Forsberg Trailer

Admittedly I'm not exactly impartial but I think my big brother takes on some really incredible projects. His fabrication skills, mechanical abilities and attention to detail are pretty inspirational. I've learned a lot from him over a lifetime.

Here's a great example. This trailer was built in the 1940's to hauler race bikes for the local Indian Motorcycle dealer, Forsberg Indian. There are photos of this trailer at period race events hauling hillclimbers and dirt trackers.

The suspension was salvaged from a mid 1930's Ford (arched leafspring, radius rods, axle hubs, etc.). Sadly a lot of what was left was unusable. The trailer was hit while parked and the axle was badly bent. Rob opted to replace it with a hot rod style drop axle to lower the load height. The original fabrication was rough. He's cleaned up everything salvageable and painted it. He found old pickup fenders from a swap meet we narrowed and still need to mount. He has taillights and the all the other parts required to finish it. We just need to find the time to finish it. Pretty cool in my book.

Andy Skeel - 7-17-1939

King Kenny & the Legendary Manx

Anyone who knows me knows I was a massive Kenny Roberts and Bob Hannah fan starting at about 10 years old. When other kids where fixated on Roger Staubach,  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and KISS I only cared about them.

As a Brit bike guy I was super stoked to find this November 1989 issue of Cycle World with Roberts riding a 1959 Norton Manx and Hannah on a 1964 Rickman Triumph. I found an issue on eBay in early May that was permanently lost in the USPS COVID-19 debacle. After waiting about 6 weeks I found another copy and started the wait all over. It finally showed up this week.

The Bob Hannah feature is coming in a future post.

Spanish Flu - Seattle 1918

Youth stand in front of a downtown Seattle theater that closed after Mayor Ole Hanson’s proclamation concerning public gatherings in 1918. (Museum of History & Industry, Seattle)

Spanish Fly - 1918

The 39th Regiment marches down 2nd Ave. with their flu masks on, passing Cheasty’s Haberdashery, CA. October/November 1918.

Duke City Drive-In

Taken from a Tom Rosenburg FB post, I hope he doesn’t mind.

The Duke City Drive-In was opened February 17, 1953 with Robert Ryan in “Best of the Badmen” & John Payne in “Passage West”. It was built by Tom Griffing Construction, and was a single screen initially operated by Tom Griffing. It was later operated by All-State Theatres and Video Independent Theaters Inc. 87107.  2701 Carlisle Boulevard NE, where the Wal-Mart is now.

Checkout the earlier post on the Terrace Drive-In and the race track it hid.

Mortar Cycle

Dodge Viper.

I always suspected there was something wacky going on behind the Viper.

Albuquerque Dragway

These old photos so remind me of the dragway as a kid. I never went to the races legitimately but used to ride up to the strip from the Big Dig pretty regularly. Every race I ever saw was from behind a chain link fence.

Rudolph Brothers Indian

Bill and Norman Rudolph with a load of surplus Harley WLA’s.  The photo was taken in September of 1944. Maybe my bike is one of the bikes in that load. My brother Rob’s ‘48 Chief also has known Rudolph Brothers Indian ties. 

Send It

Queen City Motorcycle Club

Don contacted me a few weeks ago and shared these photo of a Queen City motorcycle club he bought a whole back. Pretty cool. Thanks Don.