BOOK REVIEW: 'HARLEY-DAVIDSON BOOK OF FASHIONS'

Rin Tanaka has outdone himself. The master of books on vintage clothing has published the definitive history of American motorcycle gear, 'Harley-Davidson Book of Fashions: 1910s - 1950s', after he was given free access to the Harley-Davidson Museum and Archives, with over 100,000 photographs spanning their entire history from 1908 to the present. H-D was one of the first motorcycle manufacturers to hire professional photographers to document their progress, and kept photographic and documentary records of their various lines of accessories which they offered from 1914, along with the entire run of The Enthusiast magazine and contributions from various dealers, clubs, and race promoters.

With access to such a vast array of totally cool stuff, Rin couldn't fail to make an outstanding book. His specialty has been a series of obsessive picture books documenting in chronological order various styles of motorcycle jackets ('Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design' and 'Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Biker's Fashions'), helmets ('Motorcycle Helmet: the 1930s to 1990s'), t-shirts (My Freedamn! 3, 4), etc. He was also granted the rights to publish recently found documentation (photos and film) of Steve McQueen's foray into the ISDT, which he published as '40 Summers Ago' (and which I also highly recommend).

One doesn't really think of 'Fashions' per se when the name Harley comes up, but Rin makes a compelling case that their extensive line of Motor Clothing, produced for the last 90-odd years, has made a sartorial impact far beyond those who simply ride H-D motorcycles. The book, which is large format (11" x 14") and beautifully printed, moves between official publications / catalog photos, and shots of contemporary riders actually using the purpose-designed clothing and accessories in races, club events, official business, and the military. Each chapter focuses on a decade (1910s, 20s, etc), and shows the evolution of 'gear' as motorcycling itself changed and conditions demanded new and better products. He also explores how customization of clothing (and by implication, the bikes too) developed from various small accessories into the blaze of Kustom Kulture in which we now live.

The 600 photographs are luscious and beautifully reproduced, and lots of surprises turn up, such as this 'Harley' Board Track racer which uses a Cyclone engine with one cylinder blanked off! Rin isn't a technical virtuoso, and misses many fascinating tidbits (like the Cyclone hybrid) in his descriptions, nor is his English erudite, but he knows his gear, and he has the eye of a designer. He's clearly had more help with the text in this book than his previous efforts (especially the 'My Freedamn!' series, which have wonderfully awful writing), as it mattered more I'm sure to H-D to have a well-written historical account. But, as you flip through the book, the images are solidly emphasized, while the text is minimal - there are times when a bit more exposition would be welcome, but in truth I imagine that few people have a total grasp over the enormity of the Archive and all the details represented.

The first edition has just come out this August, and the print run is 10,000 copies - huge by motorcycle book standards, but with H-D attached to the project, I imagine this book will sell out, as have most of Rin's other works. Cost is around $80, and dealers can be found through MyFreedamn.com, or google it!

HOW YOU FIND OTHER THINGS TOO...

Hedley Cox, who used to work for Veloce, and built the Covel twin-engined KTT racer, sent a box of old Fishtail magazines (issues 100-288 / 1971 - 97), which is the monthly Velocette Owner's Club publication. Normally, having a huge stack of old club magazines is just another way to collect mildew and Silverfish in your home, but the VOC has recently published a full index of all subjects in the magazine from issue 1 - 360, and there's a wealth of information about everything from Webb fork bushing dimensions to John Hartle on a works 500cc ISDT machine. I'll have a stack of extras now, as I was missing only 80 of the 188 issues which arrived, so if anyone wants some...

The best thing, though, is the box Hedley built for the magazines - completely old school. No fragile cardboard and bubble wrap for him - it's solidly built out of 1" thick boards! And plenty of nails and screws to hold it all together. Thanks Hedley; next time I need to ship an engine, it's the perfect size and heft.

