Trivia

That would be Gene Long of course, but I’m quite sure Gene would have told the story and asked the question like this “Who in the world are all those people surrounding Gene Long in that magazine article?”

Sort of like the Gene Long story about appearing on the balcony with the Pope and everyone in St Peters square turning and asking each other who that guy was in the funny hat standing next to Gene Long!! Hahahahaha

OWOF

SlingBlade

Chapter 69 North

Hi JQ,

The trio is the Mrs. Willie G. Davidson, Willie G. Davidson, and Bill
Rodencal (Motorcycle Restorer) of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company
who built the BFMC Tribute Bike to be put into the new Harley Davidson
Museum. The reason that they are so happy is that they are standing in
front of the museum that is under construction in the background.

Love and Respect
Mike "Mad Dog" Davis
Charter Holder Chapter 49
Kansas
OWOF

`MAD DOG' you are absolutly correct. And for your information Willie G's
wife's name is Nancy. They are celebrating the "TOPPING OUT PARTY" in which
was the placement of the last iron beam on top. Bill had to miss our Spring
National because he was asked to stay and autograph that historic chunk of
history in the making (of the museum).

For more information visit {www.h-dmuseum.com}.

Thanks `Mad Dog'...JQ

The two Boozefighters in the picture are "JD" John Cameron and another original named Lance. I don't remember Lance's last name, but the both of them were featured on Easyriders video number 1(?) about their ride to Sturgis on the 1920's era bikes with sidehacks that are also shown in the photo.

Cactus

CH 49

Cactus you are absolutely correct. Lance's last name was Tidwell. He was involved with the club back in the 40's as an independent rider but became a member later (1977). Many of the early ORIGINAL WILD ONES were too involved with family and jobs to be a regular member, but they rode, raced, and partied with the club on numerous events. Later Wino started pulling back the old members and ridding buddies for the famous group pictures in Chopper magazine, etc. Wino christened Lance and some others as Boozefighters at that time. Better later than never I figure. They were still an important part of our history.

JQ the answer to your latest Trivia question is, it is Brother Gil Armas an "Original Wild One" and is mention numerous times in the new book. Was also at Hollister during the so called riot in 1947 and was a motorcycle racer.

Absoulty...Give me your mailing address and I'll send you a token "ORIGINAL WILD ONES" sticker as a prize. JQ

JQ I also think that is Gil Armas on the front of the book too.

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone because of profiling.

(CH 69 Prospects are disqualified from answering. I've already told them that one.)

I heard that the shot glass came from the bartenders of the west. When a gunslinger came into the "bar", and asked for whiskey, the bartender would ask the gunslingers for their "bullets" and the bartender then put the bullets into a glass, hence the word "shots" from the bullets in the glass.

Also another explanation I have heard is a shot got its name because when the men came in from the west they would trade a bullet for a shot of a drink. The bullet and the shot cost about $ .12 back in those days.

By golly I think you've got it. As a matter of fact ole chap you've double got it. I never heard of the first part but it sounds good and Cowboy`esh. But the trading a bullet for a shot was the way I've always heard it. Cattle drovers, Army Calvary, etc might be looking for a pay day on down the line but busted in rout and still thirsty. One of the best bartering chips was their bullet for a shot glass of whisky.

1690 A.D.
William of Orange passed a law that lifted taxes on distilled spirits
and encouraged development and expansion of this industry. Stills sprang
eternal.

Newly discovered gin became the drink of choice for the middle and lower
classes, bringing with it the demand for appropriate glassware. Instead
of the larger bowl-shaped wine goblets used by the upper classes, much smaller
glasses were needed to accommodate the more potent distilled spirits. Dram
glasses used for "chugging" several toasts of rum, brandy, whiskey or gin, were
cheaply made. Because they broke so easily, much sturdier firing glasses were
created. They had to be strong enough to withstand the abuse of being pounded on
tavern tables giving off sounds much like musket fire, hence the name "firing
glasses."

