California Motor Company

Last week's post on George Wyman inspired me to look into the California Motor Company a bit more, and I found this interesting albeit brief history.

Undoubtedly the biggest event of the year for the company was George Wyman's success in crossing the continent on his California motorcycle. The publicity generated by this event was huge: not only did it consume pages of the specialist press (for example The Motorcycle Magazine and The Bicycling World and Motocycle Review both carried extensive reports over several issues), but the event captured good coverage in newspapers of the day. California advertising made much of the epic achievement, but perhaps more importantly much of the post-ride editorial comment read like California advertising copy. In these pioneering days of motorcycling, the California was was in the spotlight.

1948 Harley WL

The guys over at Bike Exif highlighted this gorgeous 1947 Harley-Davidson. Head on over to check out the specs and the story.

EntroSys Climate Control

The climate here in the Bay Area is pretty undeniably great for motorcycle riding, but we still get the odd day that is a little too hot or cold for comfort. Enter EntroSys. They've developed a climate-control system for riders that blows hot or cold air into a special vest to keep your temp just right.

They go into production this summer, so if anyone is planning a July trip to Texas, it might be just the thing. Of course, there is no word on pricing, but they are offering a mysterious 20% discount if you pre-order.

Carnegie OHV

Carnegie OHV Park is at serious risk of being closed to recreational motorsports forever. Water cleanliness reports that were misguided at best and malicious at worst have caused the state to close the park temporarily while the courts battle it out.

To lend a hand or just keep up on what is going on, head over to Carnegie Forever.

Cross Country in 1903

In 1903, riding a motorcycle across the US was quite a feat. The bicycle roots of motorcycles were still very evident, and the interstate system wouldn't be started for another 53 years. Paved roads were rare, and the country wasn't nearly so densely populated, meaning help was usually far away.

A man named George Wyman attempted it, and documented the journey extensively. He rode a California Motor Company motorcycle, manufactured just a block from where the SFMC now stands, and was a member of the Bay City Wheelmen bicycle club.

From Creston to Rawlins there is nearly 30 miles of downgrade, and, as it is a fairly good highway of gravel, I made lively time over it. After leaving Creston there come Cherokee and Daly's ranch before you get to Rawlins, and it was between these places, both mere railroad points, that I got the picture of the abandoned prairie schooner that was printed in Motorcycle Magazine.

Rawlins, where I stopped only for gasoline, is a town of some size, having more than 2,000 population. From there the country becomes rolling again, and after passing Fort Fred Steele, I began to ascend once more. It is a great sheep ranch country all through here now from Rawlins. At Fort Steele there is nothing left but the ruins of abandoned houses. I now follow the old immigrant trail that winds across the River Platte, and am fast approaching the Laramie Plains, over which my route lies to the Laramie Mountains.

AMA Supercross at AT&T Park

AMA Supercross came to AT&T park Saturday, and they put on a great show. Unfortunately, James "Bubba" Stewart had wrist surgery the day before and wasn't racing. They packed an impressive amount of track onto that little field, and our seats up in the nosebleed section provided a great view. The racers put in a hell of a showing, and the track crew did an outstanding job of maintaining the course. The only disappointment was the pits. I guess I'm used to amateur race pits where you can get up close and personal with racers and bikes that show what great work you can do on a shoestring budget. The teams here were behind barriers, and the bikes had so much technology, that they seemed to be missing that soul. It was almost like a museum. But once you saw those bikes flying around the track, that all melted away as you watched these guys doing what they do best.

You can check out the rest of the season's calendar here.

Buell Asset Liquidation to Commence

Well, it was bound to happen. The bones of Buell will be picked over as what remains of the physical assets of the company go up for auction. The company's fate was sealed some time back, but the dissassmbly is a sad spectacle in American motorcycling.

2010 Dakar Photos

The 2010 Dakar Rally is over, but you can still take a look at some amazing photographs collected over at The Big Picture. Our local hero Jonah Street and Team Rally Pan-Am came in 7th place, the best finish of any American team. Congratulations to them on an outstanding performance!

Returning History

A man by the name of Bob Swanson bought a box of old motorcycle photographs. When he discovered that most of the photos were of and by the Oakland Motorcycle Club, he returned the photos to them to keep in their archives. It is a wonderful piece of history, and it is great that Bob made the effort to put the photos back in the OMC's hands, and great that he took the time to scan some so that we can all appreciate them. Take a look at the

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A hairy bridge crossing

It is moments like these that make motorcycle adventures great. Utterly terrifying in the moment, but amazing experiences that remind you that there is no better way to travel and experience life. I'm looking at you, Smooth Jazz Cruise.