FIRST 4-CYLINDER RACER AT THE ISLE OF MAN

No, it wasn't Italian, or Japanese... it was Belgian. In the second Isle of Man TT, held in 1908, Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (or F.N. - still in business, but making only armaments these days) sent two of their little inline 4-cylinder shaft-drive Model F machines to the Island, and R.O. Clark managed third place in the Multi-Cylinder class (which Rem Fowler won on a Norton in 1907), averaging 37.79mph, and 90mpg! The race was held on September 22, and the 'short' St.John's course over 10 laps gave a race total of 158 1/8th miles. Harry Reed on a 5hp DOT twin was the winner of this class (at 38.57mph), while Jack Marshall won the Single Cylinder class on a 3.5hp Triumph (40.4mph).

The FN had a serious weight handicap compared to other machines, tipping the scales at at well over 300lbs, while the Triumph single was a little under 200lbs - the FN was fully 50% heavier than its competition. But, as mentioned in a previous post, weight can be roughly equated with durability, and the FNs ran smoothly and consistently through the race. These early TT races were true tests of endurance for the temperamental motorcycles of the Pioneer days, which had trouble completing ANY 150 mile trip, let alone a race. The TT course itself was unpaved, and full of hazards like horseshoe nails and stray dogs and sheep (!). Flat tires were commonplace, as were get-offs.


FN returned many times to the TT, with their last foray in 1931, using a single-cylinder purpose-built racer. Their 4 cylinder bikes were quickly outclassed in the following years, and by 1913 they could only manage 33rd and 36th place, as by now their role as 'touring' motorcycles, and luxuriously smooth ones at that, made them unsuitable as 'tourist trophy' contenders.











A little FN history; the motorcycle was designed by Paul Kelecom (pictured) in 1904 - Kelecom had been designing single-cylinder motorcycle engines for several years prior, which were used under license by a host of Pioneer manufacturers, including Triumph and Veloce. Kelecom began working for FN in 1903, and after improving their existing line of single-cylinder 300cc sidevalve engines, the management gave him a new brief - to design a four-cylinder motorcycle. All of Kelecom's design work was completed within the year, and the first prototype of this revolutionary machine began testing in 1904. Its maiden voyage was a publicity tour in November and December of that year, in which the FN engineering dep't tester, a Messr Osmont, rode through France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and back through Holland and Belgium, in bad weather and worse road conditions. The new 4 performed faultlessly, and debuted at the 1905 Paris Cycle Show. The interest and enthusiasm for this novel motorcycle is hard to describe - Kelecom had created the very first practical four-cylinder motorcycle, which had a smooth and quiet engine, with genteel road manners.

This first machine had a capacity of 362cc, using side exhaust valves and 'automatic' inlet valves (ie, weak springs, no pushrod - the engine suction pulls the valve open). It was a 'wet sump' engine, and each connecting rod had a small dipper which flung oil around the crankcase. This was also one of the first motorcycles which used a magneto rather than the horrible battery ignitions of other Pioneer machines.

The frame was a full cradle, which suspended the motor from twin rails. Most impressively, Kelecom used an enclosed shaft drive, with full ball bearings and enclosed crownwheels, which then as now makes the cleanest and least labor-intensive drive system. The engine was started by bicycle pedals attached to the rear wheel by a chain on the 'other' side of the bike - so the FN had a shaft AND chain... until 1913 in fact, but this held no terrors as the engine would have been very easy to spin, with very low compression and little mechanical drag from encumbrances like strong valve springs, or a gearbox. There were two brakes - a coaster-type (actuated by backpedalling) in a rear drum, and a stirrup on the rear rim, which was hand-lever operated.

Our TT machine was very likely still direct-drive, although aftermarket kits manufactured by Englishman Sydney Horstmann (OBE) provided a two-speed kit with a clutch by 1908 (he also made an overhead-cam kit for the FN, which I'd love to see). The engine capacity in 1907 was increased to 410cc, and it is likely the TT machine was overbored to nearer 500cc.
[The machine pictured is a 1905 model, in the care of the Nichols family... ca. 1973 (only 72 years young...now the bike is 103, and counting). This and other photos are from the book 'Golden Age of the Fours', by T.A. Hodgdon, Bagnall Publishing, 1973 - a very useful book, written in a folksy style, but well-researched and illustrated.]

