HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND MOTOHISTORY UPDATE

Ed Younglbood, publisher of the Motohistory website, has included a biographical piece about the Vintagent on his site today, with lots of embarrassing early pictures of me. The article is here. I encourage you to visit his site and explore the great depth of stories and articles included - it's uniformly excellent, and I'm flattered to be included within its pages.


Ed has a lot of great stories himself, having been editor of Cycle News in the motorcycle boom years of the 70's, as well as many years of work on the Board of the AMA, FIM, and AMCA. He has curated or co-curated many motorcycle exhibitions (including the Art of the Motorcycle) and published quite a few books on motorcycles, including 'A Century of Indian', 'Heroes of Harley Davidson', and biographies of John Penton and Dick Mann (all these can be purchased from his website). He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

NEW BMW MUSEUM, MUNICH

I had the good fortune to visit the new BMW museum last October to see for myself this 'new experience' in museum design and display, which opened only last June (2008). Located near the 1974 Olympic Pavillion (designed by Otto Frei), which looks remarkably fresh, this reconfigured public area of the BMW factory connects a new high-tech showroom via flying bridge to the new museum, attached like a futuristic carbuncle to the original 'bowl' museum, built in 1973 to a design by Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer (who also designed the 'four cylinder' BMW office tower nearby). The concept for the old 'bowl' was an 'enclosed circular continuation of the road', on an upwardly spiraling ramp - an unaknowledged nod to Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim museum built in 1959 (although it came full circle when the Gugg hosted the 'Art of the Motorcycle' exhibit - somebody had been to Munich!). I last visited the BMW factory in 1988 (how time flies...), and have pleasant memories of the display of their racing cars and motorcycles, wired in place on large black faux-blacktop display walls.

The original museum remains in place (see pic from the new showroom above, and the interior below), fairly unchanged, althoug only temporary exhibitions are held there (or not - it was mostly empty), plus exclusive dealer/investor/client/new model unveiling events. Strangely, the interior spiral is printed with an oversize quotation in English. I was not allowed to photograph the many cars 'under wraps' inside the circular halls, but they all looked enormous and clad in polyester (the seamless 'skin', wrinkling at the door joints when passengers exit, is one design concept making the rounds in Munich).

Attached to the silver bowl is the new 'low building', designed by Uwe Bruckner, which also utilizes the concept of the 'road brought inside' (with black tarmac-ish walkways), but does away with the previous circular movement, in favor of a guided pathway through a series of seven concept-boxes on multiple levels. While the old concrete building had a graceful curved interior, the new space is rigidly rectilinear, using acrylic panel walls, illuminated from within. The illusion of movement is created with ceaselessly projected shadow imagery across the glowing white walls. Abstract shapes float ghostly grey in your peripheral vision, as a timeline of motorcycle specters march dutifully across the floor line. A dazzling effect, like visiting a museum in a dream. ICT (Innovative Communication Technologies), designers of the interior spaces, have created the entire interactive experience, with 'talking walls' in multiple languages (depending on where you stand - Deutsche or English) and the world's largest touch-panel display table, where teenagers intuitively grasp the process of exploring the company history.

To say the building is 'wired' is to understate the case; visitors are tracked by infrared beams from a central core which keeps tabs their numbers, migration patterns, and individual locations; activating movies when viewers come within range of an exhibit, triggering audio explanations or sound effects, changing light patterns around the cars and motorcycles. Large display books on tables are 'watched ' from above, and pattern-matching software reads the page while soundwaves of an audio track are bounced off the book surface to the viewer, changing as the pages are turned.


A(nother) new technology is 'panphonic' display audio; by stepping onto an inlay on the floor, a projected audio file can only be heard by a listener in that exact location - your friend nearby can't hear the audio at all. I'd read about this new technology being an unobtrusive targeted advertising media, but hadn't experienced it until now. The total effect is very impressive, and I've included a few videos which give the overall effect.

There's also a groovy kinetic sculpture room where 714 metallic balls (silver of course - I didn't mention that EVERYTHING is silver) are manipulated to create 3-d silhouettes of cars past and present - see the video below.


The new car showroom is a twisted concrete and glass carapace in the post-Bilbao Contemporary Museum style, all compound curves and spiraling glass towers. Inside, an elevated central platform is surrounded by a mezzanine; clever social engineering dictates an oasis of privilege at the heart - the punters gape from across a moat, from the encircling walkway/restaurant/bookstore area. Only purchasers of new BMWs are allowed on this dais, where customers become celebrities on a black-carpet drive, after being hosted around their new cars under the presumably envious gaze of the public. Once inside, the owners drive leisurely off the platform, down a circular ramp, in full view of the assembled throng. Clever.

