'ROSIE' THE DKW SS350

Perhaps every racing motorcycle has a unique story to tell, but this '39 DKW SS350 production racer has a very interesting tale. When found in Sweden a few years ago, it had previously only had two owners, and was originally a Polish racing machine. 'Why Poland, and how could it have been exported there after the war began?'

The story I heard; a Polish horticulturist (also an amateur racer) had perfected a variety of black roses which were unique. German officers were quite keen customers for his blooms, as they were especially appreciated by their Parisian girlfriends... one well-connected officer asked the Polish fellow how he could reward him for his special efforts on their behalf (the girls must have really liked those flowers!) - he wanted a racing DKW. So, this motorcycle was invoiced to him 'without a petrol tank', but the tank with the bike is from a Works racer, and must have come along with the deal as a special favor.

The DKW was dismantled when things turned sour for his patrons (and for Poland), and was eventually smuggled out of the country to a Swedish collector in the 1980's.

I enjoyed riding near this machine on the Hockenheim circuit; it has no 'ring-ding' of modern two-strokes, but emits a low and raspy bellow. The SS350 is water-cooled and has 'twin cylinders', but four pistons, as the two pistons/barrels for each combustion chamber are used to 'time' the intake/exhaust cycle accurately and push both the incoming and exhaust gases to the right places at the right time. I'll go into how this works in another post, but DKW weren't alone in using two pistons per 'cylinder' - even the last Sears Allstate (Puch) machines used a similar system in the late 1960's - some people call them 'twingles' (twin piston/single cylinder), although I suppose the DKW would be called a 'fourtwin'. These racers also have a Ladepumpe under the the engine, which is a separate cylinder (and crankshaft, on the Works machines) used to compress air into the crankcase - a kind of supercharger for two-strokes. Thus, while this motorcycle is technically a twin-cylinder two stroke, mechanically it is a 5-piston machine - hardly a 'simple two-stroke'. The SS350 produced around 34hp, and used magnesium for the crankcases, gearbox case, and brake hubs, and was what DKW offered to the public for racing. According to Wolfgang Schneider, this complicated multi-piston two-stroke engine is only competitive for racing when the extra 'push' of the Ladepumpe piston is used. The similar Works Ladepumpe 'UL350' racer produced 38hp, but by 1939, the Works machines used a rotary supercharger, and this 'US350' model produced 49hp. And clearly, I need to make a proper timeline for these racers!

DKW joined forces with Audi, Horch, and Wanderer to form Auto-Union in 1932 (making the four 'rings' still seen on Audi), while DKW was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world (and Auto Union the second largest motor vehicle mf'r). The DKW archives and many of their works racing machines can be found at the Audi museum in Ingolstadt. Audi also has a small museum in their showplace in Neckarsulm, home of NSU, which was absorbed by Auto Union in the 1969. There is a very nice collection of racing NSU machines in Neckarsulm; photos to come shortly.

HOCKENHEIM - SUNDAY

An extremely generous fellow offered a ride on a 'spare' NSU Sportmax, complete with what seemed to be his extra leathers, helmet, gloves, and boots, for Sunday. When Sunday arrived, there were a few long faces, which I assumed was the result of the late-night drinking party going full swing in the garage when I left. The complete retinue of around 35 people sat in candlelight on long tables, talking, drinking, laughing - it was a quite a scene. As I walked back to my car, almost every other lockup garage had a similar party going on; all of them had quiet lights/candles, tables, food, and one even had a band! I had no idea - these folks know how to have a good time with their motorcycling.

The worried looks had more to do with the over-generosity of my benefactor - he is part of the 'team' and was expected to ride, especially as for various reasons he's had few rides this year, and in fact he had no spare leahters, they were his only pair! 'He is the type to give you all of his money and clothing too' Wolfgang explained.

But, since the ball had been put in motion, it seemed there was a 'spare' mkVIII KTT Velocette, and Wolfgang had an extra set of leathers (from when he was a bit thinner...), someone else had a helmet, and I had brought a pair of proper riding boots (as nobody's feet are the same size, eh?). So, I was set - first track session was 9:30am, and I was suited up and ready to go.

