Yes, I’m digging up up some pretty obscure stuff here deep in the tubes of you, but I find these kinds of old home movies quite compelling. This was shot on Hwy 99 between Eugene and Junction City, which is now a busy four lane highway.
The person who posted had this to say “Just in case anyone thinks that stunt riding in traffic is a new thing!” True that.
As to why they were doing this on Hwy 99, my guess is that it was the only nicely-paved highway in the area at the time.
I picture the band riding in the back of a truck playing the soundtrack 🙂
I never did stuff like this, trouble enough to stay upright with both hands and feet where they are supposed to be.
I would like to have a late 1930’s Harley though. My Harley riding buddy always says “you should get a Heritage Widetail FLXTRSETCKL” but a knucklehead is the only one I could actually see myself riding.
That music will never go out of style. A bar near me does a big band night every couple weeks and I love to hear them on the street on the nights I don’t go in.
Enjoyed this, certainly pro production though.
Maybe members of this group?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv1Oe5-ESg0
Bob
One of my former coworkers Ray, (forgot his last name) who is probably still a Cossacks said the vintage bikes have been passed down through the generations to their current owners
Had the pleasure of seeing them at Wilkeson Days (small town in Washington State) they were probably the coolest parade entry ever.
Apparently helmet laws did not exist in 1938, and no black leather jackets-it would seem the “outlaw” image of the biker had not occurred yet.
To put things into perspective:
At the time this was filmed there were less than 100,000 registered motorcycles on the street in the United States. Total. If you saw a motorcycle following you back then, you took it for granted that it was a cop. Because police departments were the major users of bikes.
What were they riding? Harley-Davidsons, Indians, and maybe a few well beaten Hendersons and Excelsiors (they called it quits in 1931). Nothing British unless you were living in Southern California, where a few Triumphs and Nortons were being brought in. And if you were very lucky, you’d be riding a Crocker. They were hand-built bikes, made one at a time.
That kind of stunting wasn’t too difficult of a bike back then, assuming you had the nerve. First off, no throttle return springs. Open the throttle, get it up to the speed you want, and it’d stay there all day. Secondly, the bikes were very stable with a long geometry. While I never had the guts to stand on the saddle while in motion, I’d happily stand up on the floor boards at 35mph on my Indian.
Normal cruising speed back then was about 45mph. Running over 55 was definitely pushing it. Anything older than four years old at that time had a total loss oil system, probably with a hand pump for speeds over 40.
Definitely no laws of any kind regarding motorcycles back then. The license, registration, traffic laws that car drivers had existed, of course, but I seriously doubt there were any kinds of special laws for motorcycle operation. Including a ‘motorcycle endorsement’ on your driver’s license.
From what I can make out, the Westside M/C is an Indian club. Yep, if you rode an Indian, you didn’t ride with the Harley crowd, and visa versa. Leather jackets existed, but they were for cold weather, not for projecting an image. The ‘biker’ image you’re thinking of is totally a post-WWII thing. Yes, the Outlaws M/C can trace their beginnings to the McCook County Outlaws M/C in 1937 (Chicago area), but it’s almost a technicality because the guys who were in the club in 1938 had a different attitude than the members of 1958.
And the concept of the ‘outlaw biker’ didn’t exist pre-WWII, well, not specifically anyway. Before the war, if you rode a motorcycle and weren’t a cop, there was something obviously wrong with you in the eyes of polite society. So you didn’t have to put on a nasty attitude, a mild version of that expectation followed you from the day you rode out of the dealer’s with your first bike.
Actually, there were 117,000 registered bikes in 1938. 🙂 (I just had to look it up). But, there had been over 250k registered bikes a few years earlier. Motorcycles had a big boom in the years 1914 (first year when registration numbers are available) through about 1920 when registrations topped 250k several of those years, but really dropped after that. Undoubtedly it was due to the ever-cheaper Model T, as motorcycles were the cheaper alternative to cars.
In 1917, motorcycles accounted for 5% of personal vehicle registrations (cars and bikes). In 1938, it was down to 0.5%. In 1995, it was back to 3%.
I am struck by the eerie EMPTINESS of the highway–definitely an artifact of a long forgotten past seemingly trafficless era, probably speculatively, due to the lingering financial effects of the Great Depression.
Pictures of California freeways in early to mid ’60’s Cycle World magazine issues show similar amazingly, relatively empty highways.
We live in a different, traffic dense era, it seems.
“And the concept of the ‘outlaw biker’ didn’t exist pre-WWII, well, not specifically anyway. Before the war, if you rode a motorcycle and weren’t a cop, there was something obviously wrong with you in the eyes of polite society. So you didn’t have to put on a nasty attitude, a mild version of that expectation followed you from the day you rode out of the dealer’s with your first bike.”
…And yet, something “obviously wrong” had a developing inverse “social attractiveness” for some, witnessed by the published picture of smiling famous painter, Georgia O’keeffe riding on the back of a motorcycle to home in Abiquiu, N.M. Or the later picture of cute Miss Moss actually piloting a motorcycle by herself–something really “out there”.
Well, of course. There are some of us who revel in the realization that there’s something “obviously wrong” about us. And I certainly don’t think that’s an attitude that came out of the Sixties.
Pioneering women on motorcycles is something that’s been generally known at least since Harley Mania started in the mid 80’s – because most of those women were riding Harley-Davidsons at the time.
A smiling Miss Moss piloting a motorcycle. Life Magazine.
I love old Indians and Harleys. It’s a real shame they’re hoarded by the elderly who ask astronomical prices for them.
The only Harleys realistically obtainable is some old biker chick’s clapped out ’92 883 with pink roses all over the tank and Virginia Slim burns in the seat.
That’s why us younger guys stick to the imports, it’s a far far cheaper way to get into the hobby.
Just wait, be patient, coming soon to a place near you, likely the widows of those soon to be dead, elderly hoarders will sell those precious, now unwanted Harleys from their estates at a song just to unload them. Laugh all you want, but this has happened for some groups of previously desirable cars, again I repeat, be patient.
I agree completely. Muscle cars will be the same way in 10-15 years. It’s really a bubble economy, all these bikes and cars go for ridiculous prices only because somebody is willing to pay that. But sooner than later the amount people willing to pay those prices will dwindle.
Actually, if 30 years old is old enough for you, blockhead (EVO) Harley’s are going in the $3-5000 range all over the place, if the Richmond market is an accurate indication. And with all the aftermarket parts out there, a blockhead is the easiest and cheapest (we’re talking new parts here) motorcycle out there to rebuild and keep running. Which is one of the reasons why I’m hanging on to my ’88 Superglide.
About two months ago, I just missed out on an ’84 Electra Glide Ultra, from the pictures it was in mint condition, 32,000 miles on it. Asking price: $4000.00. Started me questioning why I’d just bought a new Gold Wing at $23,000.00. Well, I had promised myself one last new motorcycle.
Hell, if you’re just looking for a play toy, you can find EVO Sportsters from $2500.00 up, average price is running around $3500.00. There’s a lot of bikes out there bought during Harley Mania, now gathering dust in garages, and the wife is starting to get grouchy about it being there.
Now, if you want a flathead, knucklehead, panhead or shovelhead, plan on paying some money. There’s not a lot of them out there, and a good percentage of them were brought back during the 90’s boom years. Ironhead Sportsters are cheaply available, but there’s a reason for that. Own one and you rapidly realize how much of an improvement the EVO Sportster was.