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Motorcycles, and Pine Marten Maidens on my mind.
a year ago
Hello Fellow FA Artists, writers, designers, photographers, and mechanically minded folks out there in FA land,
I've been playing around with the concept of Mister Thaddius J. Foxx visiting a County Fair near Memphor, Ohigho, where he attracts the attentions of a small troupe of Pine Marten ladies who take a fancy to him, because in the carny lights and excitement, his bright orange coat somewhat resembles a Pine Marten. To make things more interesting, the five Pine Marten gals perform a stunt show called "The wall of Death" where at least four of the performers do "Fur raising" stunts on small motorcycles where they zip around a vertical track, missing each other by inches.
I've narrowed the idea down to two brands of motorcycles for the show, which would be severely stripped-down Indian Chiefs, (War Surplus US army messenger bikes.) and maybe perhaps a couple Harley Davidson S 125s. The problem is, I know very little about motorcycles, and I get the impression the act is one requiring skill, nerves of steel, and knowing the limits on Marten and machine on the vertical track.
So, if any of folks out there who are following me know anything about riding motorcycles and have any advice on which motorcycles would be best suited for acrobatics and stunts, (Hopefully from the 1950s era.) please let me know.
Oh... And no Bananas will be allowed near the track.
"Peace."
I've been playing around with the concept of Mister Thaddius J. Foxx visiting a County Fair near Memphor, Ohigho, where he attracts the attentions of a small troupe of Pine Marten ladies who take a fancy to him, because in the carny lights and excitement, his bright orange coat somewhat resembles a Pine Marten. To make things more interesting, the five Pine Marten gals perform a stunt show called "The wall of Death" where at least four of the performers do "Fur raising" stunts on small motorcycles where they zip around a vertical track, missing each other by inches.
I've narrowed the idea down to two brands of motorcycles for the show, which would be severely stripped-down Indian Chiefs, (War Surplus US army messenger bikes.) and maybe perhaps a couple Harley Davidson S 125s. The problem is, I know very little about motorcycles, and I get the impression the act is one requiring skill, nerves of steel, and knowing the limits on Marten and machine on the vertical track.
So, if any of folks out there who are following me know anything about riding motorcycles and have any advice on which motorcycles would be best suited for acrobatics and stunts, (Hopefully from the 1950s era.) please let me know.
Oh... And no Bananas will be allowed near the track.
"Peace."
Man... I miss that bike. I got it in the '00s. It was a real beater, but it was a lot of fun. Pity I could never find the parts to bring it back to life when it's electrics burned out.
they recently found out what actually happens: car gets parked. resident marten sneaks in out of curiousity, and starts chewing on things, impregnating everything with their smell. those things are usually ignition wires (soft) or heater hoses (right size to chew on, also usually soft, and sweet-tasting from the glysantine anti-freeze). next day, the car parks somewhere else, and another ressident marten sneaks in, and smells the rival from next door, and goes rampant.
as far as I can tell, chewed brake hoses are actually extremely rare, they are hard, sturdy, and would taste bitter from road dirt and brake dust, and are located outside the engine compartment.
with my ancient 70's Fords, I only once had an encounter, probably of the curiousity corner of the ring. that mangy mustelid destroyed one ignition cable and chewed on two more. but I could fix the cut cable with a few pieces of binding wire like what is used at concrete construction sites. old Fords never die! :)
A friend of mine even suggested 1950 era motor scooters but I'm not certain those little wheels are made for the jumps and landings required in stunts. Such a shame. Some of those Zundapp scooters were rather "Handsome" and robust looking machines.
You made me smile when you mentioned your "Old Fords."
the thing is, that these walls-of-death are usually made from timber, or steel tube framing with chickenfence-like mesh around. add to it that the larger a wheel diameter the easier it gets over humps and runs smoother, a motorscooter with like, 10" wheels might jump out of the wall. those old Indian machines usually have an unspringed rear wheel and a very strong spring on the front, and even they shake the driver around while driving. I think also most of them come with a 500ccm one-cylinder engine. enough power and torque to do the trick while still compact and not too heavy. surely someone has reckoned out the forces behind such stunts, the added weight through the centrifugal forces, and the strain on drivers and material. :)
As for the track and stunts. Enough speed to stay planted.
And lotsa practice . This will very much be choreographed. You could have one of them flub their cue and almost hit another.
These were not things people did with road bikes. Most were doing it with the smaller versions (700cc and below). You'd better know a GREAT mechanic or be one yourself because any hiccup at speed was gonna lead to things getting broken... man and machine.
I'm an old hill climber and dirt tracker and trials riding and just plain ol' "anywhere/anytime" kinda rider. Been off the circuit for quite some time. It's a young man's game and VERY hard on the body. I still have my big Sporty in my garage... need to get it in and have it converted to a 3 wheeler so I can get back in the wind.
In the wind... if there is ONE HUGE THING that all motorcycle riders share it is that. We always wish to be in the wind. When my mind wanders, it's quite often that's where it goes. Down some dusty trail... some winding road... someplace... somewhere... not here.
so yeah . Hit me up I have my own fab shop and maker space (mid Oregon)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_death
There's even a video of a four-motorcycle stunt performed at Motodrom in Germany in 2017.
Says here, the most widely-used ones were 1920s-era Indian Scouts, which had 37 cubic-inch engines.
Note that long, fluffy tail-fur and spinning wheels don't mix. Ask the ghost of Isadora Duncan about that.
https://archive.org/details/TM10-51.....ge/n3/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/1942TM1.....ge/n3/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/TM9-879
I must confess this journal has been a lot of fun because some comments have given me cause to do a LOT more research and has given me better ideas of what kind of motorcycles would be best for the task. One of my friends off FA even suggested motor scooters, but I'm not certain those little wheels could handle the impacts and "G" forces of jumping and landing.
as for the tail, have them tie their tails to their backs when driving. considering the tail is used for balancing it is too likey it would get caught in the bike's mechanics...