HOW YOU FIND THEM #10: 1950 Norton Model 7

"It's Dante from Manila...I found this unique specimen in an old auto shop. Engine number: 27531 e 12. It's an old Norton Domi Racer... I think... the gauges say so ;)"

The bike in question is a beautifully preserved 1950 Model 7 Dominator of 497cc, first of the line of Norton twins designed by Bert Hopwood, and the second year of production, the Mod 7 having been introduced to the public in late 1948 (the engine number 'E' denotes 1950, the '12' = Model 7). The frame is basically the same Garden Gate plunger as used on the Manx, with long Roadholder forks, and the petrol tank panels would originally have been painted silver over the chrome. The speedo (likely supplied by DomiRacer!) sits in a small fork-top panel, and the sheet metal looks remarkably correct. Somebody loved this bike.


These early 'iron' 500cc vertical twins are really special - the first Triumph Speed Twins and the BSA A7 share many similar characteristics, and having owned and ridden examples of each, I think they're the best of the whole twin-cylinder mania which gripped England post-war. The engines are quiet, with iron cylinders and heads, they are mildly tuned and give reasonable power, but most of all they're very smooooth and won't cause your hands to go numb or your fillings to fall out like their enlarged cousins over the years. Nice score, Dante.

Some specs on the Norton; bore and stroke are 66mmx72.6mm, 497cc, ohv vertical twin with 360 degree crankshaft throws (piston both rise and fall together, but they fire on alternate strokes - all Brit vertical twins used this except the Triumph Bandit, which was never produced beyond the prototype stage. The Bandit used a 180 degree crankshaft, where one piston is up while the other is down, as per Honda CB/CL twins). The engine produced 29hp @ 6000rpm, although you'd be truly mean to rev this lovely old thing that hard. Original cost in England was £215... and the new model was very well received by the press.

If you have a Model 7 and want company, there is a Yahoo egroup for this model.
And, thanks to youtube, below is a short video of a Model 7, which is in lovely condition.

ROCKET CYCLES! #3: the 1970's

Nowadays it seems like rocket-powered and jet-powered motorcycles are commonplace, with the principal domain of rockets being, naturally, sprints, where such machinery holds the current world record for two-wheel speed.
Arvil Porter built several Rocket Bike dragsters around 1975, which reached speeds of 200mph in the 1/4 mile. Some interesting problems arose, not so much during construction of these specials (after all, they're basically just a rocket engine with two wheels...), but during their use on the racetrack. First, it appeared after every run that the rear wheels had been locked the entire time... which turned out to be the inverse problem of most sprinters; rather than wheelspin, they had wheel DRAG, as the wheels weren't keeping up with acceleration! When the rocket ignition button was pushed, the tires would squeal as if they were spinning under power, but they were spinning to catch up (there is no drive through the wheels on a rocket bike).
Second issue, and much more dangerous, was the g-force affecting rider consciousness during a run; ie, the riders would often pass out from their blood flowing into their legs and away from their brain...some early remedies included using duct tape very tightly on their legs! The ultimate solution was the purchase of surplus Soviet jet-fighter pilot g-suits, which pressurize around the legs to keep the blood 'up top'.
A couple of interesting websites, if you have an interest in how Archibald Low and Fritz von Opel's ideas have developed:
Great website from the designer of Evel Knievel's X-1 Skycycle, with lots of archival photos of construction and design.
Tecnologia Aerospacial Mexicana makes rocket belts (which you can buy!), and has built a rocket sprinter, among other fascinating projects.

Rocket Powered Vehicles is a website of Ky Michaelsong, who has built rocket bikes and cars since the 70's, including one built for 'Super Joe' Einhorn (shown above), and the 'Human Fly', shown in flight below, jumping over 27 buses in 1977.

ROCKET CYCLES! #2: Archibald Low

Record-breaking, while a logical use of a rocket-assisted motorcycle, isn't the only possible venue... in the 1940's 'Professor' A.M. Low thought speedway racing in England could use a little boost, and arranged a demonstration at Wembley track, with 90,000 people watching.

