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#31
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 28, 2026, 11:32 AMThe aptly named Rollie Free was a motorcycle racer as a young man but is remembered mainly as the subject of the most famous motorcycle photo ever. The picture shows Free, laying flat on a Vincent Black Shadow, wearing nothing but a bathing suit, on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Free had set several speed records at Daytona Beach before going to the Salt Flats in 1948. That year, he set a record at 148 miles per hour but wanted to reach 150.
Thinking that his leather suit was causing drag, Free stripped and put on a skimpy bathing suit. Lying horizontally on the Vincent's fuel tank, stretched out like Superman, he did in fact go 150. Although Free was the guy who earned eternal fame for the stunt, he later admitted that he got the idea after watching Ed Kretz do the same thing at a speed trial on a California dry lake.
In 1950, Free returned to the salt and pushed his record to 156. He survived a high-speed crash that Speed Week - thankfully while wearing full leathers!
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 160
Free had set several speed records at Daytona Beach before going to the Salt Flats in 1948. That year, he set a record at 148 miles per hour but wanted to reach 150.
Thinking that his leather suit was causing drag, Free stripped and put on a skimpy bathing suit. Lying horizontally on the Vincent's fuel tank, stretched out like Superman, he did in fact go 150. Although Free was the guy who earned eternal fame for the stunt, he later admitted that he got the idea after watching Ed Kretz do the same thing at a speed trial on a California dry lake.
In 1950, Free returned to the salt and pushed his record to 156. He survived a high-speed crash that Speed Week - thankfully while wearing full leathers!
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 160
#32
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 27, 2026, 12:56 AMThe most-watched jump in the movies was a stunt in the 1963 film The Great Escape. Although the film's star, Steve McQueen, was a skilled and aggressive motorcycle rider, the producers wouldn't allow him to perform his own stunts, so that jump was made by McQueen's friend and racing mentor Bud Ekins.
Ekins was a veteran Hollywood stunt man and one of the top desert racers in southern California. Although in the story, McQueen's character has stolen a German military-issue motorcycle, the stunt was performed on one of Ekins' Triumph desert racing bikes, repainted in drab military colours.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 155
Ekins was a veteran Hollywood stunt man and one of the top desert racers in southern California. Although in the story, McQueen's character has stolen a German military-issue motorcycle, the stunt was performed on one of Ekins' Triumph desert racing bikes, repainted in drab military colours.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 155
#33
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 26, 2026, 12:54 AMMike Hailwood established himself as the greatest motorcycle racer of all time in the 1960s. With nothing left to prove on two wheels, he set out to become the Formula One car champ.
He won the European Formula Two championship in '72, driving for John Surtees' team. The next year he switched to McLaren and again showed good speed but crashed heavily at the Nurburgring, ending a promising car-racing career.
In 1978, Hailwood announced a return to the Isle of Man TT races, where he'd won his greatest victories. Between the late '60s and the late '70s, road racing had changed dramatically. Thanks to improvements in tires and suspension, cornering speeds were much higher. Racers now all hung off and put their knees down - a technique that was faster but far more physically tiring than the classic, tucked in style from Hailwood's championship years. Mike the Bike proved his doubters wrong when he won 1978 TT on a Ducati. Ironically the class he won was, also, called Formula One.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 150
He won the European Formula Two championship in '72, driving for John Surtees' team. The next year he switched to McLaren and again showed good speed but crashed heavily at the Nurburgring, ending a promising car-racing career.
In 1978, Hailwood announced a return to the Isle of Man TT races, where he'd won his greatest victories. Between the late '60s and the late '70s, road racing had changed dramatically. Thanks to improvements in tires and suspension, cornering speeds were much higher. Racers now all hung off and put their knees down - a technique that was faster but far more physically tiring than the classic, tucked in style from Hailwood's championship years. Mike the Bike proved his doubters wrong when he won 1978 TT on a Ducati. Ironically the class he won was, also, called Formula One.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 150
#34
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 25, 2026, 01:49 AMKenny Roberts had been frustrated that his Yamaha-powered flat tracker was nowhere near as fast on mile tracks as the Harleys. Then Kel Carruthers stuffed a four-cylinder TZ750 road racing motor in a flat track frame. The bike had far too much power even for Roberts. Carruthers had to rig it with a "kill switch" that shut off one of the cylinders, or it would spin the rear tire all the way down the straightaways. Still, the one time Roberts rode it, he won on it.
