Rick krosts custom motorcycle frames classic motorcycle. The bikes have an appeal to me due to their very basic nature, just an engine, wheels and frame. Created to pay homage the old board track racing days of the past, the early board track racers are some of our favorite bikes. Boardtrack racing promoted an early culture of speed. Based on the same technology as european velodromes used for bicycle racing, this track and others like it were constructed with 2inch 51 mm x 4inch 100 mm boards, often with turns banked at up to 45 degrees. For most anywhere going faster than 20 mph puts your ride into the moped to motorcycle range. Discussion in board trackers and vintage motorized bicycles started by dreammachine, aug 14, 20. Ive been observing and researching this site since last fall with the goal of building a fun, sleek looking board track racer inspired motorized bike. Board track racing was a type of motorsport popular in the united states during the 1910s and 1920s.
Been looking for a a few days for a good book or two on the early american boardtracking racing racers indian, cyclone, hd, etc during the 1920 and 1930s era. With fantastic mpgs from the 80cc 2 stroke motor, the joy of riding to the corner store or all the way across town is up to you. These kits come with modified frame, stainless steel gas tank, matching oil tanktool box, custom idler assembly, layback seatpost, and modified monark forks that can handle mb duty and actually work correctly. Californian rick krost fits into the latter category, but instead of focusing on partsbuilt custom harleys, hes turned his attention to crafting custom motorcycle frames inspired by the board tracker motorcycles of yore. Board track racing kit motorized bicycle engine kit forum. For derringer cycles, 1920s board track racers are the inspiration behind its new electric bikes. How to build a board track racer replica part 1 vintage steel garage ep 1 duration. As self publisher i make the books only in small numbers. My special interest is in americanexcelsior motorcycles and others, as well as board track racing. The single surviving 35mm nitrate print of beverly hills board track racing, donated by the son of a former indian motorcycle dealer, was preserved by the motorcycle hall of fame museum in 2002, with a grant of contributed services from the national film preservation foundation. Don emde, a motorcycle hall of fame inductee and former daytona 200 winner, has announced his newlyreleased book. Board tracking, in case youre unfamiliar with the sport, was all the rage in the 1910s and 20s, a public exhibition of.
Choppers also offers a forward control adapter option. This 1916 harleydavidson board track racer replica recreates motorcycle racings blood sport past. Oct 19, 2012 the sportsman flyer is a modern take on the classic boardtracker motorcycle genre, the flyers are beautifully designed from front to back and powered by a hard working twostroke engine. Board tracks were used for motorcycle racing at the time as well and taking a spill on the lumber was a. In 1914, an excelsior lost its onemile speed record title to a cyclone. In this book,i found how little i knew especially regarding the. The first mass produced motorcycle, the indian, appeared in 1901.
Van order captured the thrills and spills of board track motorcycle racing in the 1910s. But it is an important part of motorcycle racing history all the same. An image of board track racing from stephen wrights book, the american motorcycle 18691914 which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited. Mar 24, 2020 the original film of the same title is the basis for the book, but the book also details some of the riders he worked with like mike hailwood, barry sheene, kenny roberts, and steve baker, as well as a look into almost every form of motorcycle sport in road racing, motocross, dirt track, and drag racing. It is true that many ran 28x3 which i have no access to at this time, not to say they are not avil, i think they are. Americanstyle boardtrack racing experiences a revival in. Cole motorcycle collection, a 1915 cyclone board track racer once owned by steve. These are sportsman flyer kits based on the worksman inb frame. As a sidenote, there were a few board trackers mixed in with our 2012 article on 10 turnkey cruiser ebikes board track racing was very popular in the us between the first and second world wars 19181939, though it started earlier than that. Competition was conducted on circular or oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks.
