Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 26, 2013 before the timing lights, the two agreed that Stan was the right rider to take the bike to Bonneville for a run at the record books. The year was 1951, and at Bonneville's Speed Week. Schaller's Harley blew an engine on the first day, but replacement parts were flown by private plane and a new engine was built in Salt Lake City that night, enabling Dishong to go out the rest of the week and clock a speed of 155 mph. Throughout the 1950s Dishong became a leading drag racer in Southern California and built many of the motors run by other drag racers. Dishong was one of the first to use a rear slick on his drag racing machine. According to his son, he spent years trying to convince a tire company to build him a slick at a time when it was considered unthinkable to build a tire, even a drag racing tire, without tread. He finally found a company that agreed to build him a slick, with one small compromise – the tire had superficial grooves cut across the width of the tire. Those were quickly worn off after a burn out. Dishong opened Stan's Cycle in Vallejo, California, in 1953. The shop was filled with rare motorcycles and related memorabilia. Dishong not only displayed the racing bikes he built and raced, he also had some extremely rare antique bikes, originals and restorations of many different makes and models. One of the frequent visitors to Stan's shop was a young Arlen Ness. "I used to go to his shop before I even started into business," Ness said. "Stan was always a great innovator. Back in the early days he developed an overhead cam and made his own head and barrels putting different motors in different frames. He was a big asset to the motorcycle industry." In the 1960s Dishong built the bike that would be his most famous creation – a 1964 Harley-Davidson Panhead boasting overhead cams and oversized barrels custom built by Dishong. "The Hog" as the bike was dubbed displaced 96 cubic inches, or nearly 1600ccs. He set many drag records with The Hog during the 1960s. Dishong's innovations as a builder created a big demand. When the chopper craze hit in the late P97 1960s he became one of the leading accessories builders. Stan created an impressive array of chopper and custom motorcycle accessories, including racing cams, barrels and flywheels as well as extended springer front ends, handlebar risers and custom hubs, fenders, pegs and gear shifters. During the 1970s and '80s Dishong kept his hand in racing by sponsoring speedway racers. In 1987, Dishong closed Stan's Cycle and moved to Port Orford, Oregon, where he and his wife bought a 13-acre ranch. For the next 15 years, Stan and Jackie restored many of his antique motorcycles. When Jackie died in 2002, Stan sold the ranch and opened the Antique Motorcycle and Auto Museum in 2003. The museum featured some 30-odd machines - everything from a 1914 Indian eight-valve board track racer to an immaculate Brough Superior, a 1956 BSA Gold Star Clubman, an Ariel Square Four, and a collection of speedway bikes. The oldest motorcycle in the collection was a very rare 1896 Marks, the engine bearing the serial number 1. Stan's son Larry said of his dad. "If he met someone who was earnestly interested in motorcycles, he would light up like a neon welcome sign. He was legendary for seeing someone on a bike, stopping to talk with them and inviting them to the shop for free advice and parts." Stan Dishong passed away in 2008. He was honored when the NorCal Knockout Car and Bike Show in Vallejo named an award in his honor. He left a legacy as one of motorcycle drag racing's true innovators and one of the preeminent restorers of antique bikes. The late-great AMA Grand National racer Kenny Eggers once said of Stan: "Stan has always been a quiet gentleman, never one for boasting on his deeds or accomplishments, because of this it is hard to state all the important contributions he has made to the motorcycle industry, in preservation or innovation." CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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