British motorcycle racer Bill Kitchen (see photo - looking bemused) was protected by a steel shield over the top of the rocket bodies; the speedway JAP motorcycle used four solid-core rockets, angled downwards (to prevent lift-off, no doubt). Kitchen used switches on the handlebars to ignite the candles, and said 'acceleration was absolutely terrific' when the rockets lit off.





Archibald Montgomery Low was a pioneer of rocket exploration, and is considered the father of radio guidance systems for rockets, planes, and torpedoes. He was a fascinating character; in 1904, when he was 16 years old, he invented the first 'pre-selector' gearbox. In 1914, he invented an early form of television (which he called TeleVista, or 'seeing by wireless'). In 1917, during WW1, he created an aerial drone plane for the Royal Flying Corps, which was radio controlled and intended as a guided bomb - during this experiment he also built the first electric/gyroscopic plane control system. Also in 1917, he created a radio-controlled rocket. In 1916, he published a book, 'The Two Stroke Engine, a Manual of the Coming Form of Internal Combustion Engine'...which I've ordered - it's still in print... try bookfinder.com for a new reprint, or an original. He authored something like 40 other books on technical matters, and a few sci-fi titles and held nearly 100 patents.

While the British military authorities thought him something of a crank, the Germans realized how dangerous his inventions could be... so after trying twice to kill him (first using an assassin with a gun, then a strychnine-laced cigarette), they used his research during the 1930's to create their 'V' bombs.

In the 1920's, one of Low's projects which came to commercial fruition was a scooter, built by the Low Engineering Company, with funding from Sir Harry Norman (no relation to Norman motorcycles); several patents from around 1922/3 indicate that the scooter would have had a monocoque chassis of pressed steel panels (as shown, from his patent application of 1923, and looking remarkably like the Ascot-Pullin motorcycle of the 1928), possibly with 'sprung wheels'... I'm still looking for some photos.

Low was a Brooklands habitue in the 20's, and gave a 'Professor Low' cup for a 3-wheeler handicap race on July 29, 1922. He was Chairman of the ACU for 24 years.... certainly a fellow who deserves a bit more attention, or maybe a feature length film starring Russel Crowe... I'll add more information as I find it.

ROCKET CYCLES! #1: Fritz von Opel

It's summertime, and a young man's fancy turns to... attaching rockets to his motorcycle! Except, in each of these cases, a middle-aged man is actually behind the project, which lends a Freudian question mark to their motives...

In 1928, Fritz von Opel, founder of the Opel car and motorcycle works, began experimenting with attaching rockets to his racing cars, a special high-speed train car, an airplane, and a Neander/Opel motorcycle. The bike in question was a MotoClub 500SS (Opel bought out Neander and badged the bike as their own), to which 6 solid-propellant rockets (with a thrust capacity of 66lbs combined) were attached. The rider activated the rockets with a foot pedal, after using the motorcycle's engine to reach 75mph; Opel calculated that 220km/h (132mph) was then possible. The World Motorcycle Speed Record in 1928 was held by O.M. Baldwin on his 996cc Zenith- JAP, at 124.5mph (taken at Arpajon, France).
On May 19, 1928, the machine (dubbed 'the Monster', for obvious reasons) was demonstrated at the Hamborner Radrennbahn, so much smoky effect, before a crowd of 7000.