That was at the 1975 Indy Mile. After wrestling with it the entire race, Roberts somehow found traction coming off the very last turn. The bike shot down the track and Roberts passed a shocked Jay Springsteen a few feet before the finish line. After the race, he blurted, "They don't pay me enough to ride that thing!" He needn't have worried, the AMA soon banned it.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 128
That was at the 1975 Indy Mile. After wrestling with it the entire race, Roberts somehow found traction coming off the very last turn. The bike shot down the track and Roberts passed a shocked Jay Springsteen a few feet before the finish line. After the race, he blurted, "They don't pay me enough to ride that thing!" He needn't have worried, the AMA soon banned it.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 128
#35
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 24, 2026, 09:59 AMLong before there was a Daytona International Speedway, races and record attempts were held on the sandy beachfronts of Daytona and neighbouring Ormond, Florida.
At low tide the damp, hard-packed sand provided a straight, dead level surface that ran for miles. It was perfect for land-speed record attempts. In 1904, the pioneering aviator Glenn H. Curtiss rode his two-cylinder motorcycle 67.36 mph - a class record that stood for seven years.
In 1907, Curtiss returned to the beach with a motorcycle powered by one of his V-8 airplane engines. That motorcycle made about 40 horsepower - a heck of lot in the day. It reached a speed of 136.27 mph.
Curtiss' V-8 wasn't just the world's fastest motorcycle - it was the fastest thing on wheels, period. The daring young man held the land speed record for twelve years until Ralph dePalma went faster in a Packard car, also on Daytona Beach. That was the last time that the outright land speed record was ever held by a motorcycle.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 96
At low tide the damp, hard-packed sand provided a straight, dead level surface that ran for miles. It was perfect for land-speed record attempts. In 1904, the pioneering aviator Glenn H. Curtiss rode his two-cylinder motorcycle 67.36 mph - a class record that stood for seven years.
In 1907, Curtiss returned to the beach with a motorcycle powered by one of his V-8 airplane engines. That motorcycle made about 40 horsepower - a heck of lot in the day. It reached a speed of 136.27 mph.
Curtiss' V-8 wasn't just the world's fastest motorcycle - it was the fastest thing on wheels, period. The daring young man held the land speed record for twelve years until Ralph dePalma went faster in a Packard car, also on Daytona Beach. That was the last time that the outright land speed record was ever held by a motorcycle.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 96
#36
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 22, 2026, 12:13 PMThe Mont Blanc Tunnel is one of the longest and highest tunnels in the world, connecting the highway systems of France and Italy through the Alps. When a transport truck caught fire in the middle of the tunnel, the smoke and flames trapped about 50 people. Of those, 12 survived. All of them reached the mouth of the tunnel saying, "That guy on the motorcycle saved my life."
That man was Pier Lucio Tinazzi, an Italian tunnel employee who rode his BMW K75 in and out of the tunnel - a seven-mile round trip through choking smoke and fumes - to bring people out. On the final trip, he came across an unconscious driver who he could not get onto the back of his motorcycle. He refused to abandon him and dragged him to shelter in a small room off the tunnel. Both men died.
Tinazzi was posthumously awarded Italy's highest honour for civilian bravery, as well as the Federation Internationale Motocycliste (FIM's) gold medal for exceptional courage and service to the sport of motorcycling. Every year, several hundred Italian motorcyclists ride to the tunnel mouth on the anniversary of Tinazzi's heroic deed.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 69
That man was Pier Lucio Tinazzi, an Italian tunnel employee who rode his BMW K75 in and out of the tunnel - a seven-mile round trip through choking smoke and fumes - to bring people out. On the final trip, he came across an unconscious driver who he could not get onto the back of his motorcycle. He refused to abandon him and dragged him to shelter in a small room off the tunnel. Both men died.
Tinazzi was posthumously awarded Italy's highest honour for civilian bravery, as well as the Federation Internationale Motocycliste (FIM's) gold medal for exceptional courage and service to the sport of motorcycling. Every year, several hundred Italian motorcyclists ride to the tunnel mouth on the anniversary of Tinazzi's heroic deed.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 69
#37
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 20, 2026, 12:31 AMA few hundred motorcyclists got rowdy in Hollister on the July 4th, 1947 weekend. Townspeople admitted it had been no worse than what the cowboys did each year at the annual stock fair (and in fact the town staged motorcycle races in Hollister again just a few months later.)
