Currently on exhibit at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in New York, 'The Mexican Suitcase' refers to three cardboard boxes smuggled out of France at the beginning of WW2, likely by the Mexican ambassador, containing 126 rolls of film, lost for 70 years, from three of the most important photojournalists to cover the Spanish Civil War; Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David 'Chim' Seymour. These three young and idealistic photographers entered Spain in 1936 to document the terrible struggle between the elected Leftist government, and a half-successful coup organized by General Francisco Franco, backed by a coalition of monarchists, capitalists, the Catholic church, and Fascists.
Hoping to sway international opinion through the use of their photographs, Capa, Taro (Capa's lover, see both above), and Chim took dramatic photos which changed the course of photography, if not the war. With the mantra 'if the photo isn't interesting, you're not close enough to the battle', these three were intimately involved with the Republican soldiers fighting against the US- and Fascist-backed rebellion. The three photographers weren't the only foreigners helping the Republicans via media accounts; luminaries such as Ernest Hemingway (below), Paul Robeson, Pablo Neruda, and George Orwell (who actually took up arms, and wrote 'Homage to Catalonia' about his experiences in the war) felt the urgency of fighting the European tide of Fascism which arose in the 1930s in Italy and Germany.
The Republican soldier riding the motorcycle was photographed by Gerda Taro (the nom de plume of Gerta Pohrylle of Germany), and is hiding in the forest during an aerial attack by German Heinkel He51s, in the battle of Navacerrada Pass, between Madrid and Segovia, early June 1937. This very battle is the setting for Ernest Hemingway's 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', in which a journalist/Hemingway stand-in, Robert Jordan, is an American who travels to Spain to fight fascism. About 2800 Americans (the 'Abraham Lincoln Brigade') did so, although I doubt any brought their motorcycles, as there was an official US embargo on providing any material aid to the Spanish, and some of the Americans were prosecuted after returning to the US.
The Harley Davidson looks to be a 'VLD' model of 1932-'36, their 74cubic inch sidevalve roadster, hardly suited to the kind of off-road work used in a military campaign... but of course, private motorcycles were pressed into service during war in Spain, and shortly after, the rest of Europe. The Harley has a German Bosch headlamp, which may have been a convenient replacement for the original item, after damage. No other modifications appear to have been made to the bike; Spain had no time to make specialist war equipment or even paint military machines drab or camouflage. In his leather jacket and boots, plus beret and goggles, the rider could be any of us on his Harley, out for a spin in the woods. But the look of anxiety on his face, keeping his hands on the 'bars, means our rider is ready to hightail it at the first sign of an incoming plane...
Thanks to JJ Ward for alerting me to these photos! For more info, please read this article in The Nation.
The contemporary tale of Harley Davidson/MV Agusta proves the lessons of the past have yet to be learned, the entire scenario being a poor repeat of H-D's previous of Aermacchi in 1961. At that time, H-D sought an entry into small-capacity motorcycling, as they hadn't developed any lightweight bikes since introducing the Hummer (below), whose design was based wholly on the DKW RT125, blueprints and tooling of which were acquired as war trophies/reparations immediately following WW2. Thus, H-D had a lot of catching up to do, having done no development in the fastest-growing segment of motorcycling in the late 1940s through early 70s. Having done the calculations, I'm certain management concluded it would be more cost-effective to purchase a small company with a successful product line of lightweights, than begin a years-long process of developing a new H-D line of small machines.
Harley was successful initially with their new models, which proved popular, for racing, street, and off-road uses. The move required a huge effort to arm-wrestle dealers into selling bikes they didn't know at all, make space on shop floors, and retrain thousands of service departments to work on unfamiliar models, which were introduced at a rapid pace. Every H-D mechanic also had to buy a complete new set of metric tools! Echoes of their grumbling can still be heard today, and it's a rare true-blue Harley enthusiast/dealer/mechanic who retains fondness for the Aermacchi episode, or frankly, even acknowledge the Italian machines as H-Ds at all.
