The story behind an iconic motorcycle photo Do you remember this magazine, this monthly feature, and this particular photo? If you were riding dirt bikes in the 1970s (or desperately wanting one), of course you do! The magazine was DIRT BIKE, the feature was the last-page monthly “Crash and Burn” tidbit, and the photo was…well, […]
“. . . the American character is in a large measure a group of responses to an unusually competitive situation.” David Potter While the new off-road sport of “Moto-cross” was sweeping across the United States, the presence and superiority of the elite European stars (brought over to publicize the sport and the European purebred bikes) […]
An examination of the advent of motorized transportation in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the early 1900s Introduction For most of us, owning and operating an automobile is a requisite and routine aspect of living in modern America. We depend on our cars for all but very local and very distant transportation; our ability to […]
A continuation in our investigation of 125 Maicos; the first part of the series you can find here. Preparation: Getting Ready to Ride The 125 Maico was a dichotomy. On one hand, it used a superb, unbreakable, fine handling frame. It had excellent suspension. It was light, and the engine produced the most horsepower […]
Chapter 2.3 Part 1 SMALL MAICOS: THE 125s Although known primarily in the United States as a producer of large, powerful, off-road motorcycles, Maico was certainly no stranger to smaller bikes and road motorcycles. As we have seen, the company began by manufacturing small motorcycles, 200cc-and-under, which were initially used as personal transportation in […]
A continuation of our third installment of epic motorcycle locations. We’ve previously documented such iconic north-eastern bike garages as those of Mike Schantz and Stacy Clark. If you are a serious old motorcycle enthusiast and you live in the northeastern part of the greatest country on earth, you likely have heard of “Yankee Bob” Fornwalt. […]
The Fall Hershey National Antique Auto Meet and the Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiast
A-plus Truck and Fleet is a business specializing in large truck maintenance, along with automotive work, in Lewisberry Pennsylvania. Owner Mike Schantz is a dirt rider from his youth, who can’t wait to push the last truck of the day out of the garage and start working on what he really loves. It’s at that […]
While it could be argued from several standpoints, we can say with reasonable evidence that Maico produced the first two-stroke, purpose-built dirt bikes to reach North America. They didn’t come in great quantities at first, may have had lights installed, and didn’t (at least in the mid-1950s) resemble our modern idea of an off-road motorcycle, […]
Every Tuesday: Stacy’s Garage Every Tuesday. It’s a clearly understood reality. Every Tuesday evening Stacy Clark will walk the 100 feet or so to his garage behind his house, and be there. Not just sometimes—every Tuesday. In fact, Stacy does not eat supper on Tuesday evenings; he goes right to the garage, because that’s where […]