A few days after the so-called riot, a photographer staged a photo of a beefy, threatening looking drunk, slumped on a motorcycle surrounded by empty beer cans.
Life Magazine ran it, triggering a media frenzy that lasted well into the 1960s. In a bizarre example of life imitating art, real gangs motorcycle outlaws were formed in response to those stories.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 62
A few days after the so-called riot, a photographer staged a photo of a beefy, threatening looking drunk, slumped on a motorcycle surrounded by empty beer cans.
Life Magazine ran it, triggering a media frenzy that lasted well into the 1960s. In a bizarre example of life imitating art, real gangs motorcycle outlaws were formed in response to those stories.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 62
#38
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 18, 2026, 01:35 AMIt is impossible to overstate the impact of the first truly mass-production four-cylinder, disc-braked motorcycle. When the CB750 was unveiled at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show consumers gasped and the world press (and rival companies) were taken by surprise. It had been developed by a small team working in total secrecy. The team leader was Yoshiro Harada.
Harada toured the United States a few years earlier, meeting American riders and Honda motorcycle dealers when Honda introduced the CB450 twin. That bike had sold poorly in America respite the fact that it outperformed much bigger British twins. He realized that the U.S. with its wide-open spaces, would embrace a big, powerful bike. The decision to make it 750cc was based on the knowledge that Triumph and BSA were developing 750cc triples. It would be a four-cylinder bike to evoke Honda's Grand Prix racing heritage (and up the English). Finally, it would produce at least 67 horsepower, since the most powerful Harleys made 66!
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 23
Harada toured the United States a few years earlier, meeting American riders and Honda motorcycle dealers when Honda introduced the CB450 twin. That bike had sold poorly in America respite the fact that it outperformed much bigger British twins. He realized that the U.S. with its wide-open spaces, would embrace a big, powerful bike. The decision to make it 750cc was based on the knowledge that Triumph and BSA were developing 750cc triples. It would be a four-cylinder bike to evoke Honda's Grand Prix racing heritage (and up the English). Finally, it would produce at least 67 horsepower, since the most powerful Harleys made 66!
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 23
#39
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 17, 2026, 07:12 AMHere's a note from the Department of Scary Thoughts: many early motorcycle "carburettors" were just pans of gasoline that were heated by an open flame. Vapours produced that way were then burned in the cylinders. Back then, "crash and burn" was not simply a figure of speech.
Spray carburettors were obviously much safer, but early carbs lacked throttles. Riders controlled speed by simply choking the air intake, or by changing their spark advance.
Oscar Hedstrom, the engineer behind Indian "motocycles" was one of the first people to devise a throttle-controlled carburettor. That was in 1901.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 13
Spray carburettors were obviously much safer, but early carbs lacked throttles. Riders controlled speed by simply choking the air intake, or by changing their spark advance.
Oscar Hedstrom, the engineer behind Indian "motocycles" was one of the first people to devise a throttle-controlled carburettor. That was in 1901.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 13
#40
General Discussion / Re: From the Library
Last post by Biggles - Mar 16, 2026, 07:22 AMIn '62, American Honda sold 40,000 motorcycles through its 750-dealer network. When management set a target of 200,000 units the following year, Honda's ad agency, Grey, knew they had their work cut out for them.
Grey's creative types proposed a set of print ads showing students, women and couples - not the "typical" motorcyclists - on Honda's 50cc step-through Cub. The ads proclaimed, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda". In 1964 Grey produced a "nicest people" TV ad that ran during the Academy Awards.
The campaign not only launched Honda in the U.S. market, it redeemed the image of motorcycling as a whole.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 7
Grey's creative types proposed a set of print ads showing students, women and couples - not the "typical" motorcyclists - on Honda's 50cc step-through Cub. The ads proclaimed, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda". In 1964 Grey produced a "nicest people" TV ad that ran during the Academy Awards.
The campaign not only launched Honda in the U.S. market, it redeemed the image of motorcycling as a whole.
Bathroom Book Of Motorcycle Trivia Mark Gardiner Day 7