That's the architecture - and so to the nitty gritty; the motorcycles! I was aghast on entering the museum to find a three-story stack of two-wheeled BMWs, arranged by date behind a glass wall; there's little I find more pointless than looking at motorcycles through glass.


My fears were shortly alleviated, as a small room nearby held a supercharged '39 Rennsport suspended on steel rods, fully accessible, with no alarms or glass to prevent a moment of intimacy with this pinnacle of BMW history. My photos tell the tale - get as close as you like, in any of 3 dimensions, even underneath, to answer any questions about the machine or just take it all in as one could never before.


And new facts emerged - I never knew that these machines used pannier tanks, bolted together.

I had a racing R51ss with period replica Rennsport tank, which was externally identical to this racer - but only in photos; the Works item is far more complex, and larger.


It's possibly a long-range tank for the machine George Meyer rode to victory in the '39 Isle of Man Senior TT (and I believe the museum bought this bike from John Surtees). The plunger rear suspension is damped by an Andre pattern friction damper, attached to the frame and the final drive housing.

Two other supercharged machines can be pored over in other rooms, where, again, the motorcycles are free-standing and completely accessible, almost haphazardly lined up (see photos). A streamlined WR500 record-breaker sits near an R90S production racer, with sidecar GP machines jostling with Paris-Dakar winners. The displays are restrained in the sense that there is no attempt to cram every important or historic machine into the capacious halls.


There are perhaps 40 motorcycles which are readily accessible, and another 40 or so behind glass or suspended above walkways, which may sound paltry, but it gives the visitor the mental space to take in the details of what is present, rather than glazing over at the overkill of a sea of motorbikes.

Of course there are cars, wonderful cars, historic cars, silver cars, even prosaic cars in funny displays which make a nod to period quirks.


An Isetta and a 2002 sit underneath clusters of 60's and 70's color-coded ceiling lamps, while in another room, a display of 60s/70s BMW sedans has a back wall of veneer zebra wood paneling and carpet, evoking a classic German business-office suite of the day; someone at ITC has a sly sense of humor.

My favorite car was the 1938 328 Mille Miglia racer, strangely glassed-off, in contrast to the motorcycles. A moving photo display lines the wall behind, and gives a bit of context, plus the evolution of the car's design.


It was clear from my visit that BMW has poured a tremendous amount of money into their premier showplace, and they've pulled it off; it's a cutting-edge facility with a wow factor which will last many years. The Olympic stadium nearby must have stood as a challenge to the architects - 'make something new, which will last'. I highly recommend a trip if you're anywhere near Munich.

REX McCANDLESS AND THE FEATHERBED FRAME

I found an interesting little book the other day; 'Sweet Dreams, the Life and Work of Rex McCandless' by Gordon Small (Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 1987). Rex and his brother Cromie were responsible for the creation of the infamous 'Featherbed' Norton frame, among quite a few other innovative designs, regardless of the fact that he left school just after his 13th birthday, and had taken no courses in engineering.

"I never had any formal training. I came to believe that it stops people from thinking for themselves. I read many books on technical subjects, but always regarded that as second-hand knowledge. I did my best working in my own way."

Always a motorcycle enthusiast, he began to tune his own machines, and by 1940, had a new Triumph Tiger 100, which was faster than a factory-tuned bronze-head T100 of his friend, Artie Bell (future Norton Works racer). He won the Irish 500cc Road Race and Hillclimb championships that year, even though he felt his brother Cromie to be the better rider. In the '49 Ulster GP, he was the first privateer home, in 6th place (see pic above of Rex, left, and Artie Bell).

Yet he found that his Triumph racer was often making unreasonable demands of its rider, and began experimenting with weight distribution. "I had noticed that when I removed weight in the shape of a heavy steel mudguard anda headlight, that the bike steered a lot better. It made me think about things which swivelled when steering. I was in an area about which I knew nothing, but set-to to find out. It seemed obvious to me that th erigidity of the frame was of paramount importance. That the wheels would stay in line, in the direction the rider ointed the bicycle, regardless of whethr it was cranked over for a corner, and to resist the bumps on the road attempting to deflect it.
Of equal importance was that the wheels would stay in contact with the road. That may seem obvious, but fast motor cycles than bounced all over the place. I decided that soft springing, properly and consistently damped, was required."

