an accomplishment for a Bonneville first-timer.
Just a few minutes later, Henry was instructed to ride down to the other end of the course again for his return run.
No doubt slightly shaken by the tank-slapper and needing to keep the motorcycle in good shape for later runs during the week, Henry ran a slightly slower speed on the return, resulting in an average speed of just under 100mph for both legs.
It was quite a day. I need to say thanks to the Brough Superior team, especially owner Mark Upham for letting me share on a memorable experience for my first day at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. Of course, congratulations must go to Henry, who is now a world speed record holder. How cool is that!