Motorcycle Racing Tapestries
Description: A lot of folks know Carl's Speed Shop as a Daytona Beach motorcycle go fast landmark, but up until 1996, Carl called Whittier, California home. They say that location is everything, and this was especially true as Carl's namesake founder spent a lot of time making American iron faster and more powerful and when he wasn't turning wrenches, he was at the SoCal drag strips or out on the salt flats twisting the throttle and setting speed records.
Description: Given the rather enormous infrastructure costs involved, it's pretty rare that a truly new tire company comes along, but back in the early '90s, Blitzeinschlag Motorradreifen (Lightning Strike Motorcycle Tires) did just that. From their small factory in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, this startup firm focused on making premium motorcycle tires aimed at racers and enthusiasts. The upmarket rubber that Blitzeinschlag turned out quickly gained a dedicated following, but sadly, after just seven years, they closed up shop as material costs became prohibitively expensive.
Description: Here are the questions you can expect to get when you own a KTM: "Nice bike, who makes it? Yeah, but who makes the KTM? Kawasaki? Can you explain it to me in terms of cars, guns, football teams, apple pie, obesity, or something else American so I can understand it?" "Where's Austria? Is it by Australia? Did you mean Australia?" "Nice Kawasaki."
Description: The BolDor is a 24-hour endurance race for motorcycles, held annually in France, with riding of each bike shared by a team of three riders. The first one was held in 1922, and was a race for motorcycles, and automobiles limited to 1100cc engine capacity (in the 1950s the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc). Today, the BolDor is exclusively a race for motorcycles, although there are a number of side attractions, such as races for amateur riders and for classic bikes. The race has been held at numerous venues across France, but the 1976 race was hosted at Le Mans.