The flabbergasting conclusion to this whole tale isn't the fact that H-D sold MV Agusta for a reported 3Euros - that's typical when a corporate buyer must assume the debts of the seller's company. No, it's that BOTH deals involved the Castiglioni brothers, who purchased Aermacchi from Harley in the 1978. The Castiglionis have repeated the exercise, decades later, of buying an Italian motorcycle company for a song when H-D was in financial trouble. A remarkable case of déja vu - haven't we been here before? The Castiglioni's won't have it easy to revive MV Agusta from its current moribund state, but they managed in the 70s to prosper after buying Aermacchi back from H-D, and seem to have come out just fine in the end. Their tale, and that of their father Giovanni, deserves to be told on these pages, as Giovanni founded Cagiva in 1950 and sons Claudio and Gianfranco inherited the company - changing the focus in 1978 from metals production to motorcycles.
George Santayana famously wrote (in 'The Life of Reason', 1905), "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". It would seem H-Ds venture with MV Agusta was doomed from the start.
"Motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson completed the sale of MV Agusta, its sport-bike business based in Varese, Italy. The company’s announcement didn’t include the sale price but its 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed the company essentially paid MV Agusta’s former owners to take it back.
In the filing Harley said it “contributed 20 million Euros to MV as operating capital” that was put in escrow and is available to the buyer over a 12-month period. The buyer is Claudio Castiglioni, who, with his brother Gianfranco, ran MV Agusta for years before selling it to Harley two years ago for about $109 million.
At the time Harley was concerned that its core baby-boomer customers were getting older and losing their will and ability to ride motorcycles. So it bought MV Agusta, a maker of expensive, exotic, high-performance sport bikes as a quick way to attract younger buyers. But the strategy never worked out. While MVs are wonderful bikes for purists who treat each motorcycle ride almost like a gym workout, riding them in traffic or as casual transportation can be a chore. They are also prohibitively expensive for many motorcycle enthusiasts.
In the filing Harley also said it received “nominal consideration” from the buyer. In a subsequent interview the company said the specific amount it received was $3 Euros. A company spokesman said the terms of the transaction “reflect the realities of the current economic environment and the difficult conditions” in the sport-bike market. Motorcycle sales in the U.S. have been sagged in the past few years after more than a decade of steady growth. Unlike cars, which began a recovery this year, motorcycles are typically discretionary purchases — the type consumers give up during difficult economic times.
Harley has previously write-downs totaling $162.6 million for the fair value of MV Agusta and began treating the unit as a discontinued operation after announcing its intention to sell it a year ago. The company said it anticipate additional related losses from discontinued operations in the third quarter of 2010.
A footnote: There is a certain element of should-have-known-better in this story. This isn’t the first time Harley-Davidson has had a hard time with an Italian acquisition. In the 1960s it bought a stake in Aermacchi, a maker of small off-road bikes as a way to expand into new markets. Eventually it bought the whole company, but that move also eventually failed and Harley sold Aermacchi in the late 1970s. The sellers and buyers: the Castiglioni brothers."
I've had so much response to the Hacker-built Harleys at the Grossglockner Hillclimb, it seemed appropriate to give a littl background on these enigmatic and compelling machines. First mention on these pages was the appearance of the 8-Valve Harley at the Bonhams Pamplona collection sale; photographs of the machine from the Bonhams press kit had me immediately cross-eyed.
It was clear the machine was special, and very likely indeed A Special, as four-valve cylinder heads weren't used on J-model crankcases... but you never know what you'll find in the motorcycling world, and there was a slim chance it was some factory-built European roadracer, a la the OHV 1926 Indian 750cc, of which 3 were built to compete in Europe, complete with brakes, mudguards, and megaphones. The black Harley was very clearly built in this spirit, although 'modern' touches like the twin Amal TT carbs gave a hint to some modern thinking. The bike was clearly built for speed, with a period aspect, giving the whole ensemble a unity which is very convincing. Plus, an applied patina to all parts gives a feeling of real period authenticity. Full marks.