A Short History of Shot Glasses

Tiny glass vessels were once filled with lead shot and were then used to
clean and support quill pens. This origin of the word "shot" had it's
beginnings in Europe. The shot glass is also an American term for a tiny drinking
vessel used for serving whiskey in single measures. Before the widespread use
of the word "shot" in the later 19th century, there were a variety of other
terms used to describe them.

Dram glasses and firing glasses were popular in England dating back to
the early 18th century. Dram glasses were cheaply made of thin metals and
broke easily but were used heavily in the practice of dramming. Dramming
involved drinking several small toasts of rum, gin, brandy, or whisky in
succession ordinarily in lodges, taverns, and even specialty dram shops. Firing
glasses were stronger articles of thick glass particularly the bottoms. They
could withstand considerable abuse and were typically slammed upon the table
after each successive toast. The resulting noise was comparable to that of a
musket firing, hence the name "firing glass". In America, the first generation
of tiny whiskey tumblers were referred to as toy whiskey tasters because
they were so small (most had capacity of barely an ounce). They date back to the
1830's and were used for sampling whiskey.

One of the most significant eras in shot glass history began in the
1880's and lasted up to Prohibition in 1919. The Pre-Prohibition whiskey sample
glass era consisted of clear or crystal shot-sized glasses with some form of
advertising. Naturally the advertising was alcohol-related for
proprietors, distillers, store-owners selling whiskey, pharmacists and doctors
dispensing liquor, saloons, clubs, and so on. The word sample originates from the
gimmick of salesmen, peddlers, and agents who offered free samples of the
product that they were promoting. Other shot glasses were produced in
cut crystal, oily carnival colors, and especially the variety of colors
during the Depression era. A new style of shot glass was made during the 1920s and
1930s; it was 2 7/8" tall, narrower, held exactly one ounce, and had an
incredibly thick bottom. Some were so thick that the capacity for liquid was less
than an ounce, and they were often referred to as "cheaters."

Numerous toasts were added to shot glasses, such as "Here's Looking at
You," "Bottoms Up," "Down the Hatch," "Just a Swallow," and many others.
In the Post-Depression era, the decorated tumbler soon became the most
popular medium for shot glass production. Machine-applied enamels and
heat-transfers were cheaply fused to shot glasses in huge numbers. Shot glasses
decorated with advertising, sports teams, Christmas and other holidays, plain
patterns, and the thousands of tourist glasses have assailed the Post-Depression
era. Production of thick durable shot glasses for bar use has never wavered
since the time of the firing glass.
--
L&R

GRUMP
National Board of Directors
Charter Holder & President CH. 49
BoozeFighters Motorcycle Club

WHAT ORIGINAL BOOZEFIGHTER WAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND ALSO SERVED AS ONE OF THE EARLY BFMC PRESIDENTS?

NO ONE GOT THE FEB 2004 ANSWER CORRECTLY, SO I'LL TAKE MY TURN TO ANSWER ONE. JIM SMITH WAS AN ORIGINAL BOOZEFIGHTER AND WAS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT . HE ALSO BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST ELECTED CLUB PRESIDENTS.

LEGEND HAS IT THAT SINCE HE CAME TO SOME MEETINGS DRIVING A DUMP TRUCK IT WAS ASSUMED THAT WAS HIS PROFESSION. THEN ONE DAY ANOTHER BF MEMBER WAS SPEEDING ON A SOUTH L.A. HIGHWAY WHEN A MOTORCYCLE COP SAILED UP BEHIND HIM AND PULLED HIM OVER. IT WAS JIM SMITH THAT MADE THE STOP. HE MADE A DEAL WITH THE SPEEDER THAT HE WOULDN'T WRITE HIM A TICKET IF HE DIDN'T TELL THE GUYS IN THE CLUB HE WAS A COP. FELT THEY MIGHT THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HIM IF THEY KNEW.

