Cyclone Stolen !

[jurassic]

i've heard thru the grapevine that a cyclone racer was stolen from a private collector out in L.A. I dont have all the details yet ,but it appears that it wasn't random. this is going to be a hard bike to hide, so keep your ears open.

[c.o.]

What is up with these bike thieves???? A Cyclone??? How is the thief going to unload that one on the sly??? Could there really be an antique buff waiting in the wings to take ownership? Man, this kind of news turns my stomach. I hope the bike is found and returned.

[sirhrmechanic]

Based on the Vegas auctions... the parts are worth 5X what the bike is worth.

That or it goes into a private collection (possibly overseas) never to be seen again.

Another possibility is that 3 - 4 "new" Cyclones suddenly appear as barn finds or restorations with enough original parts on them to pass off as the real deal.

There have been more than a few instances of an original car going into a shop... and 2 - 3 "originals" coming out the other end. Each with 1/3rd of original parts -- ebough to pass as original. And cars that were thought to be crashed, junked, burned or otherwise lost "Miraculously" have been found in barns and restored. Amazing coincidence... The dollars are so big on some of the cars (Duesenbergs, Bugattis, Isottas, etc. etc. etc.) that the incentive is out there.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Lonnie]

A Cyclone is such a rare and distinctive motorcycle, it would be impossible to hide or disguise. Even the parts popping up would raise eyebrows. However, there are a number of rare works of art by the masters that have disappeared, especially during WWII, never to be seen again. The thought is that many are in private collections admired only by the owner. Occasionally, one will pop back up though it is also thought that some will change hands even when it is known they are stolen.

[Chris Haynes]

I know one Cyclone owner here in LA. I hope it wasn't his. His was the typical racer. A Cyclone engine in an Harley frame with a Merkel fork. Mike Parti had restored it for him back in the '80's.

[c.o.]

Based on the Vegas auctions... the parts are worth 5X what the bike is worth.

That or it goes into a private collection (possibly overseas) never to be seen again.

Another possibility is that 3 - 4 "new" Cyclones suddenly appear as barn finds or restorations with enough original parts on them to pass off as the real deal.

There have been more than a few instances of an original car going into a shop... and 2 - 3 "originals" coming out the other end. Each with 1/3rd of original parts -- ebough to pass as original. And cars that were thought to be crashed, junked, burned or otherwise lost "Miraculously" have been found in barns and restored. Amazing coincidence... The dollars are so big on some of the cars (Duesenbergs, Bugattis, Isottas, etc. etc. etc.) that the incentive is out there.

Cheers,

Sirhr

Aside from the thought of bike thieves, the tearing down of originals to distribute parts to make 2 to 3 "new" originals in the car world is disturbing. It's sounds like some people are only in it for the money and the watering down of history is of little concern. It's been prevalent in the motorcycle world too with the presence of more board track racers now than ever. It's one thing to build a machine from parts to pay homeage to a certain era but passing it off as original is just wrong. To the people who represent their built up bikes as replicas, my hat is off to you for your honesty. With the recent thefts in California, I would imagine it's made some of the collectors with really rare machines a little nervous.

[jurassic]

i'm afraid you are correct chris. this is a very famous bike. it was on display in the guggenhiem, and has been to all the major concours in the last 5 years. it is totally different from any other cyclone out there.

[sirhrmechanic]

It's sounds like some people are only in it for the money and the watering down of history is of little concern.

The good ones... no. And don't get me wrong, there are some amazing, great restorers out there.

Personally, I'd like to skin the people who do that sort of thing. I know who some are -- it's a small community. One of the biggest offenders is an attorney turned restorer... And a testament to the saying 'not all butchers cut meat.'

Especially when there are big $$ to be made... the dirtbags come out and open shops. Everything from Maaco-type body work to cut-rate engines. They usually don't last in the business, but the damage they do is impossible to un-do! And when you can make a 6-figure commission brokering high-end cars, the temptation is there.

I was present at one of the 'good' shops a few years ago when a forged Alfa was examined. It had come into the shop after an auction. Was a former 6C, probably a saloon, that had been shortened, turned into an 8C supercharged, etc. etc. etc. Welded frame, mismatch numbers all over the place. It looked great from the top. But once you started to look at the details, it was a mess.

Auction house was one of the big ones. To their credit... they 100 percent stood behind the transaction. Turns out that the seller didn't know either. The car had been through 2 - 3 auctions and I am not sure anyone ever figured out who/when it was done. But it was likely done in the '80s... "New" owner ended up keeping the car at a greatly-reduced price. Old owner took a bath and the auction 'he' bought it from said 'too bad.'