The black Harley sold at Bonhams for £29,000, to an English rider/collector, who was kind enough to bring it to Grossglocker so all could revel in its glory. Unfortunately, serious magneto trouble prevented a run up the hill, even after long hours spend on Friday night; only one cylinder would cooperate, so the bike was shelved for the weekend. Sad, as the bike was built by Harry Hacker to make some serious horsepower. Note in the above photos how slim is the machine; those 1920s Harleys were lithe and fast, giving no hint of the bloated dinosaurs the marque would produce in years to come.
I spoke with Harry Hacker, proprietor of his own shop and perhaps best known as partner of Fritz Simmerlien in the Harleysons motorcycle club and website, during the weekend, to prise the secrets of his build on the two OHV Harley conversions at the Hillclimb. The Black machine used standard Harley 'J' crankcases, with cylinder barrels and 4-Valve heads provided by Fred Lange Restorations. A standard J rolling chassis is used, with the addition of a front drum brake, from a later model; the rear brake is the typical contracting-band item which grips the outside of the brake drum. Kind of humorous, that brake, given that Harry reckons the bike puts out around 70hp! That's almost 3 times the original output of the inlet-over-exhaust J... expect wheel-spinning antics from the new owner of the machine... although he seems a civilized sort, sporting a tie underneath his Belstaff jacket - a Vintagent for sure!
The Second Hacker machine, in green, was hitched to a vintage Harley sidecar, ridden by the man himself, with wife Otilie as active ballast. The green bike is similar in general configuration to the black, although the engine is entirely new, with beefed-up crankcases, all new internals, and replica Peashooter cylinders and heads. It makes a little more hp than the earlier black machine, around 72hhp Harry says, but sports the same patinated condition, lagged exhaust pipes (four of them!), English saddle, and later front brake, this one looking identical to a BSA 8" item, but methinks it is actually a Harley 'K' model item?
A Harley such as this would have no problem hauling a chair and passenger up a steep incline, if those hp figures are accurate. The Peashooter heads share a single Schebler carb of large diameter, making a tune-up much easier, and perhaps a better low-end mixture - very important when carrying a bunch of weight alongside.
The result of all Hacker's work is a pair of extremely appealing vintage motorcycles, with serious performance and an eye towards authenticity. To the uninitiated, they look like 'the real thing', even though such bikes never existed in the 1920s...would that they did! But, it would add another zero to the selling price...
My pal Dan Pereyra, whose 'almost mine' 1915 Indian was featured here last May, has an almost-one-family from new Harley '45', which has traveled a long way to be with him here in CA. His uncle Hector (above), a Seventh Day Adventist minister in Paysandu, Uruguay, bought the 1947 Harley-Davidson with sidecar as a new machine. His vision, perhaps clouded by his desire to own a motorcycle, was to use the outfit as his church bus, ferrying parishoners from their homes to his church on Sundays. His congregation must have been small indeed! As rugged as the Harley was, it led a rough existence on the difficult terrain and and rutted dirt roads of rural Uruguay. Eight months later, after several breakdowns which stranded his flock, he thought better of his 'church bus', and sold the outfit. The new owner was a photographer, a Sr. Marshalles in the town of Colonia Suiza, and the bike passed out of the Pereyra family. Marshalles likely needed a truck for his equipment - such was the life of the Harley - not a pleasure machine but a workhorse. Three-wheelers, while more stable than a motorcycle on lousy roads, have their handling quirks, and within a week the Harley had thrown its new owner into a ditch and overturned. While neither was badly hurt, the man decided he would never ride it again, and brought it back to the bank which financed his purchase.
