Thanks to Jerry Hatfield

[c.o.]

I recently finished reading a few back issues of the Antique Motorcycle from the mid to late eighties. Two written series that I found most interesting involved Maldwyn Jones and Jim Davis. You painted a great picture Jerry! What great characters! Thanks again for your effort in recording motorcycle history!!!

[c.o.]

Here's a couple pics of Maldwyn and Jim respectively.

[Jerry Hatfield]

Maldwyn Jones and Jim Davis

Thanks, Cory. I believe the Jones picture was taken at the Marion, Indiana, road race, in either 1919 or 1920. I think the Davis picture was taken at the Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn, NY) board track around 1919.

[HarleyCreation]

Jerry's articles and books have inspired me too. I esp. like one from the 1980s where he visited the Springfield Wigwam secretly like a commando right on the eve of when they were going to raze most of it. He painted a nice verbal picture of the experience.

[c.o.]

Yup Herb, that was a good one too! Jerry has done the sport justice for sure!!!

[HarleyCreation]

Jerry established a new standard of quality when writing about American motorcycle history. His work being objective and honest, based on good research and seeking the truth. Before that it had often been pretty crummy, biased, and full of inaccuracies (no names named). In some circles that technique still continues.

[exeric]

Jerry and Herb are without a doubt the most valuable assets to literary Motorcycle history in recent years. Their combined books are well researched, well written, and have lots of pictures. What more can you ask for ? Jerry's book on Chief restoration helped me so much when I did my '40 Chief and the pictorial books were a huge help when I was doing my '24 Big Chief. Without Jerry's books there just wouldn't have been any way to see the differences and changes from year to year of Indian Motocycles. Not many people could find or afford the original material he assembled for our benefit. His books unravled a lot of confusion about Indian.

Herb's book on the VL and early knuckleheads compiled from first hand accounts and photos from that time and place are nothing short of incredible. His book captures that era better than anything I have ever read. I get absolutely lost in that book.

I'm glad you started this thread Cory. It's a good opportunity to say thanks.

[HarleyCreation]

I'm sure Jerry would agree that it's good to hear when somebody has enjoyed a story or book. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the time and effort it takes to gather new original material and then figure it out so it makes sense. This is different from merely copying the other guy or making stuff up. (But who would do that?)

Jerry also gets some credit for that 1930-41/VL to EL book in that his "Inside H-D" was the only modern work I trusted enough to consult or accept as accurate. Often some old timer would tell me a story or detail about the EL's development but would be fuzzy about the date, etc. Jerry's book provided a timeline that helped put those details into a space/time framework that otherwise did not exist.

Sad to say, 99% of the great old timers I interviewed for that book are dead now, but some of their unique knowledge and experience from the glorious 1930s live on. What a decade that was for the hard-core motorcyclist, culminating in the immortal 1941 FL, even if Harley did saddle it with fat sixteens!

[pem]

Thank goodness we have writers like these two guys. I know they have inspired me. I don't think the average person reading this can really appreciate all the time and effort that went
into their writing. Instead of just re-hashing what was written before, they dug and dug for the real truth that would change the way we look at motorcycle history in the future.

I try to imagine what an historian will think a hundred years from now when he reads the different versions of HD history.

Dick

[c.o.]

It's great to give appreciation to these two great writers! I was too young to meet many of the oldtimers and learn from those who were "there". It's the books written by Jerry and Herb that I turn to for the truth. There are so many books out there that re-hash the brainwash that all of us can recite by heart. I really got an eye opening when I read
At The Creation. It also as I've already stated caused me to be obsessed with early Harley's!

Eric, I too am glad I started this thread! It's good to know that there are likeminded folks out there. I'm often accused by others of eccentricity when I talk about the "early" stuff!