As soon as combustion engines began coughing their way past skeptics and in to the minds of early adopters, the ‘delivery’ industry made a giant leap in efficiency. In the very early 1900s, motorcycles quickly replaced many bicycles, horses and feet as a faster means of delivering information.
Chris Sickels is an illustrator from Greenfield, Indiana. He rides a 1965 Harley-Davidson Pacer, a 175cc two-stroke with unabashed nicks and dings. We visited Red Nose Studio where his world of sculpted puppets and miniature environments line the walls and crowd his desks.
The background on this article: We wrote this a few years back when we pondered the thought of having a custom chopper powered by a vintage XS 650 engine as our shop bike. This story explains how we got there…
Classic European and vintage Japanese motorcycles line the curbs of North Lincoln Avenue in downtown Chicago along with a sprinkling of streetfighters, choppers, bobbers and modern bikes. There’s also a strong contingent of old and new scooters mixed into the Mods vs Rockers event hosted by Ton Up Club of Chicago. While it’s a wonderful bike show, it’s great for people-watching as well.
Driving down into Louisville, we’re quickly enamored with the old buildings lining the Ohio River. Headed West on Main Street, just passed the hoppin’ downtown scene, we find Restoration Werks with the front door open to all. It’s an overhead door, up and revealing hand-picked antiques, a vintage Gilera, and a steel table displaying a selection of new moto tees. Look farther into the space, passed the custom shop lights made from salvaged glass and metal, and you’ll see a Vincent, a Brough Superior and an assortment of engines that have a special place in motorcycle lore.
Last summer, we visited Mid-America Speedway, a short track at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. That particular weekend of flat track and speedway racing was held during the annual county fair, which added an extra dose of an already abundant amount of Americana. Here are glimpses of that day and the great atmosphere that surrounds flat track racing.