As I've had a bit of experience riding a mkVIII, the bike held no terrors barring the fact that it belonged to my host, and I hadn't seen more than 400m of the 4.4km course! It was a case of get on and go, and my principal goal was not to embarrass myself by 1. falling off, or 2. breaking the bike. Plus, the company was a bit intimidating - Jim Redman on a Honda, and several other World and German champions in the mix on a variety of Works and pukka racing machinery. I bump started the Velo without a problem, and sat warming it up while all the other bikes fired up, and I sat amidst the noise and smoke for a few minutes. I didn't see or hear a signal, but it suddenly got really LOUD and extra smoky, so I dropped the clutch and wound the throttle!

Hockenheim is a flat circuit made for F1, and owned by the municipality. Thus, it has grandstands for 80,000 people, and predictable corners; almost all right-handers, with one left hand hairping thrown in. The Velo had good power and excellent handling, although I was unable to hit top revs on the circuit, so must have been traveling between 40-95mph the whole time. Some of the other machines were sooo much faster than the Velo, especially the newer two-strokes, and of course several of the 80-year-old riders just flew by me - age hasn't diminished their GP-winning style a bit. I was able to hold my own around the bends as the bike was smooth and pulled well, so I did all my passing there, and followed the faster riders around for some warning about coming corners. I found I was chasing a '38 BMW RS51, which would pull me on the straights, but I reeled him in on the bends, so he made a good riding partner. End result; happy rider, intact bike, fun session. Whew.

In between my two rides I circulated the infield, looking at bikes, talking with people, buying books. The other riders were all very friendly, and the atmosphere was congenial and happy; everyone was there to have a good time and show the bikes in action to spectators.
My second session came quickly at 1:45pm - I had been invited by Wolfgang to 'ride with the team' on this session, which I took to mean, ride with the team. When the gang rode off, he wasn't quite ready and waved me on, but I found two team members to follow - my erstwhile generous friend on a Sportmax, and a dohc Norton Manx. We circulated together for 5 laps, when my motor suddenly cut out - scheisse! But, I was out of fuel, no big deal, and I got a free ride to the pits on the back of a flatbed trailer; 'sit on the bike, put it in gear, hold the brake' were my instructions, so I hammed it up and leaned into the corners and lay flat on the straightaways.

There were so many new faces and names, I'm afraid I got a bit mixed up at times, so bear with me on this aspect of the weekend. The photos show the atmosphere of the circuit, and a few of the riders and machines on Sunday. As you can see, variety was the rule; Motosacoche, Condor, Parilla, Gilera, Horex, NSU, BMW, (even Velosolex!).

HOCKENHEIM 2008

I arrived in Germany on Saturday after 30 hours of plane games (the flight out of SF was delayed 3 hours due to a malfunctioning light in the Boeing 777 instrument panel; spent the night in Denver, and was rerouted to Chicago/Frankfurt). But, it was still only 6am so no racing would be missed, so I drove the 45 minutes to the circuit, where I met my host at the Hockenheim Museum. This houses quite a collection of motorcycles, about 150 I would estimate, from all over the world, plus a few racing cars. As my host owns many of the machines present (several collections are included), I was able to get 'up close and personal' with any of particular interest (see photo of yours truly playing on a Rennsport BMW RS 54). I asked about the handling of these machines, as I've heard they can be difficult when pushed hard;
'on a fast ride they handle beautifully, but at the limit, the torque reaction from the shaft drive can make the bike feel akward. It has been said that one is either born with an instinct to work with this feeling, or not - and Geoff Duke never had this instinct' (but was still able to ride them very quickly!). It felt just fine at museum speeds. More photos to come.

Hockenheim is owned by the German gov't, and a massive investment has brought it up to modern F1 standards, at the insistence of Bernie Ecclestone (F1 impresario). Thus, there are new stands, and the track has been shortened by several kilometers - it used to run off into the woods, but now hugs the grandstand areas more tightly - it's still over 4km long. The seating capacity is something like 160,000 people, who used to fill the stands when Michael Schumacher was racing F1, but now that he has retired, the numbers have dwindled, leaving the gov't holding the bag. The track is smooooth and basically flat; how do I know this? We'll get to that in a moment.

