Never Ending Crocker BS

Just read the article on Dale's Crocker in American Iron. "and they would cruise at 80 to 90 mph all day" GIVE ME A BREAK , I am sick of hearing this and other myths about these bikes being perpetuated. I would be surprised if the source of this regurgitation was Dale as I always gave him credit for integrity when it comes to history.

[c.o.]

I've only seen two Crockers live in person before, neither of them running and no one to ask questions too. All the knowledge I have is what I have read and possibly falls into the myth category. It would be nice Barry if you could share some of the nitty gritty on these American Super Bikes. I for one would be all ears!

[23JDCA 808]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocker_Motorcycles
...bill

[exeric]

I mean this with respect to the people who love them, but I have never understood the big deal with Crockers. They're a nice looking bike but I (personally) think mid thru late 30's H-D and Indian big twins were better looking. Performance doesn't mean much when you're talking about 1930's technology, and Crocker's history doesn't hold a candle to the richness of H-D, Indian, and Excelsior. Apparently the Crocker does have that certain "something" judging by the frenzy that has always surrounded them. I guess all that counts is that it makes someone happy for the right reasons.

[Ohio-Rider]

Barry…. What would you believe is a more realistic M.P.H. all day speed to be for those old Crockers? I’m curious because that Crocker conversion Indian I got to hear running a few weeks ago sure sounded strong enough to run for a while.

Then again my 45” sounds real strong to. It is an interesting topic. What did you think as you where reading the article Bill posted about Crockers?

[HarleyCreation]

The BS factor seems to pervade American motorcycle history from one end of the other. From the beginning to the present. Even big companies have indulged in big time BS and probably continue to do so (we'll know soon). Some writers have purposely told lies it seems and made things up; often to make the other guy look bad. I know that when I study a subject based on original records and interviews, it almost NEVER comes close to what previously published book authors say. For example, who'd of thunk that the glorious Sportster was actually an afterthought or accident and was never really meant to exist in the first place?

As to the Crocker, maybe he meant to say that its top speed was around 90mph, and that it could cruise all day at highway speeds without eating pistons. At least I'm assuming that last part is correct.

Charter AMCA member John Giorno once bought a Crocker for $75 in Kenosha. He rode it once or twice and considered it crude, poor brakes, etc. But it was already an old beatup thing by that time in the 1960s. But he still remembered the serial number after all those years.

[Barry Brown]

Homer Wood did circa 110 mph at Muroc in 1936 with his brand new serial #4 hemi head Crocker, lights removed and running straight pipes.
I bought that Crocker from John, it was a piece of s**t as purchased.
Another bike of my dreams is the Munch Mammoth and from what I have come to understand the early ones were extremely crude and grossly overpriced and over rated as they remain today but I still want one! We're all masochists to love this crap otherwise we would drive sensible Prius (s?)

[HarleyCreation]

Yes, but they also broke 100 mph with some totally stock early knuckleheads too. But according to Factory guys they were more realistically 95 mph bikes. For some odd reason, most old Factory guys are low-key and don't seem to exaggerate much.

Where is the Giorno Crocker today?

Can you tells us more about that Crocker and what it was like when you owned it? John told the story about how he came about buying it for $75 from the widow of a wannabe street racer who made the mistake of looking back one time and ran head-on into a lamp post right outside the Kenosha hospital -- not that it did him any good.

[Barry Brown]

no wonder it handled so poorly!
forget about it, it's gone into the Crocker stratosphere

[HarleyCreation]

Documenting Crocker 3961107

no wonder it handled so poorly!
forget about it, it's gone into the Crocker stratosphere

Oh wow! Tantalize us will ya? Now we know there's gotta be a great story when you owned Giorno's Crocker!

I just checked.

My Giorno notes state that his $75 Crocker was:

SN 3961107

Fancy that, because in the Knucklehead origins book: "H-D 1930-41, Revolutionary Motorcycles, etc" (Schiffler) I see a Crocker photo on p.143. The caption says that the Crocker in this c1939-41 photo is:

Ta da!

SN 3961107
Owned by one Edward Rushka of Milwaukee, Wis.

Same Crocker that Giorno ended up with for $75. altho in the c1939-41 photo it looks brand new and why wouldn't it?

That's one Crocker we rather know the story of, although I didn't get the name of the guy (widow) Giorno got the Crocker from. It's not perfectly clear from the interview, but I think he was riding a Triumph when he hit the lamp post, not the Crocker. The Crocker was just an old beatup hunk of junk he owned, not something he was seriously riding when he had a new Triumph to blast around on. Giorno probably paid too much but may have felt sorry for the widow whose drunken husband had just splattered his brains all over the street...

[Barry Brown]

Hmmm, Maybe I'll have to buy it back now that I know it's history! Thanks!

[Tom Lovejoy]

never ending Crocker BS

I know a couple guys with Crockers, ridden with one or two. They sounded great and seemed fast as they past me on my Scout, but as said probably alot of hipe. Thats all I have read about em. I am pretty slow on my Scout, most folks pass me up - but I feel fast :-) I have been told by some who work on em, their a real pain and over rated. But also been told they will really run, but all I really know is they cost about as much as a house. I read in a motorcycle mag years ago, that an Indian Chief would run well over 200,000 miles with a single rebuild. Took it as fact and you should of seen the looks I got telling people that. Even the die hard Indian guys were laughing, the stories become as close to fact as we got untill you actually get in there and start riding em, or have good info from trusted sources. The cost of a Crocker, I am impressed just to see one being ridden

[HarleyCreation]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I have a book here that says the old Indian "Scout 101" was so named because it could go 101 mph.

That's better than Harley's Model K flathead!

No wonder them Indians is so popular!

[Ohio-Rider]

Well…. You guys know more about this than I will ever know, cause I’m still learning. But I’ll tell you what. A few weeks ago I got to listen to an Indian Crocker running, along with a bunch of other folks in a good sized building and when the owner snapped it’s throttle a few times, I don’t think anyone would have doubted that we where listening to a 100mph machine. -Steve

[HarleyCreation]

Well…. You guys know more about this than I will ever know, cause I’m still learning. But I’ll tell you what. A few weeks ago I got to listen to an Indian Crocker running, along with a bunch of other folks in a good sized building and when the owner snapped it’s throttle a few times, I don’t think anyone would have doubted that we where listening to a 100mph machine. -Steve

I know zilsch about Crockers and freely admit it, but it was a 61-inch ohv motor. My "hunch" (and that's all it is) is that the Crocker V-twin motor was capable of "around" 100 mph performance just like the 61 OHV was, depending on how it was tuned, geared, and the magical (or disappointing) combination of parts of each individual motor.