THE SECRET WASN'T KEPT FOR EVER, BUT AS WINO EXPLAINED…"IT GOT WHERE IT DIDN'T MATTER. JOBS WERE HARD TO FIND AND JESUS - THIS GUY HAD TWO. HE WAS WELL LIKED AND ELECTED ONE OF THE FIRST PRESIDENTS. AND HE WAS A G__D___ GOOD ONE TOO!"

The guy on first row in the center with a pin in hand over a ledger book is Johnny Davis

You got it. For extra points tell something about him. Also send me your address so I can send you a token BF prize.

Who invented the "E - Z EMPTY RIDE" ?
Clue - - - It doesn't have anything to do with a motorcycle. But it does relate to Boozefighter History. I'll post another clue Dec 1st if the question remains unanswered.

Is the answer to who invented the E-Z Empty Ride, John Stratton Cameron of La Mirada, Ca.? Thank you J.Q. for the tour of the Boozefighters museum for my family and I at the Fall National. It's great to know someone dedicated like yourself is helping to preserve our club history. You,ve done an outstanding Job. Thank You. Boozefighters Up!

`Mad Dog' It`s rewarding to know some folks do absorb the valuable history we have preserved in the National Museum. You are absolutely correct. It was `J.D.' JOHN CAMERON`s invention. I will get a copy of portions of the brochure about the E - Z - EMPTY RIDE to Mike Council (our WEBMASTER) to display along with your correct answer. Send me your mailing address and I will mail you a token Boozefighter prize. JQ

Who (and when) was the first Boozefighter to ride his motorcycle from the United States to the "ARTIC CIRCLE"?

`GRUMP' hit the nail on the head. For those of you that are interested in
reading about Kenny and Charlie's challenging ride over hundreds of miles of
construction, bad roads, and other trials and tribulations in traveling to
the Artic Circle - get out your Spring 2003 "THE GAG BOX". If you didn't
get one let me know and I'll send you a copy of Kenny's story. JQ
-`HISTORY'

Who or whom invented or discovered the procedure for modifying a Harley motor into what's called a "STROKER."

I figured when I put this question on our TRIVIA it would open up a big bucket of nuts & bolts answers from our rich yesteryears. There were most likely hundreds of intivintavators tinkering with how to get a Harley motor run faster, therefore many learning how to STROKE an engine. Below is a real good start on the subject by Lucky Dan. But in the interest of THE AMERICAN BIKER history I will post all additional good answers so...send em on !

Answer

JQ- Oh wee what a delicious can of worms this question opens up! Who gets credit for developing the Harley Stroker engine? Man, noses have been bloodied over discussions like this. So saying, I'll wade right in say we're talking about the just-post WW II era when hot rodders -- of the two- and four-wheeled variety -- were trying to squeeze speed outta old technology with new smarts. Dick Linn, who apparently owns one of the prototypes, tells of some postwar R&D collaboration across the pond between BSA and Harley that produced an HD engine -- a WL 45" bumped up to 61" with the stroke increased to 4 13/16 and the bore moved .070 over standard -- that was mounted in a Beezer swingarm frame with other assorted parts from both makers.

Most interesting, he claims "a young engineer who had worked on the joint project engine remembered these flywheels and begin marketing them on his own under the S&S label." While Linn doesn't name George J Smith, racer and founder of S&S Cycle Equipment, it is curious to note that the official S&S history says, "Smith eventually tired of the reliability problems associated with the Flathead 80 flywheels used in the early strokers. In what was destined to become a landmark move, he (Geo. Smith) decided to bypass the problems associated with an existing part by making his own."

A 1997 article in Performance Times says Smith, racing in the very early 1950's on a 1939 Knucklehead, turned a 61" up to 74" using FL cylinders and flywheels. Then he employed "a set of ULH flywheels that pushed the Knuck up to 80 inches." A later version of Smith's bike displaced 92" and made a record run at Bonneville of 152 mph in 1954. And S&S stroker engines also helped make Leo Payne a dragracing legend in this same time period. Later, more HD-Factory and S&S collaboration helped produce Cal Rayborn;s 265-mph bike-run on the salt. And it was S&S development work that helped Harley introduce the 4.25 stroke Evo engine in the late 1970's.

