Cyclone production numbers

[SMS]

An unfortunate unintended consequence of the beautiful Cyclone overhead cam drivetrain is that all the shots show the right side of the engine. The serial numbers are on the other side, so blowing up old pictures to try to fill in the missing numbers and put some rationale to the production numbers is that much more difficult.

[Adam Bari]

Were there ever Cyclones raced in New York State and New Jersey? If so who were the riders?

[SMS]

Were there ever Cyclones raced in New York State and New Jersey? If so who were the riders?

Good question. The best chance would be if a privateer continued to race that region after the factory team folded. Seeing racetrack programs from Sheepshead Bay, Atlantic City, Woodbridge plus county fair tracks might find one. The factory teams populated the midwest and western states mostly during their heydays. Anybody have intel on this one?

[SMS]

Who knows anything about J.L. Beardsley? He wrote for Cycle World in the 1960s and 1970s, and another name, B.F. Beardsley appears as a witness signature on a 1915 Andrew Strand patent application. Just wondering if anyone has any info regarding theses Beardsley's; related, coincidence?
Also wondering if family or heirs of J.L. exist today that anyone knows about.

Thanks,

Bill

[Barry Brown]

I just came across the letter that accompanied that great picture I posted of Bob Lyon's "restoration" Kind of a sad story. Is this the bike that Harrah's bought and Lane Plotner now has? Just curious.

[Barry Brown]

this also accompanied the letter

[SMS]

That old Lyons bike is with the Lattin family.

The Lane P Cyclone came out of Seattle when H-D dealer/collector Marion Dietrich passed away in the 60's. Then his widow sold it to Lane.
It is not restored or altered as was the Lyons bike, and is the most original road bike out there.

[SMS]

Cool old shot of a Cyclone cyl head showing cam drive beveled gears.

[SMS]

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

[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]

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.

[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

[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.

[RichO]

Sorry, the Sacramento race was 1915. Typo.

[Chuck#1848]

Thanks for the additional information RichO