Note in this photo that a dozen rockets have been added - doubling the capacity from the above photo. It was thought the machine would be used for a world's land speed record, but obviously, strapping on rockets isn't a guarantee of success even in a straight line... German authorities thought so as well, and forbade the use of the rocket-cycle for a speed attempt on the grounds of safety. Opel had success with his other rocket-propelled experiments (the car and airplane - -RAK1- especially), so was satisfied to lay the motorcycle aside after a few demonstration runs.
[This info comes from a fantastic book; 'Opel-Motorrader aus drei Jahhrzehnten', 2001, by Jurgen Noll, published by Heel]

BRNO GP, 1972

This interesting film, 'Untamed Wheels', was forwarded to me by Elizabeth McCarthy, who had a special relationship with Mike Hailwood; he narrates the film about a very hot 1972 GP in Brno, Czechoslovakia, featuring Agostini, Read, and Saarinen - a mix of MV Agusta and Yamaha, among other contenders. Ago crashes his MV in the 350cc race, and they cart his bike off by sticking a broom handle through the rear wheel. Saarinen's wife Soli gives pit signals in her bikini. Read says he 'never wants to work that hard again'. And a short segment with a camera on Ago's MV is a treat. Enjoy the groovy music! And click on the icon for 'full screen' (that's the little rectangle-within-a-larger-rectangle)...

1927 REX-ACME BLACKBURNE

Mitchell Barnes in Australia sent these photos of a 1927 Rex-Acme with a Blackburne engine. Can't tell yet whether it's a 250cc or 350cc, but given the size of that TT Amac carb, I would guess 350cc.

Rex-Acme were the little factory that could, winning the Isle of Man TT in '25 (Lightweight and Junior) and '27 (Junior), winning second and third places in '22, '23, and '26 - quite a record for such a small concern. Their 1927 TT-winning machine (Wal Handley aboard; see photo of him in the '27 Junior TT - special thanks to ace web researcher Dave Martin) would have looked very much like this motorcycle, as factory 'specials' of the period amounted more to carefully tuned standard bikes, than unavailable-to-the-public racers which were shortly to appear on the scene, and change European motorcycle racing in the 1930's (as had happened on US board tracks in the 'teens).

These Blackburne engines were surprisingly robust, belying their delicate appearance. Look at the period photos of a dismantled engine, which show the sturdy castings and well machined mating faces... no wonder these little engines did so well against much larger factories in the mid and late 1920's.

The b/w photo of the opened crankcases shows the interesting flywheel assembly; they're not simply a pair of discs, but shaped and polished, and the mainshafts are huge. It looks like they're still using crowded roller main bearings though, which aren't the best at higher revs (and unpleasant to assemble...). The cases themselves are cast very thick, with hefty bosses for the engine bolts. The crank discs are surprisingly robust for a machine which also has an EXTERNAL flywheel; that's a lot of spinning mass to dampen vibration, and Blackburne engines are renowned for smoothness.

The color photo of the flywheel is from The Classic Motorcycle (Nov. 1983) and shows a very similar machine, although if you look closely, 'our' machine has a an oil tank rather than a toolbox, and that TT carb, both signs of racing heritage. The gearbox is a 3-speed Burman item, the front forks are double-damped Webbs, same as used on Nortons and Velos of the period.

The cylinder head is also an interesting case - the valves are so large they break the bounds of the combustion chamber and the top of the barrel. It was clearly necessary to chamfer both the edge of the cylinder barrel and the spigot recess in the head for proper gas flow. A consequence of a long stroke (the 250cc engine is 60mm bore x 88mm stroke) is a small combustion chamber, as for a given engine capacity, the longer the stroke, the smaller the bore tube (and hence combustion chamber), and vice versa. Short-stroke engines have larger combustion chambers, making possible much larger valves for a given engine capacity. The Blackburne engine has cheated a bit by fudging the edges for larger valves - clever. As the spigot itself is almost completely chamfered away under the valves, I wonder if they have problems with compression leaks? I would assume the head is lapped onto the barrel with no head gasket, but a little gasket cement for luck.

If you have an interest in Rex-Acme motorcycles, and are looking for other Rex articles, try Classic Bike Mar. '85, and Classic Motorcycle, Aug. '90. There are more recent CB articles on Rick Parkington's Rex (he writes for the magazine, and is a ray of hope there), and Rick can be found hosting the Classic Bike Forum. It's time somebody wrote the book.

[A note on the video; it's a repeat of the video from my earlier post on the Rex-Acme, but I'm fairly sure this is the very same machine as above; the youtube caption says the Rex is in Australia.]