Perhaps 1500 people attended this meet, which was organized by the VFV (German oldtimer racing club). A dozen autojumble stalls and wurst stands serviced the hundreds of racers present; 'our' gang was housed in a nice lineup of team garages, while the riffraff sprawled all over the infield with RVs and their racing machines.

The Hockenheim Museum had its own set of stalls and made up a 'team' for the weekend. The motorcycles in the collection are meant to be used and displayed, and events such as this are used to fine-tune the racers after refurbishment. The focus of the Museum machines this year was NSU racers; not only was a large selection of Sportmax and Rennmax machines lined up, but three of the factory's supercharged postwar 500cc dohc twins were gathered, and raced. Two of these bikes had only recently come back to life, under the incredibly skilled hands of Wolfgang Schneider (see photo). This was the first time in 50 years that these motorcycles had been together on the track. More on them later.

The gathering of riders included Jim Redman, six time World Champion, and several German national champions, as well as winners of GPs in solo and sidecar classes - quite an impressive field.

The bottom photo shows one of the blown NSU racers, with Stephan Knittel on the right - Stephan has been writing for various classic motorcycle magazines for decades and has written many books on the subject. We had much to talk about, and I learned quite a lot from him in the short time we spent together.

GOING TO HOCKENHEIM

I'm at the Hockenheim Classic races this weekend (Sep. 20/21), to see these THREE supercharged NSU racers in action. They sound terrific; a basso profundo burr with a slight whine from the kompressor. Shocking that three of them should be in one place.






[Update - that would be my hand on one the supercharged NSUs, below...]

BOOK REVIEW: 'JAPAN'S MOTORCYCLE WARS'

I'm keenly interested in the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry, and unlike many old bike aficionados, I don't have resentment against them for overtaking all others in the 1960's and 70's. Oddly, although I respect the level of technical sophistication that the Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki) brought to motorcycle production, I generally find the machines to be devoid of 'soul' - perhaps because they just don't need me! But that's another subject.

Jeffrey Alexander has produced, in 'Japan's Motorcycle Wars' (UBC Press, 2008) a scholarly account of the deepest origins of the Japanese motorcycle industry, exploring a host of tangential issues which impacted the early and later development of the industry as a whole. The book is academic in tone and structure, and feels like a doctoral thesis; he explicitly states that it isn't meant to be a 'motorcycle book', and there are few exemplary photos, but anyone seriously interested in Japanese motorcycle history would find the book a rewarding read.

The gem of the book, interestingly, isn't the author's; it's a translation of a series of interviews conducted in Japan in 1972, of the Executives of several failed companies, and several interesting characters important to the Industry, including Kenzo Tada. These excerpts provide a diamond-hard insight to the ruthless and aggressive tactics used by successful companies to get ahead and stay there, including breaking agreements and cutting off supplies of vital components to competitors. The book also clarifies the attitude of the Japanese government, and agencies such as MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) which promoted all industries post-war, whose influence gave a great boost to certain companies, most notably Honda.

In a far-sighted series of moves (and in total contrast to Britian or the US), massive cash incentives were granted to companies willing to adopt new techniques which benefitted several industries at a stroke, and which rewarded the development of the Japanese economy as a whole. As an example, MITI gave Honda 400,000 yen to investigate whether die-casting would give more accurate results than sand-casting his aluminum parts, and a further y100,000 when the experiments worked. Honda calculated, as did MITI, that the payback point of installing the die-casting equipment would come when production leaped from hundreds to thousands of units per month. Cash infusions and consequent increases in the volume of motorcycles produced are all listed in the book, which mentions as well the boost (like an Archibald Low rocket in fact) to all the major industries when the US forgave Japan's war reparations debt.

Alexander makes an argument that the successful motorcycle manufacturers post-war had all undertaken technically challenging munitions contracts during WW2, in which their production lines (out of necessity) were designed for use by unskilled labor - all of the skilled labor having been called off to war. This gave Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki especially, a great advantage over their dozens of rivals, as they all had experience with mass-production techniques, where any part was interchangeable with another, without the need for fussy and expensive 'hand assembly'... and therein lay the doom of the handbuilt motorcycle.

