Chicago Wins 1908

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Last night a remarkable moment in history occurred when the Chicago Cubs broke a 108 year long drought since their last series victory, beating out the Cleveland Indians to become the 2016 World Series Champions. At the time of their first win, October 14, 1908, baseball was one of the most popular sports in America and the boys from Chicago were a force to be reckoned with. However, Chicago’s star ball players were not the only victors to rise out of the windy city as it was also home to one of the country’s first stars of motorcycle racing. The motorcycle was still quite a young invention in 1908, having only been around for a handful of years, but the era was one of great innovation and the sport of racing was beginning to come into its own. A young Chicago native named Freddie Huyck was among the first to pursue the sport as a career, and one of the first to become a household name. He began racing in Chicago riding for an upstart company in Milwaukee, Harley-Davidson, most likely under the influence of their first dealer C.H. Lang.  Before long his talents were recognized by Indian’s Oscar Hedstrom, co-founder, chief engineer, and director of the racing program at Indian. Huyck was quickly recruited and given access to Hedstrom’s ever-evolving prototype racing machines, becoming one of the first professionally contracted riders in America. The very same week that the 1908 Chicago Cubs beat out the Detroit Tigers to win their previous World Series victory, Huyck was down in Indianapolis for a series of races organized by the newly formed Indianapolis Motorcycle Club. The “Chicago Hurricane” swept the field onboard his new 7HP Indian loop-framed prototype racer, winning every event that he entered. As one of the first men to hit average speeds of over a mile a minute, Huyck also set a new 1-mile speed record making one lap in just over 56 seconds, a record speed of just over 64 mph. Needless to say that if you were a sporting fan in Chicago during the fall of 1908 you were no doubt on top of the world.

Freddie Huyck, the Chicago Hurricane, onboard his 61ci, 7HP factory prototype Indian twin racer at the Indianapolis State Fairground track, October 10, 1908.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs having become the 2016 World Series Champions.

Archive Icon: Arthur Mitchel

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Some images truly captured it all. A world class machine, a pioneer American racer, crisp competition threads, and an abundance of attitude radiating from the marrow of these men of true grit. Taken in downtown Birmingham, AL, around 1912 by local photographer and motorcycle enthusiast O.V. Hunt, this image stands as a perfect depiction of professional motorcycle racing culture during the height of its first epoch. The man, sometimes referred to as “the Bulldog,” is New Orleans native Arthur Mitchel, a true pioneer American racer who began his career in 1905, later making a name for himself as the sport first started coming together on the various tracks around Los Angeles. The machine, a 61ci Flying Merkel factory racing twin is perhaps one of the most rare and iconic machines of the era. One of only a small handful of factory racers constructed after the Miami Cycle Manufacturing Co. of Middletown, OH, purchased the Merkel-Light brand in May of 1911, the newly renamed Flying Merkel with its bright orange paint was a standout machine even then. In the hands of men like Mitchell and the legendary Maldwyn Jones the Flying Merkel presented a solid competitor to Indian and Excelsior, the titans of early teens racing, and today it remains one of the most coveted, adored, and replicated in the antique motorcycle community. At the time that this photograph was taken Art was well into his 30’s and his racing career was beginning to wind down. However, his involvement within the culture continued to occupy his life, spending his time out of the saddle traveling as a FAM official, ambassador, and a dealer representative for a number of the biggest manufacturers throughout the teens. A veteran of late-1800’s cycle racing and a pioneer of early 20th century American motorcycle racing, Arthur Mitchel defines the spirit of America’s pioneer motorcycle racers and is without question an icon of the culture.

A full profile of Arthur Mitchel’s life and contributions to American motorcycle culture will soon be available exclusively here at ArchiveMoto.com

Late 1920's Harley-Davidson Two Cam Special

 "But with the throttle screwed on there is only the barest margin, and no room at all for mistakes. It has to be done right ... and that's when the strange music starts, when you stretch your luck so far that fear becomes exhilaration and vibrates along your arms." -H.S. Thompson

Late 1920's Harley-Davidson Two Cam Special

1918 Henderson Model G

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One of the most expensive motorcycle’s available in the teens was the Henderson Four. The 1918 4-cylinder, 3-speed cost $325 alone without a sidecar, over $7,000 today, add another $1,500 or so for a sidecar. So without question if you were piloting one of the most luxurious machines around you had to dress the part, and how better to express your status than with a leather cape and a cigarette. Unfortunately we don't know if homeboy is missing an arm or just trying to keep his pimp hand warm, but in either case keeping your threads clean and your machine dirty remains a proper way to handle your business.