The first test-bed for Rex's ideas, built in 1944, was named the 'Benial' (Irish for 'beast' - see above). In general layout, it looked much like the double-loop frame used on the Gilera-Rondine watercooled dohc 4-cyl racer of the 1930's, but it had a proper swingarm at the back with vertical hydraulic shock absorbers (from a Citroen car). More contemporary viewers will see a direct lineage to the Seeley frame, and of course, many of the best Italian and Japanese space-frames from the 1980's. "The Benial was the best-handling bicycle I ever made."

Using the ideas garnered from his experiments, McCandless first designed a bolt-on rear suspension kit for rigid-frame motorcycles (see above), which was tested publicly by and Irish grass-track racing team at Brands Hatch in 1946. Prior to the race, other riders looked askance at the rear suspension kits, but after the race, they clamored for them. Rex had no ambition to go into manufacturing, and sold the rights to Feridax (pic below - Rex discussing his conversion with Stanley Woods).

Rex made friends with Freddie Dixon, famous as a tuner and rider/driver (for Douglas and Riley), and they were entreated by fellow Irishman Ernie Lyons to sort out the Triumph Grand Prix he had bought for the 1946 Manx GP. The Triumph as set up by the factory (I see a pattern here...) was lousy, but Rex and Freddie sorted it out, and Lyons famously won the race, even though his frame had broken (see pic below).

Norton was none too happy of course, as they were having problems of their own with their 'plunger' Garden Gate frame, which had a tendency to break, and handle like a camel. Joe Craig, in an effort to cure the cracks, kept making the frames heavier, with negative results (below; 1948 Works Norton).

In McCandless' view, this showed an insufficient understanding of the stresses involved on the chassis, "...all they did was to fix together bits of tube and some lugs.." In 1949, he told Gilbert Smith, the Managing Director of Norton, "You are not Unapproachable, and you are not the World's Best Roadholder. I have a bicycle which is miles better!" The Norton brass set up a test on the Isle of Man, where a relative of Cromie McCandless' wife was Chief of Police. They closed the roads, "Artie Bell was on my bike, ultimately christened the Featherbed by Harold Daniell. Geoff Duke was on a Garden Gate and both had Works engines. Gilbert Smith, Joe Craig and I stood on the outside of the corner at Kate's Cottage. We could hear them coming from about the 33rd [milestone]. When Geoff came through Kate's he was needing all the road. Artie rode around the outside of him on full bore, miles an hour faster, and in total control. That night Gilbert Smith and I had a good skinful."

Further testing took place at Montlhery, with four riders (Bell, Duke, Daniell, and Johnny Lockett) going flat-out for two days. "We went through two engines, then the snow came on. The frame hadn't broken so we all went home." The debut of the new frame came at Blandford Camp, Dorset, in April 1950, with Geoff Duke aboard (below, winning that race). The string of successes which followed gave a new lease on life to a 20-year-old engine design, and Norton won 1-2-3 in the Senior and Junior TT's that year.

Interestingly, Norton didn't have the facility to produce the Featherbed frame themselves, nor could Reynolds (the tubing mf'r), so Rex brought his own jigs over from Ireland, and personally built the Works Norton frames from 1950-53 (that original jig, as it exists today, can be seen in the pic below - what a historic piece of scrap iron!).

Rex McCandless was never an employee of Norton; he was paid by what worked - if an idea panned out, he was paid £1 per hour. If the idea didn't work, no charge.

By 1953, Rex could see that the writing was on the wall for the Manx engine, and pressed the factory to build a proper 4-cylinder racer, as Gilera and MV Agusta had done. "Joe Craig was against the 4-cylinder project, and persuaded the Board that he could continue to extract enough power from the single." (pic below, Rex and Joe Craig).

As a stopgap measure, Rex designed a new frame, more like the original Benial, with the dohc Norton engine vertical between lowered top rails. The petrol was carried in pannier tanks (see bottom pic), which allowed the rider to stretch out over the frame and behind full streamlining.

The bike was known as the Kneeler, and Ray Amm tried it out first in the North West 200 in 1953. It put up the fastest lap, with Amm calling it the most comfortable bicycle he'd ever ridden. Amm and Eric Oliver took the Kneeler to Montlhery, where it broke the 1-hour speed record at 133.66mph.

"After that, Norton put the Kneeler aside. I had nobody there to support me and they felt it wasn't a real Norton."

