Tricycle with Style!

Man, it must have been great to start your peddling days on something like this little cool tractor three wheeler. Kids don't see anything nearly this rad in stores these days which is unfortunate.

Drilled to the Max!

Check out this crazy drilled Harley KR Racer! The caption above the photo reads: "Racing - weight is essential, or lack of it. This shows the extremes to which mechanics will go to reduce weight. Holes have been drilled in every possible area of an engine (without weakening it structurally) and possibly 2 pounds have been saved. For a long time this practice was illegal; it is legal now, however." Photo comes from a 1970 Motorcycle & Trail Biking Handbook.

Bill Lindsay's "Cherry Trumpet"

There's nothing wrong with a tidy pre-unit swingarm custom like the one shown here. Function over fashion, not the reverse!

Flat Track in Minature Scale!

I'm sure you'll love this old flat track diorama as its skillfully crafted using Revell Harley models and other goodies!

Icarus Triumph Unit Drag Bike

I was just sent these pictures by Rene of Australia, as he always finds great stuff he's willing to share, and this time we have Geoff James' supercharged 350 triumph drag bike. Pictures are from picasweb and it appears this machine can fly without wings!

Muscle Power BMX!

I don't really know much about Muscle Power BMX as I just picked up this 8 x 10 at the swap today but figure the picture dates from the early 80's. Anybody with info on the company or the riders please feel free to post it on under the comments!

Triumph Drag Bike Circa 1962

From the pages of a 1962 Cycle Magazine comes this cool Pre-unit drag bike with nice cafe seat that appears to have run surprisingly well at the strip!

Mr.Freedom!

Thanks to Ogri for sending the link to: http://www.misterfreedom.com/, a clothing company specializing in vintage 1950's - early 1960's era motorcycle riding threads with a maritime twist. Located at 7161 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 653-2014, Mr. Freedom apparently has a large supply of deadstock Levis and other desired vintage apparel as well as makes there own boots and gear as seen above. You might want to check out the store if you're in the area as I'm going to have to make the trek up there myself.

B.F. Goodrich Tire Ad from the 1940's

How rad is this old Goodrich car tire art from the 1940s, most likely during war time?

Hells Angels Painting, 1970's?

I'm not sure of the origin of this art but am guessing its most likely from an early 70's man's magazine though I could be wrong. I've seen this image used as cover art on the Hells Angels 69 DVD.

Psychomania / The Death Wheelers!

Here's a film thats just plain funny when a dead guy gets buried with his pre-unit then comes alive and rides it out of the grave. Put on your skeleton mask and start slapping that psychobilly bass as this movie gets a little bit spooky.

The Soul Brothers of The LA Choppers!

From rippled wide glides to crazy molded tanks the LA Choppers set a prescident for cool and earned the respect of their community as positive role models!

Gary Littlejohn in 1968

Here's a cool little article on Gary Littlejohn penned by Ed Roth right around the time the Savage Seven movie was released. Gary's panhead is shown here looking great in its first rendition!

Two Wheel Tornado

Thanks to Rene of Australia for sending over this article on an Aussie twin engine triumph drag bike circa 1968!

Early Show Panhead From 1962!

From a 1962 Cycle Magazine comes this wild panhead show winner. Check out the dragon on the cam cover, the dual drilled velocity stacks and trumpet tips, panhead frame with '59 sporty sections grafted in, and exquisitely upholstered Bates seat among other things! This custom cycle must have been pretty crazy for '62!

Bury Me An Angel - Circa 1971

I haven't seen this film but I'm pretty sure Gary Littlejohn is in it as I remember reading that somewhere!

1968 Robt. Williams / Roth Choppers Magazine Ad

Here's the advertisement on the second page of the 1968 Roth's Custom Bike / Choppers Magazine drawn by Robert Williams. Again it appears Roth was looking to change the magazine name from Choppers to Custom Bike Magazine which must have been a short lived idea which may have ended with this issue. Any information behind this identity swap would be welcome!

Portraits of American Bikers - Collection II Book - On Presale!