Of course, in those times there had to be countless innovative guys on both coasts and across middle America who were at work in there garages making Harleys and virtually every other kind of bike and car go faster than most could dream possible. It wouldn't surprise me that a club with a racing and riding history like the Boozefighters didn't have a few of these speed wizards. All the best,

Lucky Dan

I knew if I waited long enough I`d get more than one good answer to this trivia STROKER question. And WOW what (another) good answer Bill Hayes provided from his research interview with Gil Armas. It is lengthy but well worth the read. Another good reason...it`s part of BOOZEFIGHTER HISTORY !

The forthcoming book, “The Original Wild Ones,” will provide an intimate insight into the founding fathers of the “motorcycling lifestyle.” The Boozefighters MC and its original members are truly representative of what a “biker” should be. There are a lot of definitions of the word “biker.” Some are valid, some are not. But if a true biker is a pioneer of the lifestyle, one who knows his machine in and out, and who is dedicated to the fun and brotherhood it can provide, then there are no finer examples than that of BFMC originals Gil Armas and C.B. Clausen...the originators of the “stroker.”

Listening to Gil relate the tale of how this mechanical cornerstone came about is a history lesson that should be required of all bikers young and old. This is the fertile ground from which we have all grown...

“Well, there I was, working in my garage...I had my flathead motor all apart in one corner, repairing the pistons I collapsed on my last big ride...and I had my Knucklehead apart in another corner. In comes C.B.

‘What are you doing?’ he asks...I tell him I’m fixing the pistons and I see him eyeing the flywheels that were out of both motors. Now C.B. had this way of looking at things...a ‘vision’ that most of us don’t have...I knew something was up...something was going on in that brain of his.

‘Do you have a ruler?’ he asks...here we go, I thought...yeah, I gave him a ruler.

He measures the two flywheels and realizes that the flathead flywheel is bigger than the Knuck and starts to get excited and starts to put it into the Knucklehead.

I had two thoughts: First, this is my engine...if we blow the thing up, I’m the one who’s out a motor! C.B. ain’t gonna lose a damn thing! And second, there must be a reason that no one has ever done this before!

But C.B. is all excited and starts putting stuff together...the bigger flathead parts into the Knuck...and it all starts to fit! So we put the cases together and I had some 61 barrels...we put those on...and the piston sticks way out.

‘Yeah, I guess you’re right,’ he says...but then starts to eye some 74 barrels I had in another corner...that ‘vision’ again...

So we slip the 74 barrels on and the piston comes up dead even. But when we put it together and hand turned it we heard this ‘clunk.’

We take the barrel off and look at the piston and notice that the piston was hitting the flywheel, and if we took off enough to clear the flywheel then there wouldn’t be anything left ‘cause it would hit the pin.

We take it all apart...again...and C.B. grabs some pistons from a 74 and sees that the pins are higher. Well, we hadn’t thought about that...so we put the 74 pistons in and put it back together...we turn it and notice that all we had to do was to trim the pistons at the bottom on the sides where the flywheel came in.

Well, all that was fine and dandy but I didn’t want to do that to my pistons but before I could say anything C.B. is over on the grinder cutting up my piston!

Now I’m yellin’...you ruined my piston! He’s got all this same stuff over at his house, but no, he’s over here experimentin’ with my stuff!

I mean, here I was, just awhile ago I had two nice motors that I was putting back together so we could go on our next ride, and now I didn’t even have one!

C.B., I says, this just ain’t gonna work! There must be a reason that no one has ever done this before!

So after all the grinding C.B. gets the thing all back together, gets it to clear real nice, and I get to thinking that maybe we have something here!