It so happened that Dan's father Claudio (left), then 21 and a bachelor, had an account at the same bank, and noted the year-old Harley for sale. He decided to purchase the machine, ignorant of the fact that his own brother Hector, who lived over 100 miles away, had owned the machine originally. Apparently the outfit suited him better than the previous two owners, as he kept it for the next 15 years, becoming the 'family car' when he married and had children. It was ridden through dusty roads in the warm months and muddy tracks when it rained, through flooded streams and over the ever-present rocks and rugged terrain. Claudio had a construction business, and when not hauling children, used the Harley as his 'work truck', carrying lumber, stones, sand, tools, and cement to his job sites. While the bike was often seriously overloaded, under-maintained, and a long way from the nearest dealer, the Harley was a tough beast and kept on going. The sidecar chassis broke away from the motorcycle once, sending Dan's pregnant mother, like an errant torpedo, into a ditch! When the roads became really muddy, travel slowed to a crawl as mud had to be continually cleared from beneath the fenders, otherwise the wheels would jam up. Fording deep and fast-flowing winter streams was often necessary, sometimes with the help of a truck and a rope; Claudio 'rode' the outfit through the water while in tow, and occasionally the bike (and rider) would be completely swamped. It was a simple matter to remove the points and spark plugs to dry, kick the engine through to remove any ingested water, and be on his way. A helpful pusher was once rewarded with a muffler full of steamy water when the bike fired up after such a crossing.
The Harley was the only transport Dan knew until age 7, but the machine was sold to a laborer employed by his father, Sr. Cabeza, when the family decided to make a fresh start in the US. The fellow was loyal to the family; he locked the Harley away and promised that the father could buy it back should he return to Uruguay. 18 years later, Dan and his brother Alfredo made a trip to see their birthplace, and managed to track down the laborer in hope of returning the bike to the Pereyra family for the third time; amazingly the bike was still locked up at his home, but had suffered from 18 years on a dirt floor and partial exposure to the elements. And perhaps, Dan's rosy image of his childhood transport was given a rude dose of reality when confronted with a dirty and rusty old motorcycle! Nonetheless, Dan felt the machine was family itself, and offered the laborer $300; there had been many previous offers, but he would only sell to Dan's father! Luckily Dan's parents made a trip to Uruguay not long afterwards, and Dan sent enough money to buy and ship the bike to California. All went according to plan, until Uruguayan Customs found that the title for the Harley was still in the photographer's name, from 1948! It took 4 1/2 years to find the widow of the man, and she willingly signed over the document; thus the bike was finally brought to the US.
Dan spent eighteen months restoring the outfit, finding that spares for the '45' were plentiful, but the sidecar was a very rare thing indeed, and worn and missing fittings were almost impossible to replace. By luck, he found everything he needed, usually from old dealer's stock, and vendors who had no idea what the parts were.
Dan's biggest problem now; he has two sons, and can't decide which one will carry on the family attachment to the old Harley.
Martin sent this great photo of his Grandfather and Mother on the family sidecar outfit. Here is his tale:
"My Grandfather, Barth Hompa was born in Germany in 1901; my Grandmother, Marie, was also from Germany, born in 1902. They both came to San Francisco in 1922, and were married in a small church near the San Francisco Mint on Church St [the church is still there...] They bought a home on 20th St. near Dolores St. in 1924 - Grandpa had his own machine shop, and was a machinist for Burgermeister Brewery [unfortunately, long gone...although there used to be punk shows in the empty vats]. He bought his Harley as a used S.F. police bike, complete with a sidecar. Looks to be an early '30's model. He loved to go fishing on the Feather River and would take my Mom, Lorraine, along for the ride; hence the Catfish painted on the tank [click on the photo for a better look]. She's only 10 in this picture. The whole family would ride together on occasion; on one memorable ride Grandfather and Mom had some fuel supply problems, so my Mom had to sit in the sidecar, feeding gasoline from a can into the fuel line while they rode. My Mom said they were doing 90 mph heading home. I believe this because my Grandfather had a wilder side; my Grandmother was really upset the hear about thisadventure. On another ride with Grandpa, my Mom was found walking back home. "Where's your father?" my Grandmother asked. My Mom replied, "Well... uh, he will be home in a little while." Turns out the fuel system gave them more trouble. This time the bike caught fire a few blocks from home. Nice. Because of his wilder side, he nearly killed himself on the bike once. That was enough for my Grandmother. She sold the bike one day while he was at work. He later thanked her when he calmed down. "
I met Jan Gerben at my Yerba Buena Antique Motorcycle Club meeting last night - although a resident of the Netherlands, he'd ridden down from Alaska, and is passing through San Francisco on his way to South America, making the ride of his life. Lots of people have the ambition to take a motorcycle from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, but Jan is the only one I've met whose chosen transport is a 65 year old sidevalve Harley '45' model WLC. Jan purchased the ex-Canadian army bike about 10 years ago (it was one of many abandoned in Europe after WW2), in good running condition, and had put a few miles in on local club runs plus some modest touring. He hankered for a gesture more grand, and managed to snag a 6 month sabbatical from his job as an economist for a hospital, to ride his motorcycle as far south as he could, from as far north in North America as he could manage.