But had the car not been gone over by a sharp-eyed tech who knew his stuff, it would still be represented as original. At least now it's a known forgery. But it could very, very easily get 'forgotten' and re-auctioned in the future.

If anyone has ever been a fan of BBC tv, there used to be a great series about an antique dealer who solved mysteries. I think it was called Lovejoy. One episode was about how they 'faked' the Brough Superior to make it look like the one that T.E. Lawrence had been killed on. They showed the process brilliantly, including how it was represented to a wealthy Saudi w.out ever saying it was Lawrence's actual bike. Great fun episode... but reminds one about caveat emptor.

Laundering bikes/cars through auctions is a very common thing. Get it in a few catalogs and poof, instant provenance.

I give our customers and those who call the shop 'looking' to buy cars the following tips: 1. You may WANT that old car right now. But you don't NEED it. Plan on spending up to a year looking. Don't buy the first car you see. 2. Keep your eyes open and your wallet shut. Research, learn, drive 'good' examples of the car you want. Attend a tour. Learn what you are getting into before you buy. 3. Hire an expert and LISTEN to them. If the pre-buy report says 'run' from this vehicle, don't use the report to chisel another few $K off the price. 4. Auctions and Hemmings are the last resort of the 'scoundrel' vehicle. It ends up in an auction so you get 'no comebacks.' Hemmings because noone else wants it. The best stuff changes hands between collectors and gentlemen on a handshake and with little or no advertising. 5. Buy the car that appeals to you cosmetically -- Because you can fix anything but ugly.

That last one I stole from a great friend, the late Ken Karger, who had the best eye for old cars, bikes, cameras, etc.

Cheers,

Sirhr

PS. I love both Hemmings and Walnecks. I can't speak for Walnecks as I've never seen anything bought through them. But I've seen some real disasters come from Hemmings... YMMV, the usual caveats apply.

[Chris Haynes]

I just made the call and found out it was Jeff Gilbert's. Cyclone. They took it and a rare Honda racer at gunpoint at 4AM this morning.

[jurassic]

http://www.hotbikeweb.com/features/1...r/viewall.html

[sirhrmechanic]

At gunpoint... unreal... First time I've heard of a home-invasion for a vintage bike...

Cheers,

Sirhr

[c.o.]

The good ones... no. And don't get me wrong, there are some amazing, great restorers out there.

I give our customers and those who call the shop 'looking' to buy cars the following tips: 1. You may WANT that old car right now. But you don't NEED it. Plan on spending up to a year looking. Don't buy the first car you see. 2. Keep your eyes open and your wallet shut. Research, learn, drive 'good' examples of the car you want. Attend a tour. Learn what you are getting into before you buy. 3. Hire an expert and LISTEN to them. If the pre-buy report says 'run' from this vehicle, don't use the report to chisel another few $K off the price. 4. Auctions and Hemmings are the last resort of the 'scoundrel' vehicle. It ends up in an auction so you get 'no comebacks.' Hemmings because noone else wants it. The best stuff changes hands between collectors and gentlemen on a handshake and with little or no advertising. 5. Buy the car that appeals to you cosmetically -- Because you can fix anything but ugly.

.

I am sure the honest people out weigh the dishonest, so I get where you are coming from Sirhr.

Your advice is good and less people would get stung if they followed those simple steps.

[c.o.]

Gunpoint?? That is freakin' crazy!! The thief/thieves need more than a skinning!!!

I just read that article Jurassic. I learned something pretty interesting. I had thought that a restored Harley came of the August "Blick" Wolters privateer racer. It appears as though the Cyclone may have been the "period" restoration. This bike has a pedigree. It's a damn shame that this happened.

Quote from the Hot Bike article....

"Tracing Jeff Gilbert's bike finds it originally racing in Northern California, then languishing unused for some 10 years before being revived by one Blink Walters who modified the displacement from 1,000 cc to 350 cc by blanking off one cylinder and making a smaller displacement replacement barrel for the other. He then stuffed the motor into a '23 Harley-Davidson short-coupled race frame (itself worth a fortune) and tore up the competition in his class during the '20s. In the '50s the engine was rebuilt back to its original self, the Harley frame retained. Harrah's of Las Vegas bought it for their huge collection of cars and bikes back in the '60s then sold it during one of their sale-offs in 1984. Its owner then advertised it for sale in 1990, at which point Jeff brought it home, now celebrating its 20th anniversary in his collection."

[jurassic]

[c.o.]

That photo above is my all time favorite race bike shot.

I don't know the story on the bike that sold at auction a couple years back. Other than the Don Johns racer, is there another Cyclone out there with the history that Jeff's bike has? I hope this one ends happy.