BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Motorcycles A TO Z MOTORCYCLE GAME

Okay, let's start a word game with words that relate to motorcycles that follow the alphabet. I will start with the letter "A" - Axle

B - bike

C - Chassis

D - Ducati

If you are doing to say Ducati for "D" than you might as well go with "Ducati desmodromic".

We're taking turns? E is for Excelsior!

(A classic American brand from the first decades of the 20th century)

Fatboy Harley

You may want to turn this around and start over again once we've done 26, but there's bound to be more "A"s and a couple of old brands that I doubt anyone else will think of just popped into my head.

Allstate - A buddy had a 100 cc (I think) from this brand that was distributed by Sears in the 60s (maybe earlier too.

Aermacchi - How about a little side action? Why should this brand be known to enthusiasts in the U.S.?

AAArghhhh!

Sorry, I can't wait. I'll try to include only the most arcane names/words that I can think of.

Aprilia, Bimota, Cagiva, damn - too bad I used desmo above - Drag racing, Elefant (a Cagiva model), Fast by Gast, Greeves, Husqvarna, ISDE (side action on what it stands for), Jawa, KTM, Laverda, Moto Morini, Nitrous injection (oh baby let's go fast), Oh baby let's go fast, Pope (I have a very cool Pope sales card from c. 1910), "q" is a tough one - maybe we ought to see who gets it in a "Qualifier" HA!, Royal Enfield, Shift fork, Twist of the wrist, Under-powered (aka Harley Davidson HA!), Velocette, Wrist pin, X-box - what you play with while you're waiting for a broken leg to heal, Zundapp.

Ahhhh. Sorry - it was eating away at me.

C'mon people, I'll do the whole alphabet again if nobody else will get in the game.

Ape hangers - too make it interesting we could name movies about motorcycles with actors names. Your Husqvarna reference - OLn Any Sunday - 1970 Husqvarna 400 - Steve McQueen

"Ape-hangers" is an A-1 way to start another string.

I think your motorcycles in movies deserves its own thread, so I will hijack the idea to a new one.

"B" is for Birmingham Small Arms.

"C" is for Chris Carr - 7-time AMA Grand National Champion.

This time "D" is for Dunlop, manufacturers of motorcycle tires for road and racing.

An English company, now mostly owned by a Japanese company, they are the only large scale manufacturer of motorcycle tires in the US.

"E" is for Elsinore.

I get to do it again!! Fatboy Harley (I prefer the Knucklehead!)

"Fatboy Harley (I prefer the Knucklehead!)"

1) This is the same "F" entry you put up last week. That's cool tho', because I thought of an "E" I like better than Elsinore and this gives me an excuse to insert it.

2) Knucklehead? The Knucklehead was produced from from 1935 through 1948, first in a 1000 cc (61 cu) version, the EL,through 1940, then in the 1200 (74cu), the first FL series, from '41 thru '48.

3) The Fatboy has a Blockhead engine in a massive 1600cc / 96 cu displacement.

This time "E" is for Earl, as in Earl Bowlby, 10 time AMA National Champion Hillclimb racer.

Competing on his highly modified 60s era BSA, (see Birmingham Small Arms above) won over 80 races in his career.

I had the opportunity to meet him while he was still racing in the 80s - a heck of a nice guy and al2ways the man and bike to beat.

G - Guzzi

Yep I know the Knuckle was old, came just before the shovel head I think?
which I think came out in 49. But The Knuckle is so classy. It is BEAUUUUUUUUUtiful I think

It is a shame I don't know much about bikes, because the only F I thought of, as you said was Fatboy! But,you know, when the Fatboy came out, I actually did not like it at first, because It had the solid wheel rather than the old classic spokes!!

Sorry this is deviating from the game!!

However, that is hypocritical of me because after harleys and A10s (only with ape swingers on!!) my fav bike was the Yamaha V Max! which of course being Japanese (i think!) was solid wheeled. Then the Japanese started brining out spokes!!

We so loved the V max, our Eldest son MAX is named after it! (all I can say is at least I did not love a Suzuki!)

Harley!!!! But which one hehe!

More digression in the name of education.

"which of course being Japanese (i think!) was solid wheeled"

The Yamaha V-max is indeed Japanese, but solid wheels are not particularly Japanese. I would in fact think of them more often with Harleys. Nor can I bring to mind an image of a V-Max with a solid rear wheel (but I have seen very few in the last 20 years)

A10 with ape-hangers? Not for me - I like my Beezers box stock with the wonderful handlebar and horrible seat. I've ridden a 650 Lightning several times

All motorcycle wheels including on japanese bikes used to be spoked.

As the Knuck ceased production 60 years ago there is no such thing as a Fatboy with a Knucklehead.

The Shovelhead was not introduced until the mid 60s; between the Knuck and the Shovel came the Panhead.

Guzzi - sweet.

I read they have a new model out - still that cool transverse V-twin.

Tting in with harley - - Half-a Davidson - what the big twin boys call Sportsters.

Iron Butt Rally - and I love the digression. We all learn so much!!

Jockey Shifter

Hey Guys:
Growing up, Dad had a 1000cc Brough Superior ---then he switched to a German 250 cc Contessa scooter ( a la Vespa and Lambretta but more classy). I had a 350 cc Triumph ----THE dream bike of all dream bikes.
Also nobody mentioned in racing ---MV Augusta with John Surtees and Gary Hocking, later followed by Mike Hailwood who then traitored himself to Honda.
Oh for the "good old days" LOL

There's been a lot that nobody's mentioned - it's the nature of an alphabet game. I'll note that you have missed a fine opportunity to include a "K" motorcyle term.

I'll snatch it up with an easy reference to BMW's K-series of in-line longitudinally oriented multi-cylinder engines.

Do they still run Iron Butts?

Yes - they still run Iron Butts. A friend of ours just did one.
Kawasaki, Kevlar, Kymco, Kill Switch