Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 40 October 10, 2017

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE "R ed" Armstrong raced the boards in the 1910s as one of leading FAM Class A racing stars. In old age, Red became the beloved patriarch of Indian Motorcycle Company. He worked for Indian, either directly or indirectly, for most of the 50- year history of the company. He was one of the diehard loyalists who tried in vain to keep the company going in its final days in the mid-1950s. Armstrong was also a Vaudevillian motorcycle stunt rider, building a special "Silodrome" and traveling with various riding partners, putting on shows in theaters across the country. Born in southern Illinois on April 5, 1888, Erle Armstrong was the son of a mining engineer and his family moved to Colo- rado when he was 10. Armstrong became Colorado State bicycling champion at the age of 16. It was about this time that he became interested in motorcycles. He purchased his first machine, an Orient, in 1904. In 1906, Armstrong took a job making 30 cents an hour as a mechanic for a Denver Indian dealership. He worked 10 hours a day, six days a week, to be able to afford to race. Armstrong became one of the best racers in the Denver area. He cut his teeth racing in Denver on the board track at Tuileries Park. He won his first race in 1906 and was dubbed "Red" for his brightly colored hair. Legend has it that as a young man Red was quite the ladies' man, which purportedly led to an infamous incident. He was racing in Denver and a girl who Red had P98 They Called Him Red (Left) Erle "Red" Armstrong

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