Post-9/11 shipping constraints meant he was forced to have the Harley flown to Anchorage via DHL (see pic below), where he met the machine last August, and promptly rode further north. Although theoretically still summer, the weather reserves its own rights in Alaska, and he encountered rain, sleet, and snow during his adventures there, although he met some interesting an helpful souls along the way.
Especially when his generator packed up in Prince Rupert, and the local Harley dealer took one look at the bike and sent him back out the door (how's that for backing your product?).
Luckily, only two degrees of separation found him at a retired dealer's collection, where he was able to get the parts he needed (photos of some of his 4-cylinders - Ace, Indian, Henderson - are below).
As he neared California, the generator began acting up again, as did the clutch and through friends he found Vince Spaddaro, one of our local vintagents, who is an early Harley expert, and was able to help with parts. Jan says high-mileage days are very hard on his old bike, as the steady high engine temperatures seem to take their toll on parts, so he limits his cruising speed to 50-55mph, and keeps the miles below his record 400 in one day. Having ridden a few rigid frame machines that distance myself, I'd say that was a good idea, as much for his body as the bike!
Jan has a nice blog with photos documenting the trip, and while most of it is in Dutch, some is translated into English.
Best of luck!
All photos are from Jan's blog, and presumably copyright Jan Gerben.
Here's an interesting development; and you probably read it here first! Don't gloss over the legal stuff at the bottom, it's worth a giggle (ie, if it all falls apart, don't sue us!). Thanks to Debbie at Thunder Press for the info.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON TO ACQUIRE MV AGUSTA GROUP
EXPANDING PRESENCE IN EUROPE
Italian Company Known for Premium, High-Performance Motorcycles
Milwaukee, Wis., July 11, 2008 -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group (MVAG). Under the agreement, Harley-Davidson will acquire 100 percent of MV Agusta Group shares for total consideration of approximately 70 million euros ($109 million), which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros ($70 million). In addition, the agreement provides for a contingent payment to Claudio Castiglioni in 2016, if certain financial targets are met.MV Agusta Group is privately held, with the Castiglioni family owning 95 percent of MVAG shares. The acquisition is expected to close in several weeks, pending the satisfaction of contingencies and receipt of regulatory approvals. Harley-Davidson intends to fund the transaction primarily through euro-denominated debt. MV Agusta Group has two families of motorcycles: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. MV Agusta’s F4-R motorcycle, powered by a 1078cc in-line four-cylinder liquid cooled engine, is rated at 190 hp. The company sells its products through about 500 dealers worldwide, the vast majority of them in Europe. In 2007, MVAG shipped 5,819 motorcycles. During 2008 MVAG has significantly slowed production due to financial difficulties. “Motorcycles are the heart, soul and passion of Harley-Davidson, Buell and MV Agusta,” said Harley-Davidson, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jim Ziemer. “Both have great products and close connections with incredibly devoted customers. The MV Agusta and Cagiva brands are well-known and highly regarded in Europe. They are synonymous with beautiful, premium, Italian performance motorcycles,” Ziemer said. Harley-Davidson, Inc. plans to continue to operate MV Agusta Group from its headquarters based in Varese, Italy. Following closing, the first priority will be to appoint a leadership team to include a new Managing Director and to resume the manufacture of current models. Current MV Agusta Group Chairman Claudio Castiglioni will continue in a leadership role as Chairman and will play a major role in future product development. Design Chief Massimo Tamburini will continue his leadership of MV Agusta Group’s world leading sport-bike design studio. “We take enormous pride in MV Agusta and Cagiva motorcycles,” said Castiglioni. “Our riders seek an uncompromising experience in premium performance motorcycles. And with Harley-Davidson’s deep understanding of the emotional as well as the business side of motorcycling, I have great confidence that our motorcycles will excite customers for generations to come.” According to Ziemer, the acquisition is intended primarily to expand Harley-Davidson, Inc’s presence and footprint in Europe, complementing the Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycle families. Retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles have grown at a double-digit rate in Europe in each of the last three years, as the Company has increased its strategic focus on global markets. “The acquisition of MV Agusta Group will enhance Harley-Davidson, Inc’s position as a global leader in fulfilling customer dreams and providing extraordinary customer experiences. We look forward to a long relationship with the MV Agusta and Cagiva families of customers and employees,” said Ziemer.