Although Eric Oliver used the frame design as the basis for his World Champion sidecar outfit (to be copied by every other outfit shortly afterwards! See pic above), they refused to pursue McCandless' ideas further, and the Kneeler never raced again. Disillusioned, Rex McCandless turned to designing cars.

Photo credits: Photos 1, 2, 3, 5 are from 'Sweet Dreams', by Gordon Small (Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, 1989). Sadly, out of print.
Photos 4, 10, and 15 are from Dark Davey Maertyn, Notorious Anglo-Cajun Photo Pyrate, Scourge of the Elektronyke Seas, Nemesis to the Evyl Muse Kopyryte, Drynker of Whysky, and Dryver of An Olde Pyckuppe Trucke.
Photo 6 (Triumph GP) is from Ivor Davies' 'It's a Triumph!' (Foulis, 1980). A transitional book; part 'Old School' publishing - the writing and small format - and part 'New Breed'; lots of great photos.
Photos 8 (first Featherbed) and 15 (tank shot of Kneeler) are from Mick Walker's 'Norton; the Racing Story' (Crowood, 2002). Still in print; buy it!
The remainder of the Norton shots are from Mick Woollett's excellent 'Norton' (Osprey, 1992), which is also still available, and with George Cohen's 'Flat Tank Norton', is the best book written about this illustrious marque.

MOTOR CYCLE MONSTROSITIES

From The Motor Cycle, 105 years ago!

MOTOR CYCLE MONSTROSITIES
By H. O. Duncan.

"Picture to yourself a motor cycle fitted with four huge cylinders, long raking handle-bars, exaggerated petrol tanks, hideous silencers, etc., such as made its appearance to compete in the hill-climbing competition at Gaillon last season, not to speak of half a dozen other weird monsters of the same type and similar eccentricities, which also turned up on the same occasion. No one who has even an elementary knowledge of what a motor cycle should be imagines for an instant that the construction of machines of the above kind will help on the evolution of motor cycles for practical use...

The 1903 private purchaser will be in total ignorance of the monstrosity that in reality “did the trick,” but the manufacturer has obtained his point on the way of utilising a freak machine which no sensible man would ever purchase, to advertise his wares! In all probability the standard 1 3/4 h.p motor bicycle placed upon the market would not get halfway up the hill without the assistance of laborious pedalling, and in all probability would stick halfway The owner would have to dismount and push, or, possibly, call in the assistance of the small boys, who for a few pence “represent extra horse power for weak motorists” on Sundays and fete days!

Taking another view of the situation, what mechanical or commercial value can be placed upon these monstrosities, used as they are upon a straight mile or kilometre, or, what is an even worse test of their efficiency, upon the cemented racing paths. They certainly do harm to the sport, and even more to the pastime, from the mere fact that the spectators, seeing a motor bicycle, perchance for the first time, get quite a wrong impression as to what the ideal machine should in reality be for daily use and for touring purposes. The non-spectators or likely purchasers are apt to be led astray by “ficticious advertisements” which are often the outcome of these competitions. Such machines may produce a “new sport”, but no one can say such monstrosities used in competition do good to the industry in finding out “weak points” in the motor or in the machine, in order that the manufacturers may rectify the defects before the standard model is manufactured."

In those early days of motorcycle competition, engines were incredibly inefficient, as 'surface' and 'wick' carburetors, 'automatic' inlet valves, and spotty ignition timing, made for unreliable, slow, and highly flammable racers. Ixion, in 'Motor Cycle Reminiscences' (Iliffe, 1921), recounts how often indeed his Pioneer machines would catch fire, and even burn to the ground, due to an unexpected mingling of fuel vapors and loose sparks.

Racing rules in France and Austria (the only European countries which hosted races at that time) gave no restrictions on engine size; one way around a weak little engine is to incorporate a much bigger (albeit equally inefficient) motor into a motorcycle. During a beautiful period in those pre-1906 days, a free-for-all developed with designers throwing the most unlikely engines between two wheels. Cylinder capacities of over 1 liter EACH were not unheard of - these were steam engine dimensions, which of course, was the common currency of the day, as trains and boats were the first truly 'motorized' vehicles, using steam for motive power since the heady days of James Watt and Robert Fulton.

