10 years - too much fun - July 99 to July 09!
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The More Things Change…

By Dave Preston

First, let me offer an addendum to last month’s article on technology and design. I referred to the Tilting Works Yamaha V-Max, and as a result received an invitation to try it out. Turned out to be my most interesting test ride of the year! The Tilting Motor Works Yamaha V-Max is the creation of local mechanical engineer Bob Mighell; a Yamaha V-Max power cruiser with a two-wheel tilting front end grafted on. There are several such designs coming out these days, and what sets this one apart from others I have sampled is that it feels, steers, and stops, …just like a motorcycle. This is VERY hard to achieve, which is why most such designs do not bother to retain the motorcycle characteristics of countersteering and leaning into a turn to steer.

The Tilting Motor Works design is odd to look at, even odder when watching a skilled pilot ride it (that would be Bob) and when you finally get your chance, the oddest thing of all is …it is totally normal. If you kept your eyes high enough to not be able to see the front wheels on either side, you would think it a normal motorcycle – albeit one with a fairly heavy front end.

The V-Max is the second prototype – the first one on a big bike with power, so most of the components have been made much stronger (and heavier) than needed. You would be stunned by the very impressive fit and finish, as this has been designed, built, and finished to a degree very far past most new ideas and customs.

There are several advantages to this design. It is better on rain-slick roads or roads with gravel, obviously. The brakes on all three wheels work better than on a standard motorcycle because of better geometry. In its current configuration it can be locked upright at a standstill for ease of parking and/ or use by elderly riders, etc. All in all, it works very well – not as a prototype, but as a functional machine.

Problems? Your intrepid tester did find one. Low speed tight turns are a problem due to Ackermann steering geometry flaws – at low speeds and tight confines the outer wheel is turning more than the inner, so the bike it trying to fold in on itself. I thought it was me being clumsy, but Bob explained that I had found the one weakness; one that would be corrected in the next edition by better ratios with the steering link lengths.

The front wheels are from an early 90’s Yamaha GTS with rim discs and Buell calipers. That would need to be changed for production I would think – how many more GTS wheels can there be?

This could become a marketable kit (installation would be incredibly easy considering the tremendous changes that are accomplished), or it could be sold as a proprietary part for a major manufacturer - in either case we will follow the developments with interest. For a nice video clip and a lot of interesting data, check this out: http://www.tiltingmotorworks.com/

Going back to last month’s article, riding this machine brought to mind another concern if this technology entered road racing. First of all, the wider stance of the two front wheels might make it easier to recover from a “high side” situation where a spinning rear tire suddenly hooks up with traction, and of course the two front wheels should also cut down the number of “low side” crashes caused by losing front wheel grip on corner entry. But – race “bikes” built to this design would be considerably wider, and the resulting chaos when two racers want the same piece of ground could cause many accidents with wheels colliding or rolling up on each other, etc. But – it sure would be a fun new class to watch!

Now then – this month, after looking to the near future – let’s look at the (relatively) ancient past:

Recently I was gifted with a motorcycle magazine to read. I’m always grateful for such largesse, and even more so in this case because it was British – the best in print magazines in my opinion. And most especially because – this was the July issue… for 1958.

A half a century is a fair chunk of time to swallow by almost anyone’s standards. What was going on in 1958?

1. The European Common Market was formed.
2. Sputnik 1, the world’s first man-made satellite, fell out of orbit and burned up on re-entry.
3. Gibson patented the “Flying V Guitar.”
4. Jerry Lee Lewis' “Great Balls of Fire” reached #1.
5. Ted Williams signed with the Red Sox for $135,000 a year, making him the highest paid pro baseball player.
6. KIRO TV Channel 7 began broadcasting.
7. Author William Faulkner declared that U.S. schools had degenerated to babysitters.
8. Elvis Presley joined the army (serial number 53310761).
9. Arnold Palmer won his 1st major golf tournament- the Masters.
10. In the first professional baseball game to be held in California, the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 8-0.
11. A young Nelson Mandela wedded Winnie Madikizela.
12. Alaska became the 49th state.
13. William Shea outlined plans for the $12 million stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York.
14. Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army overthrew the monarchy.
15. The Canadian Football League played its 1st game.
16. Buddy Holly wedded Maria Santiago.
17. The novel Lolita by Nabokov was published.
18. The Air Force Academy opened in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
19. George Harrison joined the Quarrymen (Lennon-McCartney-Best-Sutcliffe).
20. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak was published in the US.
21. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a Little Rock Arkansas school to integrate.
22. PanAm flew the 1st transatlantic jet trip - New York to Paris.
23. The “Chipmunks” reached #1.
24. In what many consider to be the greatest NFL game ever played, the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 for the NFL championship.
25. Somewhere in the world, at least every week, all year long - one country or another detonated a nuclear weapon in a test - for most weeks of the year there were several.
26. Sound RIDER! publisher, Tom Mehren, had yet to be born.