Conference Call Harley-Davidson, Inc. will hold a webcast conference call regarding the acquisition from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. (central time) today, July 11, with Tom Bergmann, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Harley-Davidson, Inc. To access the webcast, please log on and register at least ten minutes prior to the start time at www.harley-davidson.com , under the Investor Relations section. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same location approximately two hours after the call concludes. Company Background Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), Buell Motorcycle Company (Buell) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services. HDMC manufactures five families of motorcycles: Touring, Dyna®, Softail ®, Sportster ® and VRSC™. Buell produces premium sport performance motorcycles and offers a line of motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel. HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs primarily to Harley-Davidson and Buell dealers and customers. Forward-Looking Statements Harley-Davidson, Inc. intends that certain matters discussed in this release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as Harley “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” or “estimates” or words of similar meaning. Similarly, statements that describe future plans, objectives, outlooks, targets, guidance or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this release. Certain risks and uncertainties are described below. Shareholders, potential investors, and other readers are urged to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are only made as of the date of this release, and Harley-Davidson, Inc. disclaims any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Although Harley-Davidson and MV Agusta Group have signed a definitive purchase agreement, there is no assurance that all of the contingencies will be satisfied or that the governmental approvals will be obtained in a timely manner or at all. The proposed acquisition may not occur if the conditions to completing the transaction are not satisfied in a timely manner.
In addition, Harley-Davidson intends to finance a portion of the consideration by borrowing funds and its level of indebtedness may increase as a result, which may cause Harley-Davidson to incur additional interest expense and limit Harley-Davidson’s ability to obtain additional financing. It could also increase Harley-Davidson’s exposure to general adverse economic and industry conditions and adversely impact Harley-Davidson, Inc.’s earnings per share. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson may have challenges successfully integrating or profitably operating the business of MV Agusta Group.
And now for something completely different... I recently made the acquaintance of Buck Pilkenton, who built this tongue-in-cheek cafe racer, the Nortley Farster; an odd coupling of a Norton Featherbed frame and Harley Evo engine. Buck's thoughts on the machine are below:
"The Nortley Fartster has its roots in the rocker era of the 60's. A number of British bike riders were assembling homemade specials from parts at hand- factory, aftermarket, and homemade- with the idea of creating machines which combined what they thought were the best styling and/or functional features of various makes. Some of these specials were better than others, depending on the components selected and the quality of craftsmanship that went into the mating up of parts which were never intended to meet. One component which was generally regarded as one of the best of its kind was the Norton Featherbed frame. The featherbed had been around in different formats, all superficially similar and geometrically identical, since 1948, and had the reputation of being just about the best handling unit out there. There were other virtues to the featherbed. One was availability, as Norton engines seemed to have even more vices than their contemporaries and there were often non running Nortons to be had. The vast space surrounded by the frame tubes was another plus, there was room in there for just about any powerplant one wished to install.
