Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126821
(Above) The Indian Chief was generally regarded as the f inest touring cycle of the era, (Below) A v intage meet is great for lo catin g obscu r~ parts. HONDA Super Cycle Weekend JUNE 7-9 ~FORMULA ,I was just a kid then bu t I remember wh en' they were new," he said. "T h ey sold for $110 to $115." If an o ld motorcycle is found in running condition with original (but presumably faded) paint and without visible damage, aficionados usually leave it as is. After all , this is the way it originally came and represents a pure innocence not gussied up by modern restora tion. ' But most are recent ' restorations meticu lously assembled from parts gathered from hither and yon. Adj acent to the motorcycle conco urse was a we ll-attended swapmeet in which sellers spread o ut wi re m ilk cartons and cardboard boxes filled with so me new but mostly used and rusty parts. Malcolm Milligan, operator of BAT Resto ra tio ns o f EI Mon ie, who had a big sp read at the swa pmeet, now keeps the mo torcycles he once bu ilt o n th e road. In the early 1960s, he worked at the Birm in gh am , Engla nd, factory o f BSA, the British ma ke w hich for decades was the world's top seller. Milligan. 50, wea ri ng a knit ca p and speaking in an English accent, ca n h ardl y believe that a decade af ter h e left the fac to ry th e o nce-mighty _ BSA company folded. T he p art s czar of Visa lia was Lonn ie Isa m, 35. ow ne r of Competition M o torcy cl e s in H o u s to n . Isa m brought a truck load o f parts for o ld American motorcycles fro m h is Texas shop where he hasaccu mu lated 100 tons of spares a nd 250 motorcycles. At the Steve McQueen esta te sale in November , Isa m pl un ked down $25,500 for a 1909 P ierce Cyclone: the h ighest price ever pa id for a vi ntage motorcycle. Isa m , who sets up shop at a n tiq ue n I m of,?!:. q'c~e: NVAAme~ -.i. (tp f s Il\iti. • • . 1 west a nd east, was taking in his first Visalia sh ow , but said h e wa s not p articularly impressed. " It 's mainl y junk h ere," he said. " I hav en 't found 10 0 much th at I'd want to buy." Sh eet meta l parts - tan ks, fenders and sid ecovers - are most prized by collectors. They are most li kely to have been dis carded or damaged over th e years. The smaller fi ttings such as clamps and lin ka ge parts a re hard to find , but a re relatively easy to manufacture. The larger engine parts are very nearly bu lletproof and usu a lly can be repaired 'if fou nd da maged . The o ld motorcycles, though prone to malfunctions, endure because th ey are of durable construction with parts that are rebu ildable. No ligh tweigh t 'a lu m in u m here. Cast iro n is the order of the day . John Canessa, 39, who works at a Vent ura motorcycle shop, to u rs extensivel y o n h is 1945 Indian Chief, a l 300cc V-twin that in its heyday wa s a leadi ng American mak e. He says his well-worn Chief need not fear of being ret ired to th e ha p p y hunting ground for lack of parts. "For ins tance, the generator on th ere is a Volkswagen- Bosch type ," Canessa said. " I t just ha p pens to fit. I can ge t mos t of the parts for it over the counterfrom an a u to parts store. • • ~FORMULA II ~SUPER BIKE ~TWINS ~SIDECARS SAN CTIONED { DIAL 414/876~3366 Order tickets by May _ and save 29 up to $10! Or writeRoad America, Elkhart Lake, 'WI 53020 for our 1985 brochure. Judging results ' PRE-1930: 1. 1919 Ind ian Power Plus . Marv Bake r; 2, 1916 Cleve land. Ray Hook ; 3 , 1929 Henderson KF. Bill Barkhau . 1930·39: I , 1932 H-D VL Del Du Chene ; 2. .1939 BSA M -20. Don Harrell; 3, 1935 Rud ge Wh itworth , Ralph Harmon. -' 194 0 -49 : 1. 1949 Indian Sup er Scou t. Bob Berryhill; 2, 1941 H-D 45. Julie A lden ; 3 , 1947 Tr iu mp h Speed Tw in. Geo rge Patr ick. 1950- 5 9 : I , 1955 Vinc en t Blac k Kn igh t, Chase Will iams; 2. 1, 56 Norton Dominator. Brian Slar k; 9 3 . 1957 Ari el Squar e Four . Ralph Harmon. 1960-69 : 1. 1962 BSA Gold Sta r. Gary Bland in : 2. Ma tchless GSS. Bob Cleveland ; 3.1 962 Triump h I M~"nta,in ~, org~ .~ nvp~ 'l ' ~t.), 1 j ~. ~ ~ l1u.1l. Official gasoline Union 76 Official car Nissan VISA