Up Front

UP FRONT

Of Sleds and Trailblazers

MARK HOYER

IT’S SUCH A MIND-BENDING DISCONNECT to jump from the aging seat of a vintage Triumph to the modern saddle of a liter-class sportbike or dirtbike. And yet they are inexorably linked by being among the best sporting motorcycles for sale in their respective eras.

Really, I don’t mind trading bikes that way, either. Hey, somebody’s got to do it! And it happens to be just the kind of thing to help keep you humble when you feel like a stellar rider.

Humbled is what I felt when I took my ’58 Triumph Trophy to Lone Pine with the Hammarhead Industries Jack Pine Triumph (see p. 60) and proceeded to give my old bike a solid flog in the dirt. Oh, the punishment! The fork is “one of the good ones” from the 1950s that actually has oil flowing through a rebound valve in some attempt at damping, while the original shocks mostly squeaked and rebounded like an overused box spring. Most of the considerable mileage I’ve put on that bike has been on asphalt, with a few mellow forays into the Mojave (to find a camping spot) or on fireroads in the Sierras near Yosemite. Riding it in company with Hammarhead’s modified modem Triumph Scrambler was my first whack at carrying any dirt speed or wheelspin or slides. All I can say (after my teeth stopped rattling and my kidneys unbruised) is that guys like Bud Ekins and Roger White (see p. 64) and all the others who raced these bikes at the highest level are burly, tough and demand our respect and awe.

It was strangely good timing, because a similar humbling experience occurred at the 67th annual Trailblazers Banquet in Carson, California, several weeks earlier. I admit to being a Trailblazers virgin, so, after many years of invites by friends and industry colleagues, I finally went.

As the “brief history” in the banquet’s program explains: “Basically, we’re a group of fun-loving motorcycling enthusiasts and racers whose mission is to keep the spirit of motorcycling alive in Southern California by gathering annually for a get-together banquet and, occasionally, other functions as the spirit dictates.” Sounds simple enough, but it goes on to explain how this has been happening in various forms since 1936, when a pioneering motorcycle enthusiast and rider named A.E Van Order gathered together riders from the early days of motorcycling to bench race. The first formal president, Paul “Dare Devil” Derkum, was elected in 1940 at the first official banquet. A stalwart of L.A.-area racing in the early 20th century, Derkum set speed records, raced local boardtracks and won the first running of the San Diego to Phoenix desert race in 1913. He later became a promoter and staged a 300-mile race in Venice on city streets, constructing banked, wood corners using pieces salvaged from a burned boardtrack! Who wouldn’t want to have dinner with a guy like that?!

That was the birth of Trailblazers, and although meetings stopped for World War II, they were resumed thereafter and held until 1970, when then-president and publisher Floyd Clymer died. In the mid’70s, Earl Flanders and recently passed Max Bubeck (subject of this month’s Race Watch) were instrumental in getting the Trailblazers going again.

While the organization is L.A.-centric, so is much of the two-wheel industry, and the reach of the individuals involved has been worldwide. A few of the names on the Hall of Fame list are, in no particular order: AÍ Gunter, Dan Gurney, Bud and Dave Ekins, Don Emde, “Cannonball” Baker, Bruce Brown, Joe Leonard, Hap Alzina, Steve McQueen, Dick Hammer, Eddie Mulder, Dick O’Brien, Jim Rice, Gary Jones, Gene Romero, Don Vesco, Skip Van Leeuwen, Preston Petty, J.C. Agajanian and many more.

Add to the list Cycle World founding publisher Joe Parkhust, who was inducted this year along with legendary enginedeveloper Jerry Branch, racers Tim Hart, Paul Hunt, Bill and Richard Love and Ralph White, plus filmmaker Peter Starr.

As with Parkhurst’s 2001 induction into the AMA Hall of Fame (the year after his death), his Trailblazers induction was based on the lasting and continuing impact Cycle World has had on motorcycle media since the first issue in 1962. Joe’s widow, Claire, now living in Australia, was present to accept the award.

Said former CW publisher and longtime Parkhurst friend Larry Little, also on hand for the presentation, “It was more than fitting that Parky was recognized for the profound impact his creation of CW had on motorcycling, especially how he established a lasting, credible bond with enthusiasts. I know that Joe would always want to be remembered as the force that brought an unbiased journalistic integrity to the marketplace. Having Claire travel halfway around the world to accept on his behalf—and in reality, on behalf of all who have embraced motorcycling since 1962—was a special moment for all.”

The ceremony was emceed with humor and sincerity by current Trailblazers president and ex-Yamaha factory racer Keith Mashburn (who also appeared in On Any Sunday), past president and current historian Don Emde facilitating. It was high entertainment, campy at times, yet always respectful. So many of these great people have known each other so long that the event, despite being nearly 600 attendees strong at a packed Carson Civic Center, had a familial atmosphere.

Not only were there some incredible racing greats in the room, but many of them are also major, long-time movers in the industry, the high-compression pistons in the engine that built motorcycling into what it is today and continue to help it thrive.

These were many of the people who raced the Triumphs, BSAs, Nortons, Harley-Davidsons and Indians on the road, in the dirt (and even on wood...), pushing manufacturers to build better products. These were the people who designed and redesigned the parts that the manufacturers didn’t improve or didn’t improve fast enough and who started their own aftermarket companies to cater to enthusiasts who wanted more from their motorcycles. These were the people who worked for the manufacturers in product development and racing departments, the driven souls who have made it possible for me to bend my mind by hopping off my old Triumph and onto a modem dirtbike or superbike, marveling at all the things new motorcycles do so much better.

Everyone who spins two wheels owes a huge debt to these guys, and it was an honor to share a meal with them.