1970s Motorcycle Mugs
Description: The San Jose Mile was an infamous annual flat track motorcycle race held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, California from 1955 until the last lap in 1994. It was well-known as one of the wildest go-fo-broke races on the west coast and attracted the best racers from across America. This design celebrates the race's legacy at the 1975 20-year anniversary mark with checkered flags and a race-prepped Harley tearing up the dirt track's surface.
Description: Choppers aren't just a style of motorcycle, but a movement. These bikes were always about art and engineering coupled with the American traits of freedom, individuality, and attitude. The chopper craze has several key phases, some better than others, and it continues to be just as strong today. Mainstream films like 'Easy Rider' in the late '60s and early '70s propelled choppers into the greater consciousness that had everyone wanting (or secretly wanting) a styled out bike with a set of long forks to cruise the open roads of America and many made it happen... keep on jammin'
Description: Helmet laws are one of those things that sparks heated debate among mixed company and regardless of one’s stance on wearing one, I think we can all agree that we need less laws and not more. If you’re no fan of the skid lid and like the feel of the wind in your hair, then this legalize freedom design is right up your alley.
Description: If you grew up riding motorcycles in Southern California in the 1970s and ’80s, you probably remember Indian Dunes. “The Dunes,” as it was known to regulars, was a motorcycle off-road playground located in Valencia, that opened up in 1970 out on Highway 126 in what at the time seemed like the boonies. The 600-acre park had a larger purpose which was to play host to Hollywood studios as a versatile backdrop for all kinds of film and television projects, including what would be the Dukes of Hazzard's most death-defying jump of all time. Of course, most folks remember it as the place to head out with your buddies to ride dirt bikes and dune buggies, or even to take in organized motocross racing events.
Description: Reggie 'Rat' Dennison, was a custom chopper builder and owner of Rat's Chops, a custom motorcycle speed shop that ran out of Oakland's Acorn neighborhood throughout the '70s and well into the '80s. Unlike a lot of shops that were always trying to build the next crazy thing and gain prestige through awards and magazine features, Rat didn't play that game. Rat and his crew built choppers to ride, not to fawn over in magazines. In addition to all the typical old school chopper customizations, Rat's Chops also specialized in making them fast, and were one of the first shops to manufacture their own superchargers, turning choppers into veritable land rockets.
Description: Torker BMX existed between 1976 and 1984 during which time they handcrafted some of the best BMX frames ever made. Prior to Torker, the company was run by John Johnson, Steve Johnson's dad. The first Torker frame design was actually introduced by Steve Rink of Peddlepower Cycles as John's son, Doug, wanted a lighter frame to race with in 1975. Steve Rink and John Johnson had the first frame built under the Texon name.
Description: Back in the mid '60s, some enterprising folks got together and convinced the small farm community of Lake Elsinore, California to host a dirt bike race through town and around the dusty hills surrounding it. Some say it was meant to be the successor to the legendary Catalina Grand Prix, which ran from 1951-58 on the island off the coast until the logistics and its own success killed it. The Elsinore races were also killed by their own success, and the crowds of rowdy bikers who attended well into the late 1970s. 1972 was the fifth annual Elsinore Grand Prix, and this one replicates the official design that was used to mark the event by way of posters and t-shirts.
Description: Hodaka introduced the Wombat in 1972, then later introduced the racing model, the Combat Wombat, in 1973. The Hodaka Combat Wombat became a tough competitor in it's day, giving the increasing number of Japanese bikes a run for their money in the 125cc class. Powered by a 125cc two-stroke engine that wound up to 8,400 rpm, the Combat Wombat also featured a five-speed transmission and a left side shifter. This nimble little motocrosser weighed around 192 pounds with a wheelbase of 53 inches. At this time in the motocross bike market, things were developing quickly and all of the manufacturers were releasing “new and improved” bikes each year, so Hodaka had to stay on that same path and released the Super Combat in '74.
Description: Steve Nelson was a high school dropout from Chicago who built up a successful motorcycle parts business, but was seduced by the California scene and moved to Huntington Beach in 1976. Nelson opened Nostalgia Cycle, specializing in parts in accessories for American motorcycles, while simultaneously launching SuperCycle Magazine. With a goal of creating a top shelf national publication for bikers, SuperCycle was all about the chopper lifestyle and featured custom bikes, bare-breasted women, and pages of ads for mail order chopper parts. The magazine struggled the first year, but year two saw circulation reach 50k, and then almost triple that in year three. SuperCycle continued to expand its reach until a national publisher purchased it.
Description: During the 1970s, Nippondenso was one of Japan’s major manufacturers of spark plugs and electrical components, supplying parts to the country’s rapidly expanding motorcycle industry. Nippondenso plugs were used by Japanese manufacturers both as original equipment and as replacement service parts. As Japanese motorcycles earned a reputation for reliability and increasingly sophisticated high-revving engines, dependable ignition components became essential, and Nippondenso competed closely with other manufacturers to stay out front. Its spark plugs became familiar sights in motorcycle shops, dealerships, racing pits, and toolboxes around the world, helping establish Nippondenso as an important name in the golden age of Japanese motorcycles.