Ixion wrote: "The Parc de Princes track in Paris maintained a large programme of events, and men like Cissac [photos 3 and 5] thought nothing of evolving leviathan motorcycles, sometimes of 20hp. [4000cc] Occasionally two or three of these monsters would visit England, but our tracks were too gently banked for them...At this time [ca 1900] the French manufacturers and riders easily headed the industry." Racing on public roads was banned in England at this time, and not until the Brooklands track was completed in 1907 did any real race track exist in England. The French and Austrians held the major International competitions, which had incredible weight restrictions (ie, maximum weight of 108 or 120lbs!), thus forcing development of the racing machines in some very odd directions.

H.O. Duncan decried them as 'Monstrosities', setting a poor example for the public, and arguments such as this have altered the course of motorcycle evolution in the past 100 years in significant ways. When, in the course of racing development, designers have reached for extreme measures in the quest for advantage (ie, enhancements which bore no relationship with 'utility'), the forces of Rationality and Production-Based competition have raised the alarm and banned them. Thus, initially, engine capacity was restricted in racing to standardized formulas. In some areas, 'Works' machines were restricted - racing had to be conducted with 'same as you can buy' motorcycles. Then, as supercharging came to the fore, it was banned as well. When the number of cylinders grew to six and more in GP racing, restrictions on engine complexity were enacted. When the number of gears on lightweight racers reached 12 or more, gearboxes were limited to 6 ratios. Most recently, when the world no longer drove two-strokes, GP racing moved to four-stroke engines.

The impact of these 'corrections' was certainly felt in the design studios, and focussed the industry on the betterment of the Motorcycle per se. As the public justification for racing has always been to 'improve the breed', these restrictions have kept us true to our word at least (although we know that racing is fun regardless of any purported Greater Good!).

Of course, it wasn't just the French who built Monsters; the American Glenn Curtiss (above) installed an experimental 40hp (6,000cc) V-8 aircraft engine of his own make, into what may have been the earliest duplex-loop frame. In 1907, he took his shaft-drive machine to Ormond Beach in Florida, and clocked 136.8mph one-way, making him the fastest man in any vehicle at the time. The shaft broke on the return run, but Curtiss was satisfied, and in fact his record remained unbeaten for 23 years! The machine now sits in the Smithsonian Institution.


Dave Richmond from the Isle of Wight sent this article; he currently hosts 'The Engine Room' blog):
"Hi there, fellow motorcycle obsessive; while reading your blog mention of cycle pacers [in the Board Track Racing on Film post] I thought you might like the following, published in The Motor Cycle 105 years ago...I had the huge good fortune to write for The Motor Cycle in its final years, and developed a habit of photocopying articles that tickled my fancy. I'm now semi-retired and am collating them into what might become a book, or blog. I look forward to seeing the pics on your fine blog in due course, and would be happy to send you some more snippets. Like you, I was a regular visitor to Verralls many moons ago at the Tooting site. Happy days."
Thanks Dave!

Photo credits: Photo 1; from Aldo Carrer's wonderful 'The Dawn of the Motorcycle' - 1903, 'over 100km/h', Parc de Princes. Photo 2; from James Sheldon's 'Veteran and Vintage Motorcycles' (Transport Bookman, 1961), "A typical French small-track racer of 1902 with many interesting features. The ornament on the rider's waistcoat is the oiling system"! Photo 3; H. Cissac, July 27, 1905, 16hp (2500cc) Peugeot, 110lbs, 87.32mph. From Gerry Belton's 'All the Years at Brooklands' (Centenial, 2007). Photo 4; Marius The, 1903 Buchet racer; Marius raced from 1896 for Peugeot. From Ixion's
Motor Cycle Reminiscences'. Photo 5; Cissac on a Board Track in France, from Carrer. Photo 6; Carrer, cover shot from 'The Dawn of the Motorcycle' - Italy 1904, Count Dionigi Albertengo of Monasterolo, Turin. 12hp Marchand, top speed 124km/h. Photo 7; from Carrer; 'A French rider at a race in England' - same race as Marius The above.
Photo 8; artist's rendition of an early 'monster' race, from an old postcard put out by Continental Tires, 1921. Taken from 'Motorcycling Through History During the Golden Age of Postcards', Jerry Hooker, 2004. Photo 9; Glenn Curtiss postcard from 1907, same source as above. Photo 10; Reproduction Curtiss V-8 (you know you want one), from the Curtiss Museum website.

2009 LEGEND OF THE MOTORCYCLE POSTPONED

The best motorcycle show in the world is sitting out 2009. Jared Zaugg and Brooke Roner, organizers of the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d'Elegance, have decided to postpone the next event until May 2010. A number of factors have contributed to this decision, chief among them the disastrous economic situation which developed last Fall. Several major sponsors of the event either went out of business entirely (ie, Men'sVogue magazine), or felt the need to substantially reduce their commitment to the Legends and other charitable causes. As the event costs nearly $1,000,000 to produce, the organizers felt that it was better to take a year to formalize new sponsorship deals and organize a new venue, than to produce anything other than a first-rate event.

