Re: old design was oilheads-digest V 1 #47

[rennsport@xxxxxxxxx]

On Wednesday, Jan 7, 2004, at 08:08 US/Eastern, Steve Makohin wrote:
>>
>
> That guess would not explain why the cruiser style motorcycle existed
> before these movies were created, and why it was popular in North 
> America
> back then, too

Natural progression of designs from the motorized bicycle to early 
motorcycle along with the available technology of the time?

 From your email that I missed (oops!)

 >> Contrast this, according to the documentary, to North America, where
 >> horsemen tended to work the plains; large expanses of mostly flat 
lands.
 >> North American riders tended to lean back in the saddle, butt planted
 >> firmly in the saddle, and feet forward of the vertical center line. 
The
 >> terrain in North America as well as the towns and villages were 
different
 >> than in Europe. Streets tended to be built wider, and distanced 
between
 >> towns were greater due to the vastness of the land. As motorcycles
 >> evolved in North America from their "bicycle with a motor" origins, 
they
 >> tended to take the form of the plainsman's mount: upright or slightly
 >> back seating posture, feet forward of center, and optimized for 
straight
 >> line traveling for "longer" distances. This lead to the cruise style
 >> motorcycle which remains popular in North America to this day.

I wonder how many of the guys who designed motorcycles back then in the 
U.S, had any real experience in western style horse riding? These guys 
started out by "sticking" an engine in a bicycle frame. And some of the 
eraly business provided just that . They made an engine and it was up 
to you to install it in the bicycle of your choice (I read that in a 
book many years ago).


My Disclaimer:

While I like the History Channel and its ilk, I have seen them 
contradict themselves on the same subject matter covered in two 
different documentaries. I only enjoy these shows if I already know 
some of the subject matter from previous reading.

Robert

95 R11RS
88 KRS Special

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