Cyclone production numbers

[D.A.Bagin]

Eric, just so you know. All I use is a 41/2" grinder w/cut off wheel, small die grinder, small hand engraver, small drill press, and hand files, and a big gas torch with a small tip. It's mostly to see if I can. The math conversion is the killer. Small photos to 1/6 scale. Oh my!

Rich,

Let alone you being able to do this with ANY type of tools and machining, to do it with only the above listed items is beyond amazing, it's inhuman.

[Tom Lovejoy]

I had no idea Richard, that is outstanding - very impressive !

[RichO]

Eric, just so you know. All I use is a 41/2" grinder w/cut off wheel, small die grinder, small hand engraver, small drill press, and hand files, and a big gas torch with a small tip. It's mostly to see if I can. The math conversion is the killer. Small photos to 1/6 scale. Oh my!

[exeric]

That is stunning, Rich, beautiful work. Modeling has always fascinated me. Here in Sarasota we have the Ringling fine art museum, but also on the grounds is the Ringling Circus museum. They have a massive diorama that is always being added to by model builders. I've spent hours just looking at the detail, and devotion to the modeler's art.

Thanks for posting those pictures, Peter.

[PRG]

Howdy Eric,

Here you go, taken at the Cherokee Road Run a few years back. Hope Rich doesn’t mind his smiling mug displayed on a public forum but this has been in the internet domain for several years at my Road Run sites so what the heck.

[exeric]

I'll look forward to seeing your work, Rich. I know that modeling is an addictive hobby that can consume a lot of time; so adding that hobby to motorcycling, and just getting through life has got to be tough.

[RichO]

Eric, When I finish it I will try to post a few photos of it and other one's I've completed. I use a flip phone and have no scanner so we'll see what I can work out. I will also add that I seen and photographed (one of the photos I included in my total) an H-D framed motor at Davenport many years ago. I forgot who owned it but he ran it around the track with the other early machines.

[exeric]

I would love see a few pictures of your model building RichO. That's got to be a lot harder than building a real motorcycle.

[Chuck#1848]

Thanks for the additional information RichO

[RichO]

Sorry, the Sacramento race was 1915. Typo.

[RichO]

I haven't read this whole thread but maybe this will add a little. It's interesting that I just caught this thread as I am just now working on one of my 1/6th scale metal motorcycles that I turn out from time to time and this one is a Cyclone. I have photographs that I have taken over the last 50 years of 10 Cyclones. Three are yellow road models. Nine are racer. One of the racers is dark blue. Of the nine racers three have altered H-D frames to mount the motor. The other six have the original frames. Because I have to do a lot of math to scale down many photos to access the details I need to do my work (and the photos never show all the details you need) I know these machines fairly well. The road models were suspended on both ends like the Flying Merkles were. The racers were rigid on both ends. You can still see the plate that the rear half leaf spring bolted to just above the petal crank cross over on a stock rigid racer frame. The front suspension on a stock road model was a half leaf front spring like Indian or Excelsior. I was there the day Jim bought the Don John's machine at Dick Mann's Sandhill vintage race meet and Show. It won The Sacramento race in 1925 and a 10 year old Joe Petrali watched it from the guardrail. Jim's machine still had the silk stockings wrapped around the open lower ports on the cylinders when he acquired it. I know of atleast two more motors only in the upper Midwest. That accounts for at least a dozen machines. Shorty Thompkins ( a deceased member of our chapter0 built his from just a motor. I remember the one that the late Stephen Wright restored for Steve McQueen many years ago. Lane Plotner rode is wonderful road model on atleast four road runs I attended. Bill Lattin has a great road model also. And of course we all have heard of the theft of the Glibert Cyclone. Sorry this is so long but Cyclones have always been of great interest to me.

[pem]

Some more info

Was going through my old CD's and files and found this newspaper article from 191? from what appears to be a Racine, Wi. newspaper. They talk about a letter the city received from President Joerns of the Joerns Motor Mfg. Co. of St. Paul, MN. Says he wanted to get closer to the center of the market.
Out of business shortly afterword. The date in the article is hard to read but 1915?

Hopefully a Cyclone collector can use this info.

later

[SMS]

Thanks, Interesting I wouldn't mind seing some of the remaining Cyclones wonder if there are any original paint blue road bikes or the racing "violent yellow" ones left

Don John's last Cyclone race bike still exists today just as he last parked it in the pits. Original yellow, black tape holding the seat together. Priceless. The Mona Lisa.

[Chuck#1848]

Reviving a sleeping thread with this little Cyclone story. Hope you guys like it:
http://www.hotbikeweb.com/features/1...ser/index.html

Thanks, Interesting I wouldn't mind seing some of the remaining Cyclones wonder if there are any original paint blue road bikes or the racing "violent yellow" ones left

[SMS]

Reviving a sleeping thread with this little Cyclone story. Hope you guys like it:
http://www.hotbikeweb.com/features/1...ser/index.html