Major changes had been afoot with the proposed move to Torrey Pines Resort in La Jolla, CA, which has taken longer to sort out than expected, due to both the complications of negotiating with the new resort, plus starting anew with the hundred thousand details it takes to deliver a truly epic event over 3 days; from the parking controls and motorcycle delivery, to security, layout, banquets, rooms, coffee, gifts, prizes, etc, etc. It took well over a year to organize the first Legend of the Motorcycle Concours in Half Moon Bay, and given the events of this year, it's no surprise that that it proved impossible to easily transfer such a massive show.

In the 'now it can be told' category, the Ritz in HMB proved desirable primarily as a photo-op location, with dramatic ocean backdrops and bikes parked on rolling green grass - every magazine editor's dream layout, and it was indeed the 'shot seen round the world'. But, the Ritz certainly had 'issues'; parking was very limited and off-site, the weather was very iffy, access for loading motorcycles was difficult, and ultimately the Ritz was, shall we say, a less-than-enthusiastic partner in the event. They also made an embarrassing blunder last year by double-booking the banquet room for the $250/plate charity dinner; hence we had dinner in the hallway, and in two adjoining rooms, making opportunities to speak to the assembled guests, impossible.

I look forward to hearing more from Brooke and Jared, and will certainly let you know any developments as soon as I'm allowed to reveal them! And long live the Legend of the Motorcycle.

And remember, YOU READ IT HERE FIRST.

Below is the press release from the Legend of the Motorcycle:

"For immediate release. San Francisco - 19 December 2008 - The annual Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d'Elegance, which takes place in the first weekend of each May, will be postponed in 2009.

Instead, the fourth annual event, highlighting Indian and NSU as the featured marques, is scheduled to resume in 2010.

The decision is due to the effect of the world economy has had on many sponsors, and while deciding not to produce the show next year was very difficult, it was the most prudent. "We'd never do anything to compromise the quality of the Concours", say co-founder Jared Zaugg. "We'd rather suspend the event than nee it done halfway and I'm sure those that have participated would agree. This has been a labor of love and something we strongly believe in, so we look forward to reinstating it after this hiatus."

The good news is that the postponement is temporary and plans are already underway for May 2010.

From legendary racers and builders, to celebrities and industry executives, to owners and enthusiasts, Legend of the Motorcycle brings together a unique audience from around the globe representing all the wonderfully diverse facets of motorcycling. The weekend celebration is centered around a display of 200 of some of history's most important motorcycles, judged by an international panel of experts and combines never-seen-before exhibits, contemporary product unveilings, exclusive presentations, a collector's auction and charity auction, receptions, and rides, for an event unlike anything else in the world. "


Enjoy these photos from my personal scrapbook, from the 2006/7/8 Legend of the Motorcycle. Photo 1; overview of the Ritz golf course from the 6th floor of the hotel. Photo 2; the Marquise de Roussy de Sales (Aude to us mortals) and her mother Annie Rageys, with Annie's father's (Roger Loyer) '37 Velocette MkVII KTT), 2007. Photo 3; Dr. Adolfo Orsi in period gear, 2006. Photo 4; overview from the grounds to the Ritz, with Mark Upham (of Brough Superior) and Mike FitzSimons judging Vincents. Photo 5; the Jesse James radial custom, 2006. Photo 6; welcome reception 2006 - pd'o, Brooke Roner, Jared Zaugg, Gwen White, Darcy Campbell (ma femme!), Peter Fonda. Photo 7; Cyclone - the most expensive motorcycle in the world today, 2006. Photo 8; Shinya Kimura and pd'o with skinny friend, 2006. Photo 9; Daniel Delfour, creator of the Norton Ala'Verde, aboard a much older Norton (my 1926 racer). Photo 10; Ian Barry of Falcon Motorcycles contemplates a perfect Vincent twin, 2008. Photo 11; I return Daniel's favor on the Ala'Verde! Photo 12; Kim and Pete Young with Kim's Ariel Red Hunter, 2008. Photo 13; pd'o with MV racer - can't beat the stunning locale, 2008. Photo 14; delivering the amazing/ridiculous prop-powered bicycle for 3, 2008.