By andrea posnersanchez tales from the track toddler board books board book aug 27, 2007. Below you will find a few examples of some our most popular tributes builds. This is big cohunes stuff, on some hell scary motorcycles, these guys are the big wave riders of the motorcycle world. In the fifties and sixties american dirt track motorcycle racing fans attention was focused on halfmile and mile oval flat track races and the occasional tt race. The board track or motordrome was designed provide this much needed racing venue and was used by both motorcycles and automobiles.
Nov 05, 2015 how to build a board track racer replica part 1 vintage steel garage ep 1 duration. It enjoyed a sudden explosion of popularity, and then it rapidly fell out of public favor. Daredevil riders had already been racing them on dirt roads, but it took some entrepreneurial thinking to realise that money was to be made by confining competition to an arena and charging people to see the action and so it was that the first board track circuit was opened in playa del ray, california. You can learn more about the history of board track racing, also known as motordrome racing, in don emdes great new book, speed kings, available in the museum store. Prewar motorcycle books if you are interested in the history of old motorcycles, this is your source. For over 40 years, kelley blue book has been the trusted resource for motorcycle values and pricing.
The motordrome board track motorcycle racing riding vintage. Women daredevils of the early and their motorcycles, from the book the american. The motordrome board track motorcycle racing riding. Track, motorcycle, book, vehicles, runway, biking, livres, books, running. A hundredyearold cyclone board track racer could become the third. In this book,i found how little i knew especially regarding the heart of both the men, and the machine.
Yes, what you see here is the worlds costliest ever bike. This is the first book about racing on board tracks and concrete tracks the long forgotten sport. You can learn more about the history of board track racing, also known as motordrome racing, in don emdes great new book, speed kings. The early, deadly days of motorcycle racing photographer a. Steve mcqueens cyclone could become the third million dollar. As so often happens, life got in the way and the disassembled indian board track racer spent 30 years sitting in baskets before being sold to the current owner who reassembled it. The film preservation work was donated by cinetech and the video.
He told stories of running over 100 mph on the boards and having splinters thrown up by other bikes with such force that they would pierce the protective leather gear. American x archive limited edition motorcycle books from the. This bike is built to resemble a 1917 indian racer. The era of the board tracks was probably the most exciting and most dangerous chapter in the history of motorcycle racing. The tracks, called motordromes, were made of roughcut lumber and banked steeply sometimes more than 60 degrees. See more ideas about vintage bikes, vintage motorcycles and cool bikes. Board track racing, officially the most deadly form of motorcycle sport ever devised the above image presents a bit of a mystery, it appears to show a medic or doctor attending to a man who has clearly just come off his board track racing board trackers the full collection on silodrome page 1. All board track racer posters are produced ondemand using archival inks, ship within 48 hours, and include a 30day moneyback guarantee. These examples are just a few of the many bikes we have built. The first board track built for motorcycle racing opened.
Lined journal, 120 pages, 6 x 9, board track racing funny sport gift, black matte finish board track racing journal. Red indian board track racer tribute bike back to top. Keystone style frames were developed by harley and indian and first appeared at the keystone wooden board track. Back at the turn of the last century various factories removed the drop loop part of motorcycle frames and replaced the removed section with heavy plates so the engine could be lowered and moved forward in the chassis. In germany the enthusiasts take their motorcycle board track. I collected photos and documents of motorcycles since 40 years. Emde books is proud to announce that the speed kings. Based on the bicycle velodromes of europe, the first board track, or. This bike is available in two base versions, but both are fully customizable to suit your needs. Answering the many requests for an american made classic board track style bicycle, worksman cycles has partnered with the most popular name in gaspowered motorized bicycles sportsman flyer to build the ultimate dropped downtube cruisers around. Board track race 1919 excelsior, indian, harleydavidson. Between 1910 and 1920, teams of riders competed against each other in large tracks built especially for board track racing. I learned to ride in the area of the speedway in, maywood raceway, outside of chicago, in the area of the riverview board track, so the book also managed to bring to mind memories that i value highly. Nevertheless, the new track was nearly twice as long as the bicycle velodromes which had preceded it.