I'm sure a lot of you own the first book with the same title, Collection I, but I just received an email from Flash Productions saying book two is available on Presale through Amazon.com for $29.95. I have not seen it but Flash Productions says, "Book two in the Flash Collection series showcases more photographs from the private collection of Jim "Flash" Miteff, taken during his years as a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Also in this edition are current photographs of some the members originally photographed in the 60's." Here's the link to the Amazon.com Presale: http://www.amazon.com/Portraits-American-Bikers-Inside-Looking/dp/0615327850/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256415036&sr=8-4

1968 Roth's Custom Bike / Choppers Magazine - Mitch's '54 Panhead

I just received this Sept. '68 Issue of Custom Bike / Choppers Magazine in the mail yesterday and will be posting different articles from the mag throughout the week. First of all, I'm stumped as the isuue name is Custom Bike Magazine and not Choppers Magazine. Its possible Roth went through an identity crisis but I've never seen one of the early issues that reads Custom Bike instead of Choppers. Anyhow, the first article is on Mitch's 1954 Panhead, and as you can see its equipped with some accessory wheel covers in back, an XA Springer, trippy padded mock gas tank up in front, and sissybar fuel tank extravaganza in back; not to mention the hairdryer bird deflector. Also featured in this issue is a rad article on the soul brothers of the LA Choppers M.C., an interview with Gary Littlejohn and his wild panhead, and Joe Alphabet talks about the various options or jockey and footshift for harleys. There's even a righteous swingarm pre-unit spread so stay tuned as you won't want to miss this early chopper nostalgia for this week!


After further review I do believe Epinut is correct acout the tail light being from a 1957 or 1958 Desoto (pictured above). The picture above is a 1957 Desoto. The 1959 Dodge Sierra (pictured below) has a similar looking tail light but the top most lens is too small and it has a grid pattern on the metal area that would be incorrect.

50's / 60's Lamoreaux and Milne Motorcycle T-shirt

This one just sold on Ebay, from seller Manxtt for a little over $150.00, and here was his description, "...excellent original T-Shirt from the late 1950's or early 1960's from Lamoreaux and Milne Motorcycle Shop, Glendale California, 1940's Speedway Stars Wilber Lamoreaux and Cordy Milne's Shop owned and operated this shop and this Shirt is an original from their store, in very good possibly unworn condition..." A very cool original motorcycle racing t-shirt. Check out the 40's Speedway program I posted a couple of weeks ago as both the names on this shirt appear on the program!

Jay Harrison's 1947 Knucklehead - Street Chopper Feature

I don't think this bike is anything spectacular really but the the owner has a great style and picked up the knuckle for $500 and it appears the complete bike and build was under $1,500. Gnarly!!! Check out the article as attached and this dude is also in the Street Chopper 40Th Anniversary Issue currently in newsstands nationwide.
http://www.streetchopperweb.com/features/0910_stcp_1947_knucklehead_jay_harrison/index.html

Ness' Knuckle

I picked up a copy of Street Chopper's 40th Anniversary Issue today and saw this picture of Arlen Ness' old Knuckle from a feature on Ness. I no nothing about this bike but hopped on www.streetchopperweb.com and found this photo! The gigantor dayglo bulb horn adds a nice touch to this beauty!

1980's RI Great Escape Poster

Here's a cool Great Escape movie poster which was reissued in the 80's showing Mcqueen's pre-unit dressed up to mimic a Germany motorcycle!

More Mid-70's BMX Antics!

The swan dive bail out definitely earns some high style points!

Early BMX Photos!

Here are some cool old BMX photos from 1974 as pictured in a Dirt Bike Crash and Burn Special Magazine!

Runaways - Choppers Magazine 10/76

Choppers Magazine from October 1976 with the Queens of Noise on bikes! If anyone has high definition photos from this mag I'd love to post them.

Elvis' Harley K Model

I actually like those old Bates / Buco windshields as they can look cool on the right bikes!

Ghost Rider #5 - Circa 1972

The chopper bug had definitely caught on by early 70s as evidenced by this old Ghost Rider comic. The bike looks like a custom sportster with dual Aris rectangular headlights and a narrow springer front end.

1960s Aurora Motorcycle Model Box Art

Roustabout - 1964

Apparently Elvis was wild about Hondas in '64!

Wild Guitar - 1962

I'm trying to identify this cycle with the ape hangers so if anybody has seen this movie and knows the scoop let me know? The motorcycle doesn't look like anything too special but I saw this movie still and was just trying to get it figured out.

The Wildest "Wild One" Photo

Pre-unit t-bird with three passengers. The girl on the front just looks retarded, but then again so does Brando. I think these photos with the girls were used to help soften the movie's rough and tough image in order to appeal to all audiences.

Triumph T-bird Lakester - 132.26 MPH on Gas!

This t-bird racer is pretty cool with what appears to be a headlight bucket bolted backwards to the nacelle to create some aerodynamics. Man, over 132 mph on gasoline is insane, for the 50s or even now on one of these bikes. (photo from the Triumph in America book)

Two Wheel Customs with Peddles

I'll have to admit the first photo of Pee Wee is beyond creepy but I still love the movie and his bike is so over the top its rad. Parking your cycle behind a prop horse can serve as a preventative measure against theft as shown here.

