Travel on 2 Wheels : Scooters and Early American
Motorcycles.
Murphy Automobile Museum,
2230 Statham Blvd, Oxnard CA 93033
Exhibits from the collections
of : Todd Huber, Skate Lab, Simi Valley CA;
David Hansen, The Shop,
Ventura CA;
Daniel Schonewald, Camarillo, CA.
As gas prices do go up, maybe we'll ride scooters again.
They can go a 100 miles with a gallon of gas. The Murphy Auto Museum
is displaying several scooters.
Fans of old V-twin Iron will be interested to see several
motorcycles from The Shop's collection. If you have been watching the TV show
American Pickers, these are the bikes they would dream of finding. These are an
Excelsior, Thor, Pope, and a red Indian. We even borrowed an engine cut-away
that shows the inner workings of an engine.
The exhibit is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
Group tours and special events can be accommodated on weekdays.
2230 Statham Blvd. Oxnard, CA 93033.
Tel. 805-487-4333. www.murphyautomuseum.org
For more information e-mail: murphyautomuseum@gmail.com
Swiss Army motorcycle. Condor 580-I Painted by "Von Dutch".
Exhibit Sponsors and Support:
Paul's Cycle Rescue, Breakdown and Towing Service 805-218-0283
1918 Pope motorcycle
1934 Rudge JAP (James A Prestwich) Speedway
Ventura County collector, Daniel Schoenewald.
“Owned and rebuilt by Kenneth Howard, aka “Von Dutch” (1929-1992) who was an iconic American artist and designer who was a major influence on vehicle customizing beginning in the 1950s. His pinstriping work elevated this form of design to an art form. The “Flying Eyeball” is among his most famous logo image creations.”
http://recipesoeasy.com/with/lucky340095added/conti109121
This Rudge speedway motorcycle, built in England in 1930s by Rudge-Whitworth Ltd of Coventry, is an excellent example of the speedway motorcycles on which dare devil riders thrilled crowds of spectators in the 1930s. At the time, speedway racing was more popular than football and cricket are today. It was thrilling to watch, with a fast tempo, demanding a high degree of technical skill and genuine courage from the riders.
Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, one of which descended from the original bicycle company founded by Daniel Rudge. Rudge motorcycles were produced from 1911 to 1946. The firm was known for its innovations in engine and transmission design, and its racing successes. Their sales motto was "Rudge it, do not trudge it." The company also produced the first detachable wire wheel in 1907,[1] and was known for its knockoff wheels on sports cars well into the 1960s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudge-Whitworth
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt or loosely packed shale. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding into the bends. On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).
Originating in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, in the 1920s,[1] there are now both domestic and international competitions in a number of countries including the Speedway World Cup whilst the highest overall scoring individual in the Speedway Grand Prix events is pronounced the world champion. Speedway is popular in central and northern Europe and to a lesser extent in Australia and North America. A variant of track racing, speedway is administered internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Domestic speedway events are regulated by FIM affiliated national motor sport federations.
Each track is between 260 to 425 metres long and it takes approximately one minute to complete four laps. For example, Leigh Adams set a record time of 59 seconds on a 342 metres (1,122 ft) track and produced an average speed of 83 km/h (49 mph). The speed on straight sections of the track reaches 110 km/h (70 mph) or more on longer tracks, but the limited speed on curves lowers the average.
At the start of a race it takes between one and two seconds for the motorcycle to reach the "curve speed" (somewhat lower than the average), which is roughly estimated to be the equivalent of 2.5 to 3 seconds to reach 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) (or 0 to 60 mph). The start of the race is an important aspect of the race overall. "Gating" correctly can help a rider gain an initial advantage over other riders but speed advantages can be made as a race progresses. Those riders willing to take a risk and opt for finding the grippy parts of the track rather than the race line, are sometimes rewarded with extra speed allowing them to pass other riders either on the outside or the inside.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_speedway
Video of modern Speedway Racing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz197-CZDSY
From 1948:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCP9M5o3G8A
Vintage bikes being started at display.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esQixdiNJyU
Jack Milne Cup The first American to win the world cup in Speedway racing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od2FzIRJxtQ&NR=1
Von Dutch Info:
http://www.theartofvondutch.com/exhibition.html
The Life And Times Of Von Dutch
By Bob Burns
