Part V:
The early years of the roaring twenties represent the first high water mark in professional motorcycle racing. It was a period when sophisticated machines were let loose by men of true and unrelenting grit. In the previous decade, motorcycle racing had bloomed into several forums, and the spectacle enthralled the country. By the early 1920s, racers had kicked-up tails of dirt and dust on flat tracks, kept the enthusiasts breathless on the edge of the motordrome bleacher, and stretched the capabilities of iron and rubber on the colossal board track speedways to their limits. Still, by the latter half of the decade, the sport, as well as the industry, was in significant decline, and the high waters of the golden age of motorcycle racing began receding.
The era of large-displacement behemoths, fiercely competitive factory teams, national stars, and the splendor of the board track speedway were drawing to a close. What would remain would be a shift towards smaller displacement machines, beginning with blanked-off twins in 1922 and eventually leading to the development of single-cylinder racers half-mile dirt track competition. Though the 1920s brought about scaling back in the sport, there was still one venue, a specialized nook in the culture carried over from the mid-teens, which sustained the most daring men and their hulkish machines and becoming the cornerstone of American motorcycle competition.
The motorcycle hillclimb dates back to Southern California at a time just before the speedways and in conjunction with the death rattle of the infamous board track motordromes. The “king of the hill” concept was as old as the motorcycle itself, though early first-era contests centered around the steepest road in town, not the grueling, near-vertical soil walls that formed the sport we think of today. Known as the “Gibraltar of The Pacific Coast,” Orange County’s hill at San Juan Capistrano became a defining venue for the second era of hill climbing. At 500 feet tall, the hill was an intimidating 50% grade increasing to nearly 70% near the top. A standing start drag race to the summit became a big draw for local motorcyclists, attracting crowds in the thousands. Most riders never made it to the top, and for the first few years, victory was measured in the distance covered rather than the fastest time. Riders and motorcycles alike would inevitably flip and tumbledown the slope like toys, making the scene as visceral and perilous as the famed motordrome matches though significantly less deadly.
Following a hiatus during World War I, hillclimbing’s popularity exploded, attracting young professionals like Floyd Clymer and old-guard icons like Maldwyn Jones. Across the country, new events were organized, and racers like San Francisco’s legendary Harley-Davidson dealer Dudley Perkins delighted crowds of over 30,000 as he shot up the “motorcycle hill” in Capistrano. Still, the hill climbs were mainly filled with privateers, dealers, and enthusiasts in those formative years while the Class A racers wrung the last drops out of the big money days of speedway racing. The result was a variety of shade-tree innovators modifying their machines to better combat the rigors of the vertical ascent. Motorcycles were stripped down, frames elongated, gearing changed, engines tuned, and rear tires began featuring tractor paddles and chains. To reduce drag from the oil, often the cases were drained after warming up, the racers pumping a shot in just before their run.
America’s “big three” manufacturers, Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Excelsior, took note, soon fielding factory teams with bleeding-edge motorcycles and what remained of their top riders. As high-strung and specialized as any board track racer (and just as sought after today), hillclimbing motorcycles became an iconic breed all their own. As Class A racing rapidly wilted, factories began to focus on the grand ascent, each producing highly-specialized hill climb machines of their own. Indian and Excelsior already had skin in the game in the early 1920s with their 45 c.i. platforms and specialized hill climb bikes, but once again Harley-Davidson arrived late to the party. However, debuting in 1929, their response was legendary. Milwaukee’s entry was a purebred 750cc OHV hill climb machine, known as the DAH, fiercely competitive and one of the most rare and highly prized motorcycles the company ever produced.
The increased power made for more spectacle as the riders struggled to keep the front end on the ground and were often bucked off or flipped end over end. The bruiting Hillclimb machines, which looked like mutants next to their stock counterparts, replaced the once mighty Class A board track motorcycles from the early 1920s. The massive board track super speedways and high-stakes factory racing programs had faded, and the movement towards smaller displacement, 1/2 mile dirt track racing. By the end of the 1920s, the AMA established new class titles, including 21 CI, 30.50 CI, and 45 CI engines, leaving the newly sanctioned Hillclimb as the most sensational sport on two wheels. In 1931, the sport of hillclimbing had grown so popular that the AMA sanctioned separate hill climb championships on each coast for the first time hillclimbing arrived in its golden era.
At its height on the national stage, the hillclimb reigned supreme from Oakland to Rochester, and its champions were national stars with film footage of races playing on newsreels across the country. Legendary riders like Gene Rhyne, Orie Steele, Bob Armstrong, and Joe Petrali, joined later in the 1930s and 1940s by racers like Willard Bryan and Floyd Emde, were the heroes of American motorsport. The motorcycle hillclimb became a unique expression of American motorsports, its champions bold symbols of true grit, and its machines the rarest among legendary iron icons. The image of the lean rider manhandling his wild hillclimber harkens back to the lore of the West and the silhouette of a cowboy wrangling his bucking bronco. New developments in the 1930s sparked a cultural shift in racing from a national level to a more regional focus with the rise of AMA Class C flat track racing. Still, to this day, there is nothing quite like the raw triumph of besting the hill, and the motorcycle hill climb stands as a timeless embodiment of American motorcycle culture itself.