Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/751464
70 nDecember 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS Fact or Crap Part 2, wherein we try to separate fact from fi ction in the historic struggles of Harley and the Davidsons… and Indian for that matter. I mean, we all know this Discovery channel production is not a documen- tary and therefore better be good enter- tainment… which it is. Bottom line? If ever there was material used in a fi lm that should be described as "inspired" by a true story (Hollywood code for mostly bull)… this is it. So, to keep the confusion orderly, return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear… 1. Harley's fi rst factory racing team had their debut at: a) The 1915 Savannah Georgia fl at track race (as shown in the second epi- sode of Harley and the Davidsons) b) The 1914 Venice, California, road race c) The 1916 Dodge City 300 d) None of the above 2. Alone, Bill Harley designed each and every motorcycle built by Harley- Davidson until his death in 1943. a) True (as shown in the second epi- sode of Harley and the Davidsons) b) False 3. Bill Harley did, in fact, design a clutch release mechanism that was sub- ject to a patent infringement lawsuit, brought by: a) Ford Motor Co. b) Hendee Mfg. Co. (as shown in the second episode of Harley and the Davidsons) c) Bendix Corporation d) All the above e) None of the above 4. Harley-Davidson 8-valve race bikes were designed by: a) Bill Harley b) Bill Ottaway c) Both d) Neither, it was designed by England's noted engineer Sir Harry Ricardo e) Bill Harley, Bill Ottaway, Harry Ricardo 5. What member of H-D's fi rst racing team won for them their fi rst National Championship victory? a) Shrimp Burns b) Ray Weisher c) Otto Walker d) Gene Walker 6. In what year did Harley's racing team win all the marbles (every National Championship Race) and become known as the "Wrecking Crew?" a) 1916 b) 1919 c) 1921 d) 1922 7. In what year was the fi rst H-D fac- tory racing team disbanded? a) 1922 b) 1929 c) 1931 d) 1933 8. The Harley 8-valve racer fi rst raced in 1916. a) True b) False 9. The Indian 8-valve racer fi rst raced in 1916. a) True b) False 10. The Indian and Harley 8-valve rac- ers were identical designs. a) True b) False 11. The Harley-Davidson 8-valve rac- ers were designed to compete with: a) The Indian 8-valve racer b) The OHC Cyclone c) The Big Valve Excelsior d) A and C e) A and B f) All the above 12. When George Hendee stepped down as president of Indian (Hendee Mfg.) he was succeeded by: a) Randall Gates (as shown in the second episode of Harley and the Davidsons) b) Oscar Hedstrom c) Frank Weschler d) E. Paul du Pont Answers for November's Game 1. There's reference to Bill Harley's "ladies' foot" engine, early in the episode, which takes place in 1903. An oblique nod to evidence proves Harley-Davidson built an unsuitable motor bicycle with this small engine, before they regrouped and built a second, larger engine and loop-framed machine, which we now think of as H-D's "number one." a) Fact 2. "The only problem now is the carburetor; it's over-fueling the engine. I need to re-work this," says Bill Harley, as he is creating the fi rst loop-frame machine. What was the actual solution? b) Technical assistance from Ole Evinrude (later famous for outboard marine engines). 3. Eddie Hasha was portrayed as an employee of Merkel, friend to the Davidsons, eventual employee of The Motor Company, yet ultimately rival to H-D, racing on early board tracks. He was: d) All of the above 4. When Eddie Hasha had his fatal accident: b) He was racing at the Newark Motordrome, while in the lead his engine began to misfi re, he reached down to fi ddle and Ray Seymour shot into the lead. Hasha acceler- ated and his Indian suddenly turned sharply into the rail around the track, slid, then hit a post. Hasha was thrown into the grandstands and died instantly. In total there were six people killed and several dozen injured. 5. The Mason brothers, sons of the founder of Mason Gears Company, supplier to Ford, offer Bill Harley a position as designer in their new enter- prise, Mason Cars. At fi rst Bill nearly accepts, then changes his mind, and sticks with his motorcycle business. a) Total and complete fi ction… no Mason bothers, no Mason Gears and Mason Cars was founded by Maytag (as in washing machines). It never happened! 6. The motorcycles used in the series were: g) D and E 7. In the series, C.H. (Carl) Lang (piano-tuning tool maker) says to the founders, whom he just met, "Well, how about we discuss how to get your machines built "en masse" and into dealerships across the country?" C.H. Lang was: b) The fi rst Harley-Davidson dealer. 8. George Hendee, president and founder of Hendee Manufacturing Company (Indian), was: e) All the above. 9. Indian called their machines "motor bicycle" or "motocycle" not motor- cycle, though in the series the Indian banners and posters clearly say the latter. a) True 10. In the fi rst episode, Hendee says, "Everyone gets to race against Indian in our Expo run next spring, races in every city, all makers welcome. If you can best my machine, then I want to partner with you to take Indian motor- cycles to the next level." What part of this speech is accurate? e) 0 percent—he had an excellent engineer (Oscar Hedstrom) as his partner and none of this Expo crap ever happened. 11. Earlier in the same speech, Hendee says, "There are now 50 motorcycle makers in America." c) Back then, the competition came and went so often, nobody really knows if there were more than that or less than that. Visit our Facebook page to answer the trivia quiz. While you're there, "Like" our Facebook page and enter the drawing to win great prizes. The highest-scoring quiz wins a short bio in a future issue of THUNDER PRESS, and as always… in case of a tie, a random drawing of eligible contestants will determine the winner. See "Time Machine," page 78, column1