This is a truly special piece of american history, a rare and remarkable glimpse into the high stakes sport of professional board track motorcycle racing during the prohibition era. Up until this year, the group has raced on paved or concrete tracks, but finally they found a wooden bicycle board track in hannover, germany to use for this years annual race. The board track display at the museum has many interesting and rare machines. Raymond seymour, 1910 reading standard racer occhio lungo. This 1912 indian board track racer is one of the few remaining unrestored originals, it was discovered in the 70s and disassembled by the new owner who intended to fully restore it. Kelley blue book regularly updates its motorcycle values to give consumers the pricing.
Eike features board track racing motorcycles at the st. Mostly vintage, but really anything that catches my eye. I like to party and by party i mean board track racing. American x archive limited edition motorcycle books from. The term board track racer also referred to the same version bikes that were raced on dirt tracks. Dec 03, 20 as a sidenote, there were a few boardtrackers mixed in with our 2012 article on 10 turnkey cruiser ebikes boardtrack racing was very popular in the us between the first and second world wars 19181939, though it started earlier than that. It was an auctioned bike, but i always thought an auctioned vincent or brough superior would be the holder of the dollar record. Motorcycle board track racing in germany the old motor. Frames come complete with mso, internal fork stop kit, rear axle, rear axle eccentrics, and 2 lower boomerang pieces.
Board track racing was a type of motorsport popular in the united states during the and competition was conducted on circular or oval race cours. What engine is best for a replica board track racer. Board track racers hi i just recently saw the special on the tlc tele network that showed some orig footage of the btr machines. Cyclones also did well on the dirt track racing circuit of the day winning many races. This type of track was first used for motorcycle competition, wherein they were called motordromes, before being adapted for use by various different types of racing cars. View our entire inventory of new or used motorcycles. It isnt often that an all original indian boardtrack racing motorcycle comes up for. It was the highest price paid for a motorcycle at auction at that time. A retrospective of the golden era into the seventies. I was already somewhat educated in brass age racing, particularly in the realm of board track s. Subscribe to the sportsman flyer mailing list to receive updates on new arrivals, special offers and other discount information. I hear people talking about board track racing kits. A look at how to approach a frame build and why youd want to tackle a build in the first place.
Obviously mine will have to have brakes and a clutch as i want to actually use it on the road. See more ideas about vintage bikes, motorized bicycle and motorised bike. Photo we give you the best service and prices on motorcycle helmets, jackets, gear, parts and accessories. Steve mcqueens cyclone could become the third million. Van order captured the thrills and spills of boardtrack motorcycle racing in the 1910s. Many have been made by design studio as garage art and or museum displays.
Customize your board track racer poster with hundreds of different frame options, and get the exact look that you want for your wall. Buy board track racer posters designed by millions of artists and iconic brands from all over the world. Jul 05, 2014 with the passion ive had for bicycles and then motors, i wanted a new project without the garage space and cost of another project car. The board track racer you see here is a great example of the kind of motorcycle that propelled brave young riders to speeds in excess of 100 mph around the banked wooden motordromes that dominated the racing landscape of the 1910s and 1920s.
American motorcycle racing icons take on the timber at the beverly hills speedway, april 24, 1921. At the time, lumber was inexpensive, so constructing an entire track out of wood was not as cost prohibitive as it would be today. This was what mecum auctions predicted for one special bike that went on the block in las vegas as part of the e. Nov 29, 2017 the 1912 indian twin board track racer. Board track racing promoted an early culture of speed. We recommend running midcontrols with this chassis design to utilize its engineering to the fullest, however u. Hang your posters in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls arent welcome. Some say americans racing motorcycles like they race horses. An image of board track racing from stephen wrights book, the. Motorcycle races on board tracks and cement tracks. Winners were announced at the motor press guilds annual awards ceremony, held fe. A few years back i had the pleasure of meeting long retired board track racer jim davis, who raced motorcycles for the indian company beginning in 1916.
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