Welcome to the Motorcycle Coasters® Newsletter!
In this edition:
Un-printed Motorcycle Coasters® available
Historic motorycle: Buddy Holly's 1958 Ariel Cyclone
Featured antique motorcycle: 1957 Harley-Davidson FLH
Dan Aykroyd donates motorcycle to National Comedy Center
Motorcycle Coasters® sponsors Rolling with Ronda
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Historic motorycle: Buddy Holly's 1958 Ariel Cyclone
Beginning in 2014, Buddy Holly’s
1958 Ariel Cyclone was put on display at Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock,
Texas. The motorcycle is on long-term loan from Lubbock resident George
McMahan. After Holly’s death in 1959, the motorcycle was owned by the Holly family until 1970. Some time later, the bike was presented as a birthday gift to Waylon Jennings. The bike had a very special meaning to Jennings, since he and Holly had been childhood friends and they were close when Holly died. After Waylon passed away, his widow, country star Jessi Colter owned the bike. When she sold the motorcycle in 2014, Colter said she had previously rejected "a million offers" for the motorcycle before she finally released it to George McMahan at a "Remembering Waylon" auction in October, 2014. The bid by McMahan, a Lubbock resident, wasn't the highest she was ever offered, she said, but his intention for its use was among the most admirable. McMahan said he was happy to see the bike back in the area where Holly and Jennings grew up. The story behind Buddy Holly's purchase On May 13th, 1958, three young and newly successful musicians – Buddy Holly, Joe Maudlin and Jerry Allison – found their way to Ray Miller's Motorcycle Shop in Dallas, Texas. The trio, known collectively as Buddy Holly and The Crickets, had conceived a new style of music, redefining America's tastes. Having just returned home from a world tour, the band members each bought a new motorcycle to celebrate their hard work and good fortune. Joe Maudlin, the Crickets' bass player, immediately fell in love with a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle. Drummer Jerry Allison bought a Triumph Trophy. Buddy Holly was drawn to a black Ariel Cyclone 650cc and purchased the limited edition model – one of only 200 that were ever built. To go with their new wheels, the trio purchased matching Levi’s jackets and peaked caps, then rode the 350 miles to Lubbock in a thunderstorm. Buddy Holly and The Crickets on their new bikes. L-R: Joe Maudlin, Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly |
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The hand-shifter In the early days of Harley-Davidson, hand-shifters were the order of the day. While the device was properly called a hand-shifter, it also became known as "tank shift" (probably the most common), "suicide shifter," "slap-shifter" and "jockey shift." All these terms refer to a drivetrain that requires the rider to remove one hand from a motorcycle’s handlebars to select and change gear. Harley-Davidson’s Panhead, introduced for the 1949 model year and replacing the Knucklehead, featured a tank shift through its entire production run. The hand-shifter was common on most motorcycles manufactured from the machine’s invention until the 1950s. In most applications, a foot-operated clutch was depressed while the gears were selected with the hand-shifter. The hand shifter-foot clutch combination was first used by Harley-Davidson in 1915. Before the 1952 model year, Harley-Davidson used only a left-foot clutch to disengage the drivetrain, and a left-hand tank shifter to select gears. The gearshift handle was mounted to the left side of the engine, connected at the bottom by a system of levers to the shift selector of the drivetrain. The top of the shifter most commonly projected upward through, and moved within, a notched gate similar to modern car shifters where a tiptronic-style stick is used. The hand operated clutch is introduced The hand-operated clutch first appeared with the 1952 Panhead. The reversed arrangement (hand clutch-foot shifter) was introduced as an option, but within two years was outselling the older style around 2-to-1. That makes finding certain year models with a tank shift rarer and more collectible. For example, in 1957 only 164 FLH models were built with the tank shift Both versions were available on the Panhead until production discontinued in 1965. Below are some photos of two 1957 Harley-Davidson FLH models. One features the tank shift and the other is a custom police bike. |
This 1957 Hydra Glide (Frame #
57FL6139, Engine # 57FL6139) with tank shift was sold recently by
Yesterdays of the
Netherlands. |
In 2014, after 79 bids, this ex-Massachusetts State Police bike sold for $60,700. The bike features a special-ordered left hand throttle. |
Left hand throttles were ordered because that’s what the officers were used to. Indians that previously made up the police force featured the throttle on the left side. |
When this bike was sold, it still featured factory original paint. It came with the bike's comprehensive history, starting with the Senior Trooper who rode it. Also included were the siren, first aid kit, and police side stand. |
After being returned to the dealership
that sold the bike, it stayed in storage until it was privately sold in
1984. The 1984 buyer put it up for auction in 2014. |
In August 2018, the National Comedy
Center (NCC) hosted its grand opening. "Saturday Night Live" alum
Dan Aykroyd was one of numerous celebrities who traveled to the western
New York city of Jamestown (Lucille Ball's hometown) to celebrate the
event. Aykroyd brought his Harley Davidson motorcycle, which he used to ride to the "SNL" studios, to the NCC and left it there for permanent display. The NCC features an array of artifacts and high-tech exhibits, including holograms of comedians, both dead and alive. |
The main entrance to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y. (Lucille Ball's hometown) |
Dan Aykroyd parks his 1971 Harley Davidson in front of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., August 3, 2018. He is donating the motorcycle, which he rode to SNL Studios for the first four years of the show, to the Center. |
Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd stands in front of an exhibit of original SNL scripts and photos of the iconic show during a tour of the National Comedy Center, August 3, 2018, in Jamestown, N.Y. |
Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd and sitcom actress Fran Drescher (best known for her role on "The Nanny") play Laugh Battle, a game where participants try and make each other laugh, during a tour of the National Comedy Center, August 3, 2018. |
Motorcycle Coasters® is proud to announce that we now sponsor Ronda
Brown, "Rolling with Ronda" on
Facebook. Ronda posts about her travels, rallies, rides, and events. She rides her motorcycle, Lucee, with groups all over the country for Law Tigers, as their first female ambassador to motorcycling. Rolling with Ronda merchandise -- Click here for Rolling with Ronda merchandise -- including Motorcycle Coasters®! -- Currently, Ronda has available: T-Shirts, Stickers, Patches, and Motorcycle Coasters® (in green, pink, orange, and yellow). -- Click the above link for current pricing and ordering information. At right: A Rolling with Ronda orange Motorcycle Coaster® |
This is the final
Motorcycle Coasters® Newsletter for 2018. We wish all you of you a safe and happy holiday season! We look forward to connecting with you again in 2019. |
Back issues of our newsletter are available at the
Motorcycle Coasters® - Newsletter Archive. They are available to download as PDF files or can be viewed online (no download required). |
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