There are a few choice anecdotes buried in the text: "Immediately after the war, Honda took some time off from manufacturing and whiled away the better part of a year drinking medicinal alcohol and working very little."... [Marusho] "signed an import contract with the owner of a Los Angeles sushi restaurant..." Monarch Motorcycles had dealers buying product "with a rucksack stuffed full of y100 notes...however, the promisory note appeared on the scene - and these notes were a problem." [!]

The photos are all from the book; photo 1. Fuji Rabbit production, 2. Honda Type A, 3. Tamagawa Olympia Speedway, Nov. 6, 1949 - Japan's first postwar motorcycle race, 4. Tamagawa - note first and third bikes are Meguro singles, using Harley forks (Meguro built Harley clones under license since the 30's), second bike is an Ariel Red Hunter clone, 5. Shiro-bai (white bikes), 1969, on Kawasaki 'BSA A10' clones, 6. 'You meet the largest people on a Honda'

Some fun facts;
- in the 1920's, Japan was Harley-Davidson's #2 export customer, after Australia. Soichiro Honda copied their system of dealer support for the motorcycles they sold.
- postwar, the Americans established motorcycle racing (with legal betting) in Japan, to encourage industry, and raise money for local gov't, the Japanese Red Cross, and m/c manufacturers. In 1950, six companies - Meguro, Rikuo, Cabton, Abe, Asahi, and Showa - split 4.6million yen in subsidies. A single US-sponsored race in 1950 netted over 1million yen, and each race was attended by 30,000 to 95,000 people.

A THOUSAND WORDS

1911 INDIAN BELT DRIVE SINGLE

Now here's an opportunity which doesn't arise every day... I was contacted by a fellow who wants to sell his 1911 Indian, 500cc ioe belt-drive single, in original, unrestored, running condition.

Indian from the very first (1901) offered chain-drive motorcycles, and by 1910, offered a two-speed gearbox and clutch. Dealer (and public) pressure were the impetus of offering a belt-drive motocycle from 1910 - a retrograde step from an engineering standpoint, but there were good reasons for this move; belts were simple and light, and American buyers understood the belt drive system, it being the standard in many forms of industry at the time - most powered saws, lathes, sewing machines, etc, were driven by a belt from an overhead shaft or distant motor.

The belt is tensioned by a jockey wheel just behind and below the engine pulley, controlled by the long lever on the left side of the tank. Slip was controlled by the lever in a manner similar to a clutch - if the jockey wheel was dropped completely down, the belt would slip over the pulleys, just like being in 'neutral', and grip could be gradually increased as necessary, or a partial-slip condition used in case of difficult terrain.

In 1910, planetary gears inside the engine pulley gave three speeds, but this proved troublesome and was dropped by year's end.

Some of the early 1911 Indian Motocycles had the old 'block letter' Indian logo, but later in the year they adopted the cursive style seen here.

The bike is started by pedalling off, bicycle-style, with the valve lifter open, then releasing the valve lifter while opening the throttle, and chuffing off in high style. I haven't ridden one, but I understand they're comfortable at 20mph, but will do much more, at your discretion (or peril). The leaf-sprung fork became an Indian trademark from 1910 until 1946, and gave a stable ride, as these flat springs have self-damping properties.

If you're interested, the owner wants $75k for this motocycle; contact me directly and I'll put you in touch.

DIRT TRACK COLLECTION AT AUCTION

An interesting collection of Dirt Track machines, from the estate of the late Sid King, are coming up for auction at Cheffin's sale of October 18th. Sidney King worked for Victor Martin (who made speedway racing chassis) in 1949/50, and picked up a passion for dirt track machines. He also restored many Brooklands racers.

This collection makes a neat 'vertical flight', showing the evolution of the Dirt Track racing motorcycle, from the early days of Douglas dominance, through the Rudge days, to the JAP era. After Dirt Track racing was introduced in England in 1927, most manufacturers developed (or at least offered) a 'DT' machine - Scott, Velocette, Norton, Sunbeam, Panther(!), Rudge, etc. Some of these were successful, some not, but all are rare at this point, and are an interesting niche for collectors.