‘Yeah,’ says C.B., ‘There’s no plates or anything under the barrels...nothing to make anyone wise that we’ve done anything to this motor.’

Well, we get it all back together but we didn’t put the push rods on ‘cause we wanted to time it with the lift, so we marked it and found out where the pistons come up at and where the mark is on the flywheel...so far everything’s good...so far...

C.B., there’s something wrong here! There must be a reason that no one has tried this before!

OK, what we weren’t doing was that in order to time it right we had to have the valves lifted...so we fixed that and tried again...and I went over the bars...again...

We monkeyed around with it some more and it got to the point where it would almost start...almost start...almost...

Then, by accident, we moved the distributor forward, advancing it quite a bit, just as C.B. says, ‘I’m gonna try this one more time.’

We were dancing and jumping around! That distributor had been retarded but just by luck we fixed it and she just purred!

In the 1953 movie The Wild One Lee Marvin, who's character is called "Chino"
and who rides a Harley, led a motorcycle club called the Beetles. Brando's
character, Johnny, rode a Brit bike and his club was called the Black Rebels
MC. Marvin's was by far the film's more authentic biker character but
Brando's image is the one most associate with this famous flick.

February 2003 question:
What was that "GYPSY TOUR" thing that the Boozefighters attended in Hollister July 4th 1947 all about? (details help)

Ok I see that no one is going to answer this one so I'll give to a shot( The "Gypsy Thing" you are referring to is.) All though no one knows were or when the first gypsy tour was what I do know is that the gypsy tour is a roaming race series that began before WWII. It sanctioned competitions around flat tracks and up steep hills. New gypsy tour sites became destinations for many groups to have a ride to. They called the Gypsy Tours...

OKAY CANNIBAL YOU WIN AGAIN. NOW FOR BONUS POINTS AND AN ADDITIONAL PRIZE TELL ME - - - "SO WHAT WAS THE "OUTLAW GYPSY TOUR ALL ABOUT and DID IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WAS KNOWN AS OUTLAW CLUBS BACK IN THE 1940`s ?"

Lets see here. I do believe if memory service me right that the "outlaw gypsy tour" were put on by "outlaw" clubs. Now an "outlaw" club in that time was not the same as an outlaw club as we know today. The outlaw clubs of that time were made up of different clubs who were not sanctioned by the AMA for what ever reason. So because different clubs were not aloud to join the AMA and join in on the races and other reindeer games they decided to start a gypsy tour of there own. "The Outlaw Gypsy Tour" It was very very short lived if even alive at all...

Cannibal

Wino and the Boozefighters were very instrumental in forming the "OUTLAW GYPSY TOURS" in which lasted several years. They would contact other Motorcycle Clubs all over California and arrange racing events. Some times they would travel as far as San Francisco to the north and San Diego to the south. They would co-sponsor the races with 3 or 4 different clubs such as the "13 REBELS", "SHARKS", "GALLOPING GOOSES", etc, and they would all split the profits afterwards. Would you believe they also put on "OUTLAW BASEBALL GAMES" in the same manor?

During World War II what job did Teri Forkner (Wino`s wife) do to help in the war effort ? JQ

The correct answer is that Teri worked at Northrop assisting in the production of airplanes for our war effort. Oh yeah it feels good!!!!!!!!!!!

---Okay `TurboDog' - you win. Obviously you researched our Archives story "TERI - Part I." Now for additional points answer this: Where to heck did my "PRO TEAM COACH" go ? I had two and now one has disappeared ?

(I`ll post another Motorcycle World related question by the first of February) JQ

What was `Wino' Willie Forkner`s primary job during World War II ? (The answer with best details RULES!)

December 2002 answer:He was a side gunner on a B-24 Liberator in the Pacific Theater on an aircraft named the Pacific Tramp

We had several good answers identifying Wino as a Gunner on various types of Bombers however, `MISFIT' most accurately described the type of plane: including its name. Additionally, he provided a picture of the actual Bomber for our National Museum, and we appreciate it very much.