OK- that’s the background. Some of those factoids really crack open the eyes, don’t they? How was the much smaller world of motorcycles different, as reflected in the enthusiast press?

In appearance the magazine is different because it is printed entirely in black and white, other than the cover. “The MotorCycle” had been published at that time since 1903, and came out weekly. The layout has some ads, a table of contents, and columnists near the front. Features take up the middle, with race reports near the back, followed by more ads. In other words, the same layout as every print magazine on the market today.

The content, however, is surprising in an ironic way. Most magazines today are virtual identical to their ancestors of 50 years ago – things have changed hardly a jot. Compare that to the rest of the world (see list above) which barely resembles the one we’re currently occupying. Consider these tidbits:

• A columnist criticizing the main enthusiast organization – the ACU in England at that time. Have you read any criticism of the AMA lately?
•  A sightseeing guide to a picturesque locale with lots of pictures. The locale in this issue was London, surely easier to ride through back then!
• A commentary on the idea of a 100mph lap of the Isle of Man circuit, which even then was getting to be “familiar.” Today it is easier, but still beyond the talent - reach of most. 
• Letters to the editors complaining of poor facilities and food – and great cost – at races. My how things have not changed!
• A letter bragging about the reader’s 600 twin that can reach 100mph, cruises at 85pmh, and returns 70mpg. Hmmmm….
• A letter asking when motorcycle gear will be designed for women.
• A letter decrying what appears to be a negative attitude toward motorcyclists by some members of the general public. You think?
• Complaints about poor coverage of motorcycle events by the media – but not TV – radio!
• Ads for Bond, Heinkel and Isetta mini-cars – different designs sharing the concepts with three wheels, a lightweight body, and excellent fuel mileage.
• A letter writer alleges that he has ridden his 1954 Royal-Enfield 350 twin for 25,000 miles with no mechanical problems.
• Criticisms of young “tear-aways” ruining the image of motorcyclists for others. Evidently the term “squid” had yet to be invented.
• Criticisms of scooter designs for small wheels and limited fuel capacity and cornering clearance.
•  Predictions of a rapid and massive rise in scooter sales.
• In road racing, most international-level events were dominated by M.V. Agusta – the perennial world championship make recently purchased by Harley-Davidson.

The 1958 cost of motorcycles and accessories is hard to fathom, primarily because most of us cannot do calculations for reverse inflation in our head (OK, I can’t) or don’t care to. However, it’s sad to read of the fine machines no longer made – and we tend not to spend a lot of time pondering why they are no longer made. There are usually good reasons! Just in this one issue I found the makes and models below – all now gone.

Motorcycles:
AJS
Ambassador
Ariel
DKR: Dove Defiant, and Pegasus scooters
Excelsior: Skutabyke or 328cc Super Talisan Twin. Speaking of last month’s article – why 328cc?
Francis-Barnett: Light Cruiser
Greeves
James
Matchless: 497cc G80CS and Clubman 348cc G3LCS
Norman
Norton
NSU Max
Panther Royal Enfield: 500cc Standard and 500 DeLuxe
Sunbeam
Velocette: Venom, Viper, Valiant, Silent L.E., MAC, MSS
Zundapp

It is really a lot of fun to go back and visit a time so long ago. All of the articles are so well written- as are the letters to the editor – in stark contrast to the rants we see in Internet forums. The language of the time comes across as courteous and even quaint – but very pleasant – even when the writer is irate or offended.

A good read down memory lane, and fun to compare the issues that motorcyclists dealt with back then, and the machines they used to deal with them. Even though many of them are the same today, I think I’m happy to be riding in the present.

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