This 1928 Douglas DT5 is exactly the type used by all comers in the 1920's, as it was simply the best available at the dawn of the Speedway era in England. The DT Douggie has a unique frame, long and low, and is a hybrid of their TT and RA racing models. The Douglas engine was dominant on the road race and track circuit as well during the mid 20's, being the first British motorcycle timed at 100mph in '22 (Cyril Pullin at Brooklands), and winning the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1923 and the Sidecar TT in '23 and '25. It was natural that the Aussies would find one of the fastest machines on the market to be the best dirt racer (or 'dracer' as some said).

A second DT Douglas is avaialble in 'kit form' with two engines (which I've heard is a good idea for a racing Douglas...'if you're going to ride it hard, better have a spare engine...' was the quote from one who tunes and sprints them in England).

This 1930 Rudge (fetching in red) was the machine which supplanted the Douglas on the track, as it was more compact, and developed a bit more reliable power, Rudge having by 1929 really come into their own. The four-valve 500cc engine was also dominant on the road race tracks in this period, winning the 1930 Junior and Senior Isle of Man TTs, as well as the 1928 Ulster GP.

As happens in racing, Rudge itself was supplanted, in what was by then called 'Speedway', by J.A.P.-engined specials (J.A.P. supplied only engines, not whole motorcycles), which held sway until the 1960's. This Martin-JAP is an example of the myriad specialty frames available to a Speedway racer, many of which saw success on the tracks of England and the Commonwealth. Sid King worked for Victor Martin Ltd (Vic being a former JAP employee), who contracted with JAP to sell their engines. Martins basically copied the Rudge frame to house the JAP five-stud speedway engine.

Another JAP motivated machine is this Comerford-JAP Special, which was originally designed by George Wallis for the Surrey motorcycle dealer Comerfords. The original Wallis, from 1929, used a Blackburne engine; the frame is based on the Harley 'Peashooter' (Wallis had been competition manager for H-D in Britain), and the total package weighed 185lbs. There are a few significant departures between these two 1935 machines - the Wallis machine has forks similar to an early Scott, with a short telescopic tube near the axle (originally using Andre dampers as well), while the Martin has more typical short girder forks, which are still the standard today. When JAP introduced their own 'Dirt Track' engine in 1930, the Wallis became suddenly an unbeatable machine in the hands of Wal Phillips. It sold through Comerfords originally for £35 as a rollling chassis, or £75 complete with engine. [More on the Wallis can be found in the July 1986 Classic Motorcycle]

The JAP speedway engine is a specialized tool, with simple and robust construction, necessary for the very high compression ratios used with alcohol fuel (14 thru 16:1), and flat-out use for short races. The lubrication is total-loss, metered by a Pilgrim pump in the timing chest, and the crankcase is heavily finned for strength. Cooling is not an issue with alcohol fuel, as it burns very cool, so the finning on these engines is scant. They have a surprisingly long stroke for a racing engine (80x99mm), but the ability to pull away quickly is essential in Speedway, so the power band must begin in the lower rev range. Because of their minimal finning, very few of these DT JAP engines made their way into road racers, but some hillclimbers found them ideal for a short blast up a drive, and this is perhaps where they are best seen in action today.

TOP 20 AUCTION PRICES FOR MOTORCYCLES

A journalist for Spiegel magazine in Germany sent a query for the top 20 prices paid at auction for motorcycles; I'm scooping him as I did the research! Here they are, using the exchange rate on the day sold, and prices include the buyer's premium. Interesting that so many of these motorcycles have been sold in the last two years (but not all of them; the AJS 'Porcupine' and McEvoy-JAP were both sold more than 4 years ago). Higher prices for racing motorcycles have purportedly been realized in private sales, but as we have no way of confirming those transactions, this list will have to suffice as a reference.

The statistics: 12 of the top sellers are British, 6 are from the USA, 2 are from Germany. Six of these bikes were racing machines. 17 are large-capacity v-twins. 12 would have been called 'powerful luxury motorcycles' when new. All of them were extremely low production models, the sole exception being the Vincent 'White Shadow', which was an ultra-rare variant on a comparatively common machine (there being over 10,000 Vincent twins made). By decade; 2 from the 'teens, 6 from the 1920's, 5 from the '30's, 2 from the 40's, 2 from the 50's, 2 from the 60's. Thirteen of the top 20 machines were sold by Bonhams, 5 by MidAmerica, 1 by J.Woodand Co., 1 by HandH.