Icy n' Dicey

What you have here is one crazy 30's Harley JD or similar 30s racer ready to take on the ice. I don't see any metal spikes on those tires so I'm sure the turns must have been extra sketchy? (picture comes from Harley Davidson: An Illustrated History)

'51 Triumph Progress

A couple of people were asking how the bike was coming along so I thought I'd post some more pictures. Realistically I'm hoping to have it done by late November or December 2009 but its on its 7th year and everything seems to take much longer than I initially planned. The tank is currently with Harpoon being painted then it will be off to the Undertaker for some lettering on the side panels, or should I say cartooning. I plan on dropping the trump off with Meatballs in a week or so for the clutch, some primary and timing gears, battery, and wiring. Lets hope everything goes well from here on out. Its been an long and expensive road but I am very happy how the bike looks as it is a nice blend of drag racer, salt racer, and custom chopper, which is what I was hoping for.

A Fistful of Dynamite / Duck You Sucker

This Harley has me stumped. At first I thought it was a JD but the springer is not a JD type and the support bar on the handlebars is throwing me off as well. I'll try to find a complete shot of the bike in order to showcase the motor but if anyone here has the details please feel free to share. I'll have to say I'm interested to see the movie as I've only watched the earlier Leone Spaghetti Westerns thus far.


Thanks to Ogri for the photo link and Jeff for emailing this picture!

1964 Revell Triumph Custom Show Bike X-Mas Ads

Shown above are a couple pictures of the 1/8 scale Triumph Custom Show Bike from a 1964 Model Science magazine!

1947 AMA Magazine

The couple looks pretty hokey on this old AMA Magazine cover but I still like the layout and artwork, especially with the scroll. Touring the United States on your Knucklehead must have been endless fun!

Gun Engraving Meets the Custom Motorcycle

Nothing appeals more to the eye than engraving when used on a show motorcycle. Check out the intricate designs on these old revolvers, pistols, and rifle and you can easily see why a trip to the engraver can set your bike's show motor apart from the rest. Gabe Griffin's panhead employs some of this neat handiwork, as most of you have probably seen, so if you're interested in hand-tooled detailing of your motor or trans here is one artist you may wish to contact: http://www.tarrera.com/index2.html

Daredevil Men - Late 60's

I can't say I've ever seen this film but this poster with the Triumph motorcycle looks pretty cool!

Custom Unit Triumph

I can't say I'm stoked on the pinstriping on this bike but round cushion-type seat is pretty cool and the rear fender molding looks nice. I believe this article comes from a 1968 Trimph Sports Cycle Magazine!

Jail Scene from the "Wild One" - 1960 Reissue (Hi Def)

Although there are no bikes present here the old leathers, striped t-shirts and sweaters, and hats/googles provide a nice frame of reference for the 50's biker outlaw dress code. (For those who want a Chino sweater or Johnny's cap as well as other period motorcycle threads check out: http://nlamc.blogspot.com/2009/04/chino.html )

Chrome in the 50's

This is a great photo showing the array of chromable auto parts. The shop itself just looks warm and inviting. I wouldn't doubt a place like this was used by bikers to plate springer forks, pre-unit front ends, exhaust pipes, and other rarities.

Indian Scout Mild Custom

This picture comes from a book entitled "Rock & Roll Generation - Teen Life in the 50s" with the Indian being shown as a typical Juvenile Delinquent motorcycle of the era. There is a large black and white photo behind showing two guys on bikes with tall ape hangers but thats about all it shows is the handlebars and not the complete bikes. Bummer!


Thanks to Epinut for the link to this Bill Ray photo as posted on the Jockey Journal by Ridinghood!

Indian Photos from 1951

Here are a couple of cool Indian photos, Chief I'm guessing, I picked up this morning at the swapmeet. Clearly the bike can hold a rider and three passengers!

Speedway in 1942!

Leafed into an old scrap book was this early 40's Speedway program. Unfortunately the page page was glued down to a piece of paper but the cover is pretty cool and the standings are intact. Check out the names Jack Milne and Wilbur Lamoreaux in the standings as these guys later teamed up to start a dealership in Los Angeles!

Look Magazine - January 9, 1968 - Irving Penn / Hells Angels

I was looking to pick up a copy of this magazine on Ebay but luckily I found a copy at the swapmeet this morning! Great '68 Hells Angels photos by Irving Penn!

Early 70's Revell Custom Motorcycle Madness!!!

Unfortunately I don't own this brochure as it is for sale on Ebay and though pixelated and tough to read it shows how a custom bike can be put together using parts from other kits. The swingarm shovelhead in the first picture at left has been built using the Harley Police Shovelhead kit for bulk of the build but a cut-down Revell Triumph Show Bike tank has been used to create a sleek little peanut tank. Pre-unit triumph forks are from the same Triumph kit as is the shortened Wassell ribbed fender. This model build is extremely cool!