Cantina

Here's a compelling story about a jewel of a motorcycle, a lifetime career of restorations, inheritance and the antique motorcycle blues. So where do I start? I discussed antique motorcycle collections with some restoration nut cases recently and they pointed to three recently discarded collections. Each collector's dream became only a dollar sign to family

Indian’s venture into three-wheeled territory began in the late 1920s with so-called “traffic cars,” commercial three-wheelers that over the ensuing years produced several variants. As the story goes the genesis for the Dispatch-Tow seen here occurred in 1939 when Indian and a local Springfield, MA Packard dealership teamed up to find a way to have

For immediate release. 15 September 2008 – San Francisco – Certain competitors, once in the saddle, put an indelible stamp on events and, similarly, there’s a select group of racers who create an affinity with a single brand. There is no finer example of this than the long-standing link between Marty Dickerson, Vincent and Bonneville.

In a not so hostile takeover, bicycle mogul Ignaz Schwinn acquired the vaunted Excelsior company in 1911 and then in 1917 acquired another “trophy” company in the form of the Henderson Motorcycle Co. purveyors of the now iconic Henderson Four seen here. Detroit-based Tom and William Henderson had started building their four cylinder machines in

This could be a 1919 Single H-D model the precursor to the first Peashooter in '26. Photo from the Bob T. collection. Hill Climbing like jazz is an American invention. The idea is to get to the top of a very steep hill faster than the next rider. And you and the bike must arrive

Everybody knows him as the ultimate stuntman who achieved the famous motorcycle jump (and that on a Triumph made to appear like a German bike) in Steve McQueen’s “The Great Escape.” Others remember him as a daring-do racer. In addition, Bud Ekins also enjoyed tinkering with time machines. Case in point this totally stock, “original

What’s a rare 1930s vintage German BMW doing in a 21st century Boss Hoss dealership in Harbor City, CA? That’s the question we asked Victor Vert owner of California Boss Hoss Motorsports. “I had gone up to Don Whalen’s place to look at an Indian Four he had restored and had up on eBay. I

Canonball Bakers and crew. Whenever one writes anything about Australia, it should begin with a song, probably the country’s most famous. I first heard it as a kid watching a movie made in 1959 called “On the Beach.” Gregory Peck played a submarine commander heading for Australia hoping to find some survivors from a nuclear

Sometimes in life, there are things that happen that take you to another place. Trust me, you rarely will realize this as it is happening, but after the fact, reflecting on the way the events unfolded, you’ll know this was a special time. That was the case when I met Gerald Jessup, the owner of

My maiden name was Marthy Cannary. I was born in Princeton, Missourri, May 1st, 1852. Father and mother were natives of Ohio. I had two brothers and three sisters, I being the oldest of the children. As a child I always had a fondness for adventure and out-door exercise and especial fondness for horses which

The Battle of the Sexes has entered every category one can think of…there have been female Pharaohs, a female Pope (oh, yeah) and female astronauts so the idea that motorcycling is a man’s domain. Well, that old bit of chauvinism went out the door decades ago minus a few countries where women are still not

If you haven’t noticed, the prices recently garnered by vintage, classic and antique motorcycles have gone through the roof…and blasted past Saturn and beyond. Case in point the recent Otis Chandler Museum and Steve McQueen auctions where several motorcycles passed the $100,000 mark, make that the $200,000 mark! Ounce per ounce vintage iron is definitely

Original ads and shots from the Bob T. collection. Here's the bike Rick Krost scored from an antique bike collection auction. Deals come along from time to time, if you keep a briefcase fulla cash under the mattress. Excerpt from “The Art of the Motorcycle” Guggenheim Museum “The Ner-a-Car was an oddity in the field

For those of you who think this is just another article by a guy who loves some old bikes most people have never heard of, let me fill you in. I didn’t know much about Crockers myself, until a few days ago. Bandit gave me the assignment to write an article about these bikes and