What the statistics tell me: Racing motorcycles from Italy and Japan must never come up for auction, although they do change hands! Provenance is extremely valuable, rarity more so. If you're looking to invest and don't have a connection with a former race shop employee, I'd start looking for obscure v-twins. But you're about 10 years too late. If you want my opinion on future trends, ask, but I'll probably write about it anyway. I was right about buying 1920's machines, though!
(All photos are from the auction house websites. Click on them to enlarge)


TOP 20 MOTORCYCLE PRICES AT AUCTION
(as of September, 2008)

1. 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer - $551,200
July 2008, Monterey, MidAmerica











2. 1929 Brough Superior SS100, £286,000 $465,350
Oct.22, 2010, Sparkford, HandH Auctions










3. 1949 Vincent Black Lightning Supercharged £221,500 $383,400
October 2008, Stafford, Bonhams








4. 1939 Vincent-HRD 998cc Series-A Rapide £214,800 $378,757
September 2008, New Bond St, Bonhams









5. The ex-Roland Martin, Brooklands, 1927 Zenith-JAP 8/45hp Championship Motorcycle Combination £177,500 $312,986
September 2008, New Bond St, Bonhams













6. 1934 Brough Superior 996cc SS100 £166,500 $293.589
April 2008, Stafford, Bonhams












7. 1954 AJS Porcupine £163,600 $288.475
April 2000, Stafford, Bonhams











8. 1938 Brough Superior 982cc SS100 £163,200 $287,770
September 2008, New Bond St, Bonhams
 







9. 1941 Crocker Big Tank - $243,800
January 2007, Las Vegas, MidAmerica











10. 1939 Crocker V-Twin Big Twin - $233,200
January 2008, Las Vegas, MidAmerica











11. 1924 Montgomery-Anzani 8/38hp V-Twin £109,300 $192,702
April 2006, Stafford, Bonhams









12. 1973 Harley-Davisdon 750cc XRTT, ex-Cal Rayborn $185,500
January 2009, Las Vegas, MidAmerica











13. 1928 Coventry-Eagle 980cc Flying-8 £100,500 $177,182
April 2008, Stafford, Bonhams









14. 1928 Windhoff 746cc Four £100,500 $177,182
April 2008, Stafford, Bonhams









15. 1915 Harley-Davidson Twin, $169,600
January 10, 2009, Las Vegas, MidAmerica









16. 1968 Fath URS Double World Championship sidecar racer £102,700 $166,000
Oct 17th 2010 Stafford, Bonhams

17. 1925 Brough Superior 980cc SS80 De Luxe £85,200 $155,532
September 2008, New Bond St, Bonhams








18. 1954 Vincent 998cc White Shadow Series C £81,800 $144,246
April 2007, Stafford, Bonhams











19. 1937 Brough Superior SS-100 $137,000
November 2005, LA, Bonhams









20. 1913 Flying Merkel $130,000
October 2006, Barber Vintage Festival, J.Woodand Co.









[As a personal aside, I have been fortunate enough to own three 'siblings' of the motorcycles on this list - Brough Superiors SS100 and 680, and a Zenith-JAP KTOR. I purchased each of these machines when prices seemed high, and each involved a bit of personal sacrifice to own, yet as a middle-class, working individual, I could afford such legendary machines. I feel fortunate indeed to have 'got in the game' before prices reached six figures, and the average fellow was priced out of the market. Still, the motorcycles on the list are truly the creme de la creme, the finest machines available in the world. There are others yet to come, especially ex-works racing machines, which will undoubtedly fetch even higher prices (see the recent sale of the Helmut Fath URS racer for proof). I would argue that, as in other realms (fine art, important documents, etc), some cultural artifacts are necessarily beyond the reach of mere mortals, and will fall only into the hands of the truly wealthy and/or museums, to be preserved for future generations... and we will have more humble fare to ride and enjoy...for better or worse. Long live the Triumph Trophy, the Velocette Venom, the BMW R69S, the Honda CB750, the Ducati 750GT...]