Vintage Pics of the Day

[T. Cotten]

When did people start gathering at Daytona with their motorcycles?

I don't know, Mike,...

But I have snagged six pics of the young Indian rider.

He certainly got a 'round'... Thirteen and a half Wall kid.jpg

....Cotten

[ihrescue]

That's great to match it up with the other photo. I have a feeling there's a good story there. We need to do do some forensic work on who these two cyclists are.

Mike

[T. Cotten]

That's great to match it up with the other photo. I have a feeling there's a good story there. We need to do do some forensic work on who these two cyclists are.

Mike

Go for it, Mike!

Who was Indian racer #13?

Thirteen and a half 2.jpg

....Cotten
PS: A correction to my previous post: I've snagged seven pics of 13½ !
PPS: Who was Ted from Atlanta?
Thirteen at the beach.jpg

[ihrescue]

Vintage Pic of the Day - January 1, 2021


Mike Love

Screen Shot 2021-01-01 at 7.01.21 AM copy.jpg

[ihrescue]

Go for it, Mike!

Who was Indian racer #13?

I sent an email with photos and an explanation to the two suburban Atlanta AMCA Chapters #62c Smoky Mountain Chapter - Carrollton and #62c Smoky Mountain Chapter - Marietta Marietta. I did find that one of the photos Tom posted had a watermark that said Georgia Motorcycle History a book of 50 year's of motorcycling in Georgia from beginning in 1899. The ad for the book had this photo again appearing to be "Ted".

Screen Shot 2021-01-01 at 10.41.06 AM.png

Happy New Year

Mike Love

[T. Cotten]

Here's a better copy, Mike!

I'd call him "Lucky Thirteen."

Thirteenlucky.jpg

....Cotten
PS: .png files are best converted to .jpg

[JoJo357]

dBiV0x.jpg

[Jim]

Vintage Pic of the Day - January 1, 2021


Mike Love

Screen Shot 2021-01-01 at 7.01.21 AM copy.jpg

Looks like a 1940 Chevy coupe without the hood. And with another car directly in front of him, it makes me wonder WHAT is the guy with the Harley doing???

[ihrescue]

Here's a better copy, Mike!

I'd call him "Lucky Thirteen."

Thirteenlucky.jpg

....Cotten
PS: .png files are best converted to .jpg

Lucky indeed Tom. Yes the images work much better as JPG.

Mike Love

[droptopford]

Looks like a 1940 Chevy coupe without the hood. And with another car directly in front of him, it makes me wonder WHAT is the guy with the Harley doing???

Bike won't run. No truck available. Take the hood off of the car so the guy in the picture and the guy with the camera can heft the bike up and stack it across the front of the car. Tie it down...cram the hood in the back seat and head on down the road. Wolverine fans!

[Jim]

Bike won't run. No truck available. Take the hood off of the car so the guy in the picture and the guy with the camera can heft the bike up and stack it across the front of the car. Tie it down...cram the hood in the back seat and head on down the road. Wolverine fans!

OK, I'll buy that!

[ihrescue]

Vintage Pics of the Day - December 30, 2020

When did people start gathering at Daytona with their motorcycles?

Mike Love

Screen Shot 2020-12-30 at 9.10.40 AM copy.jpg

More info on the Daytona Photo -


How fortunate we are to have many AMCA members that can help out when we get curious about an area of our love for antique motorcycles. I think successfully using our network of subject matter experts in the club is sometimes as rewarding as actually finding the information we are looking for.

So, last week I was thinking about Daytona and its long history of gathering and racing so I used a keyword search of Old Motorcycle Photos, Daytona Beach, FLA and got that excellent photo of a man on a Scout racer #13 and a little boy on motor bike on the beach with what I put as a 1939 Ford 4-door coupe behind them. Who were these riders?

Tom Cotten then posted several follow-up photos and challenged me to “go for it” and find out who they were noting the clues on the adult rider’s jersey in one of the photos with the name Ted, the Indian Brand and Atlanta. Also considering the bike as a Indian Scout and the #13 number plaque on the racer it gave us some pretty good leads. I sent an email to AMCA members Mike McCloud and Jake Segars the contacts listed by the AMCA for the two Smokey Mountain AMCA Chapters near Atlanta. This worked perfectly because in just a little while I heard back from Mike McCloud who identified the racer in the photo as Ted Edwards. Mike also indicated that I needed to talk to Chris Price our AMCA Archivist. Chris wrote the book Georgia Motorcycle History: The First 60 Years 1899 - 1960 (http://georgiaracinghistory.com/category/columns/) and included Ted Edwards in his book. Unfortunately, Chris’ book is sold out. Before I even had a chance to look up Chris’ contact info, I got an email from him. It turns out that Jake Segars forwarded my email to Chris. I thank all of our fellow members for responding and helping to satisfy our curiosity.