ISHI CHAPTER INAUGURAL RIDE

It finally happened; the four established CA chapters of the AMCA have been waiting for a ride with the new Ishi chapter, which is located in Chico... and while only two of the other chapters actually showed up (well, southern California IS a long way for a day ride), the roads and the company proved first-rate.

Our unofficial meeting spot at 9am was the parking lot of the Chico Holiday Inn, and a few of the locals joined us to show off their antiques, including this Yangtze sidecar outfit, which was nicely complemented by a '42 Harley XA... both of which are reproductions of the BMW R71. Harley doesn't emphasize the XA in their literature, although both it and the Hummer were copies of German machines (the Hummer being a spoils-of-war copy of the DKW RT125). It seems General Patton ordered copies of the R71 made for his troops, although it retained Harley's leading link forks, rather than the ground-breaking new telescopic forks of the BMW. The Harley also uses a pair of Schebler carbs, which, due to their shape, required a move of the inlet tract towards the top of the cylinder. Most of the engine, gearbox, frame, and final drive are direct replicas of the BMW, and most parts are interchangeable, including the metric nuts and bolts (which required a new set of wrenches of this machine's owner)... apparently Patton wanted to snag parts from captured bikes during the war!

Our official meeting point in the morning was Durham city park, which was quite nice, with huge mature oak trees providing shade, although I think calling Durham a 'city' is a stretch - perhaps a dozen buildings near a crossroads were all I could see.

I grew up in the Central Valley (my father took a job as professor at UOP in Stockton), and was happy to leave it at 17 - boredom and heat had taken their toll. Almost 30 years later, I can appreciate anew the landscape, greenery, and rural architecture (especially the old Victorian farmhouses), and even the flat farmlands, with their endless fields of rice, are host to an amazing variety of wildlife by the side of the road. All of the rice paddies were fairly recently planted, and their green stalks were short, but a few were beginning to bloom a bright chrome green-yellow, and in these fields dozens of large white Cranes and larger Great Blue Herons stalked fish and frogs in the shallow water, and didn't mind our roaring by.

From Durham we headed south to Hwy 162, which we followed out of the flatlands, through Oroville, as the hills rose before us, and the temperature rose into the 90's. Very shortly after leaving town, just after crossing this green bridge over Lake Oroville, the road became sinuous and well-paved, and I said goodbye to my Harley-riding companions, as we headed the 65 miles up the mountain to Quincy. Nortons are indeed Roadholders, and Hwy 162 now ranks very high on my list of the best - it's the equal of Hwy 36, but gets demerits for summer heat. Luckily, Buck's Lake Lodge, our lunch spot, sits at 4,000', and was shaded by great evergreen trees, so the temperature was reasonable.

Bike of the Day went to Rich Ostrander's '40 Knucklehead 'Rocket' which he built as an homage to his late father, in the style which he would have enjoyed on returning from WW2... see the detail shot of the shifter knob; dad's photo with little Richard and his sister are embedded within the plastic - a nice touch.

The old Knucklehead goes very well too, even in the heat, although he had to stop and reattach a muffler on the way uphill. Everyone asks him what model Harley was the 'Rocket'... which I suppose speaks well of the integration of Rich's logo with the 'look' of the bike - a period custom from before the days of insane fiberglass and billet aluminum.

The Lodge supplied everyone with hamburgers and a spot to cool off, while this yellow '54 KH Sportster got a little throttle cable maintenance. I've always liked the sidevalve early Sporty's; they're such an anachronism by 1954, but Harley developed this engine to perfection through their typically dogged and conservative means... never changing anything until years after other manufacturers... but the KRTT, the ultimate racing sidevalve machine, was a thing of beauty and a miracle of the engine tuner's art. Their chassis development still left much to be desired, and Cal Rayborn was famously quoted that the racing Harley 'was the only machine he'd ever ridden which could throw you off in a straight line!' Add-ons like Ceriani racing forks helped cure some of these issues... as you can see the forks on this K are a little weedy for a big machine (I know, it's not big by Harley standards, but a '38 BMW has 4mm larger fork diameter). If that front brake looks familiar, that's because it's identical to the 8" BSA single-sided drum - which came first?