Now for a bit of a change in trivia type question. For Oct:
Who was the Boozefighter that got locked up in the Hollister Jail July 4th 1947 that prompted a large crowd of bikers to assemble and march in protest? Further - why was that Boozefighter locked up, and why did that make for such a protest reason?

There may be a large number of good answers. I will judge the winner based on most factually accurate, and possibly recognize more than one in response. JQ

October 2002 answer:
Doug Powell from Virginia answered our October
Trivia question correctly by stating:

Red Dog was arrested for drunk in public. When Wino tried to calm the
crowd down in front of the jail, he was arrested for inciting a riot.
-Doug Powell, Chapter 19

`Cannibal' did answer his private riddle question, and that 9-TOES confirmed that it had to be the boy`s MOM.

Well History. The "Silent Gray Fellow" was the 1912 8a aka the silent gray fellow. This bike had one cylinder (35 cu inch (494.28cc)) and had 4.3 horsepower. The total weight of the bike was 111 kg and had a top speed of 50MPH. There were 545 of them built and the price of the bike in 1912 was $225. The bike looked more like a bicycle with a small motor then any bike we know today. Hope I got it right.
BOOZEFIGHTERS UP
9-TOES

What American motorcycle maker (brand name) introduced the first 45 degree V-twin and in what year? Here`s a clue thought. What kind of V-twin motorcycle was first to break the 100 mph barrier?

August 2002 answer:
Somebody take those history books away from `CANNIBAL' before he answers all my questions. Yeah you got it again by replying that the EXCELSIOR produced the first twin in 1910. Additionally that it was the first to hit the century mark. Lee Humiston was the first man in the world to ever ride a motorcycle 100 miles per hour. He did it on the Playa del Rey Board Track on December 30, 1912 on his 61 cubic-inch Excelsior twin !

Now here`s a question just for Cannibal. A boy was ridding behind his father when they had an accident. The father died instantly and the boy was taken to ER in critical condition. A doctor comes in and checks the boy, but suddenly backs off saying; I can`t operate on this patient...for he is my Son !!!
How so Cannibal ?

Where did the term " SCOOTER RIDER" come from? Fact is - there may be several correct answers. One in particular that I`m looking for was derived in 1915, but I`ll post any and all good versions.

July 2002 answer:
No one got the July question answered completely correct. The answer is: The "AUTOPED" built in the USA in 1915 was a 155cc motorized SCOOTER (literally) that would top out at 20 mph. The rider rode in a standing position (after push starting it), hence becoming the original "SCOOTER RIDER."

Who is credited for building the first gasoline engine motorcycle; and in what year?

June 2002 answer:
June Trivia winner is Mycal Zahn from Fort Worth. The correct answer is: Gottlieb Daimler used a gasoline motor in his Einspur in 1885. He lost interest in building motorcycles after his seat caught fire, ending his 6 mile maiden journey. Is that what you call "getting all fired up over sompin?"

In what country and year was the first operational motor driven cycle manufactured?
(Clue- - -think out of the combustion engine box. We`ll deal with that subject later)

May 2002 answer:
France, 1869: Michaux attached a steam engine to a bicycle. It worked but shook so bad, he gave up the project.
- correct answer provided by Becca and Kay from Laverne, CA.

WOOPS ! A new correct answer just came in from `CANNIBAL' that lives in North Richland Hills, Texas. His history research shows that in 1867, Sylvester Roper from Roxbury, Mass. displayed the first STEAM CYCLE, in which was a two wheel cycle with a charcoal steam engine mounted in it. It was called the BONE CRUSHER.

Sorry girls, but it looks like that Cannibal guy beat you out by two years, and he is sending me a copy of the article and a picture of the bike to prove it. I`ll have to update my history library with it ( happens all the time ). But since you gave me the answer I was looking for and I`ve already congratulated you as winners - I`m going to send you ( and Cannibal ) a token "ORIGINAL WILD ONES" prize anyway.