Chris was the one that told me his book is sold out (I hate to use the catch-phrase out of print, it just sounds so permanent). Chris said that he is looking to another printing possibly this year - see 2021 is already looking promising. Chris confirmed that it was Ted Edwards and that the little guy on the motorbike is Teddy Edwards, Jr. He thought the photo was from the early forties and judging by the coupe following father and son on the beach that ties in.

So here is what Chris Price says about the little tike Teddy, Jr.

"Ted’s son Ted Jr., or Teddy became a staple at the races, his dad picked up an old surplus welbike and dressed it up like an Indian. Teddy would run laps at the races, ride in parades, and was given the title of youngest motorcycle racer by Guinness I believe. The beach shots are from the Daytona race, 48 I think. Last I heard Teddy Jr. was living down near Panama City Beach, doing something with cell phones or cell towers, but i was never able to get ahold of him, I’m not sure if he rides anymore, but he is not involved in the AMCA to my knowledge.”



Many thinks to Chris, Mike and Jake for your timely responses. Here is a little summary from the bio provided by AMA Hall of Fame about Ted Edwards

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inducted Ted in 1998 for his many contributions as an AMA Class C racer, a motorcycle dealer and a race promoter. Notably Ted was recognized as a pioneer organizer of motorcycle racing in Georgia. He founded Ted Edwards Drag Strip also known as the Ted Edwards Skyway Drag Strip was located just off Highway 29, a few miles south of Fairburn, Georgia, and is considered to be the first permanent drag strip in Georgia.

Ted was born in Portland, Maine in 1907 and moved to Atlanta in 1940 and competed in the Daytona Beach 200 that same year. Ted appeared to have participated in racing throughout the Eastern U.S. during those times. I found this photo of Ted referenced in Chesapeake, VA Harley Davidson dealer, racer and race promoter Eddie Boomhower’s self-published book of his original race photos and stories titled The Racers' Book: Scenes of Motorcycle Personalities in Days Gone By.

Screen Shot 2021-01-01 at 8.07.33 PM copy.jpg

Eddie is still with us but up in years and by my guess from an earlier article about him that he is 92 Years Old. Eddie only mentioned Ted and presented the photo and there was no additional info.

The AMA suspended racing during World War II and completion racing returned with Ted being found in media accounts as a racer in the 1946 Laconia NH, 100-mile National Championship. In 1947 Ted finished second in the Daytona 200-mile race.

Ted operated an Indian Motorcycle dealership from 1940 to 1950 in Atlanta. Ted owned the dealership until 1951 when the dealership was transferred to Albeno “Al” Rodi father of 'Beno Rodi the current owner of British Bike Emporium in Alabama' (actually in Winder, Georgia).

The AMA bio also offered that in 1983 at the age of 76 Ted Edwards was licensed as an AMA racing mechanic and assisted a team sponsored by his son’s motorcycle shop. Ted Edwards died in 1987 at age 80.

UK Website Indian Motorcycle Classics: American Iron In The United Kingdom made mention of Ted Edwards as one of the greats of Indian Scout racing including him with other Indian racers. Where they said, "Of course part of the success of the V-twin Scouts was the riders who raced them;
Ed Kretz, Floyd Emde, Johnny Spiegelhoff, Ted Edwards, Art Hafer, John Greenlee, Jack Horn, Bill Huguley, Bob Holt to name just a few.” http://www.indianmcc.com/scout.html

One more photo of Ted Edwards

Screen Shot 2021-01-01 at 7.08.13 PM copy.jpg

[T. Cotten]

Good work, Mike!

Here's another one...

Thirteenlucky Ted Edwards.jpg

And last but not least,...

Thirteen and a half Ted Junior.jpg

....Cotten
PS: I have a few more, but need to crop some, and rename them all; I could have fixed those flying saucers.

[ihrescue]

Good work, Mike!


....Cotten
PS: I have a few more, but need to crop some, and rename them all; I could have fixed those flying saucers.

Wait a minute I read all the books about flying saucers, what flying saucers?

You know this story of Ted Edwards is pretty cool. He was 7 years older than my dad so we are talking over a hundred years ago. Like our recent story of the guy that tried to parachute off the cliff in LA on a Henderson 4 Cyl the guys from that era had some interesting opportunities. My dad was in a B17 and shot down flying back from a German bombing mission in WWII and spent the rest of the war in Sweden. Thats just one of his adventures. All this kind of stuff happened before Penicillin was invented. Thanks Tom for your contribution to the images.



Mike Love

[T. Cotten]

Wait a minute I read all the books about flying saucers, what flying saucers?

The black spots in the sky of Junior's portrait, Mike!

Its such an easy fix I shoulda.

....Cotten
PS: Indian riders really spoiled their children.

miniindian.jpg

z33uw.jpg

Putt Mossman's kids in the pits at Dorney Park (or so it was labeled):

2 of Moss Putman's kids in the pits at Dorney Park.jpg

Vern Goodwin's boy's Christmas:

GOODWIN MCY CENTER LINCOLN NE 11.jpg