Big Single Spotter's Guide

BIG SINGLE SPOTTER'S GUIDE

A look back at the bikes of yesteryear, when men were men and electric starters were years away

BUZZ WALNECK

IF YOU THINK THAT LARGE-DISPLACEMENT SINGLE-CYLINder motorcycles date back only to the ill-fated attempts launched by the Japanese in the late 1970s, sit down and get ready for a history lesson. Big Singles-thumpers. as many enthusiasts are wont to call them-have been around almost since the beginning of two-wheeled time. But it was in the Fifties and Sixties, before the on-

slaught of multi-cylinder designs. that the hulking one lungers were at their zenith.

what follows is a look back at some of the more promi nent thumpers of that era. Despite their apparent lack of sophistication, these bikes are both interesting and signifi cant, for they were the key players in a rich and colorful era that will probably never again be equaled.