A basic theme of rocker customs was cafe racer styling - clip on bars, rearset footpegs, and minimal street equipment. The idea was to emulate the classic road racers which were already being challenged by the Japanese teams. Such cafe racer customs have long been my personal favorites, and are the functional and stylistic inspirations of the Nortley Fartster.
Back in 1988, I bought a new Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster. It was a cool machine, no doubt about that. Like many bike owners, I fooled around with customizing the machine, first with bolt on replacement parts, then with home made bits. A cafe racer theme emerged as I machined up a pair of rearset footrests and controls, made other pieces to give the front end a classic look and performed more bolt on part swaps. The results looked all right, but the more I rode the bike, the less I liked it. Something just wasn't right. One evening I sat and stared at the machine, mentally separating the parts I liked from those that I didn't. The conclusion was that I liked the engine- a gutsy, rumbling lump that, for all its obsolescence in the face of the newer machines out there, says MOTORCYCLE in a loud clear voice. The rest was junk. Not that there is anything wrong with the Sportster, it is one of the purest stock motorcycles made, but given the limitations dictated by the factory frame it just wasn't going to make a satisfactory cafe racer. With its low set seat and rear fender, and the much higher tank and steering head up front there is a stepped look that I find awkward in a cafe racer. This shape can be used to advantage in styling a chopper, a street tracker, or a street drag bike, but again, just doesn't say road racer to me. At the risk of starting a riot, the BSA Gold Star shares this fault and while a generally handsome machine, set up as a cafe racer that steering head spoils the sleek line that otherwise looks like speed.
A week or so later I was up in Seattle and looked up an old friend. It turned out that a friend of his had a featherbed frame for sale so I looked at it. Despite some modification to the bottom tubes, all appeared sound and straight. Mainly, it appeared as if there was room for a 1200 Sportster engine, and the deal was done. Upon my return home, I yarded the engine out of the Sportster and heaved it up onto the workbench where the frame sat. After a few minutes of wrestling, the engine sat in the frame, there was indeed room, if just barely. Thus was the Nortley Fartster (NORTon harLEY FeAtheRbed sporTSTER) was conceived, and there has been no looking back. All I needed to do, so I thought in my childlike innocence, was to cobble up some motor mounts, throw on some wheels, and putt away. As things transpired, mounting the engine to the frame was the easiest part of the project. There have been blood, sweat, tears, dollars and much foul language expended on the job, and if I had it all to do over, there is damned little that I would change. After all, any yahoo with good credit could go out and buy a machine that would be faster, fancier, superior by any impartially applied comparison, and identical to any number of its ilk seen on the road. More power to those folks, may they ride long and joyfully, but to my mind one must commit oneself very deeply to one's bike, or it is not truly his own. Nor do bolt on pieces make a bike a custom, neither does paying some shop, no matter how competent, to do ones work for him. If it ain't yours, it ain't YOURS. This was from the start one of the ideals of the Nortley Fartster, to do as much of the of the job myself as my abilities and facilities allowed.
Stubbornly sticking to this ideal has been an education. I propose here what I call Buck's Challenge. Visualize the worst factory produced piece of crap you can think of. It doesn't matter what it is, any mass produced object will do. Now, set yourself up with the best equipped shop you can imagine, all the tools that infinite money could buy, and even a telepathically accessed library of all the industrial arts knowledge accumulated since the taming of fire. OK? Now, try to create something better than that worst piece of crap. I guarantee that you will develop a whole new respect for the people who bring things to your store shelves. But then, if there is one common theme among motorheads, it is that we all believe that we each have a better idea. Life could be somewhat boring otherwise."...............Buck Pilkenton
If you fancy owning such a statement machine, Buck is in a selling mood, as his body is currently lagging behind his enthusiasm for the N-F. You can contact Buck by email here.
Posts