Some of the Ishi gang; president Rick Haner, with Gordon Matthews on the far left, and their club secretary 'Muck' on the far right.

After lunch the road through Quincy and out to Hwy 70 proved equally exciting to Hwy 162, and the boys showed they were no slouches. The roads up here are in excellent condition, so the rigid bikes had no trouble blasting along with the fast pack. This photo shows 3 Knuckleheads leading the way, ridden with verve...see the video as well.

After passing Quincy we descended into the Feather River Canyon, which is well-known among motorcyclists as being a fast and relatively safe road, as the curves tend to be constant and sweeping, although the consequences of a get-off could be serious, with solid Serpentine rock walls on one side, and the river on the other. There's generally plenty of runoff road, but we didn't need any. The canyon has six dams and seven hydro plants along its run, and tunnels bored through the mountains, making for an entertaining ride.

There are also two sets of train tracks paralleling the highway, which meander in all directions according to the terrain, making a crazy skyway of sometimes overlapping trestle bridges heading in different directions, and lots of train tunnels both above and below the road level. At times the landscape reminded me of a great model train diorama, with caricatures of oversize rocks and perfect pointy evergreen trees dotting the mountains, and trains coming from a hundred crazy directions.

The landscape was intriguing, but the air felt like a blast furnace, as the temp must have hit 110 at times, so we wound it on tight to keep cool, and I had a great time following Rick's 80cu" Knucklehead hotrod as we rocketed down the hill (see video). That's almost twice the capacity of my Atlas! It certainly picked up and went, although Rick says he'd like to raise the footrests for more ground clearance... as this canyon road is his regular 'Sunday morning ride', I'm certain he's got chamfered boots already.


We needed a stop in Belden Town, which sits across a nice little trestle bridge, and is a relic of a carriage house/hotel. I don't know if you can rent rooms there still, but the bar and restaurant are functional. In the early part of the 20th century, you would have guided your horsedrawn carriage down the ramp into the full basement/stables, before coming upstairs for a beer. Instead, we parked our mounts under a big tree with a large gold ship's anchor ('anchor down' the sign said), and headed in for a beer.

The river blew at full speed through the rocky canyon just feet away from us, while we were regaled with tales from a geophysicist, who was researching platinum deposits in the area. There are still huge gold and mineral deposits in the mountains here, not too far from where gold was discovered in abundance in the mid-1800's. The town of Cherokee was mentioned, which was one of the richest gold, diamond, and mineral deposits in the world in that era. The first diamonds in the US were found here in 1853; the DeBeers diamond cartel recently bought all the mining rights around Cherokee, purportedly due to the a huge cache of diamonds still waiting to be recovered...but has shut down the mine, much to the chagrin of the locals formerly employed there.


I took the side road detour to Cherokee, to find a tiny hamlet which clings to the hot hillsides, and a few historic sites marked 'no trespassing'. The photo shows the remains of what must have been the bank, with thick stone walls and a further stone vault in the corner. Once teeming with 1000 miners, 8 hotels, 17 saloons, and two churches, the old buildings are mostly gone, as is the mountain itself. This was the site of the largest hydraulic mining operation in the world, where the mountain was eroded under a barrage of oversize pressure hoses, blasting water 24 hours a day (at night they used giant arc lights), so the gold could be easily separated out of the resulting mud slurry, using 9 miles of sluice boxes.

One of the pressure nozzles sits like a cannon at the front of the old general store. The scars at the edges of the canyon which used to be a mountain are bright orange - a surreal scene. Hydraulic mining was outlawed as the huge influx of silt and debris overwhelmed the rivers downstream and created havoc, as rivers would quickly dam themselves with mud, instant lakes would form, and just as suddenly the water would be released in massive torrents, causing flash floods in the valley below. Not very nice for their downstream neighbors!

Thanks to the Ishi chapter for putting on a great ride.