The eternally lovely, fearless, and unwavering Miss Vivian Bales onboard her beloved 1929 Harley-Davidson Model D, on which she traversed thousands of miles throughout North America at the end of the Prohibition Era. A seamstress and dancing instructor from Albany, Ga., Vivian grew restless in her small south-Georgia town so she picked up her first Harley-Davidson in 1926 and set out seeking adventure. As she grew more confident and resilient her journey’s grew longer, and the petite Miss Bales eventually caught the eye of Harley-Davidson’s co-founder, then acting President Arthur Davidson.
Today’s post takes a look into the process, or the madness, however you would describe it, an attempt in any case to identify an intriguing old photo based on very little information. An Italian collector shared this image a few weeks ago and it immediately drew me in. It drew me in not only because of the very stout and capable Curtiss racer, but because the rider looked so familiar. The information that follows has not been confirmed and could turn out to be the result of my over active imagination, the confirmation bias of an odd niche, however it does allow us to explore a character that we may have never known much about.
Originally from Grand Rapids, ND, Johnny Aikens was the manager at Gus Castle’s Southern Motorcycle Company in Atlanta, Georgia and an avid racer. Aikens had quickly established a reputation as a successful competitor, often claiming perfect scores and first place finishes in regional endurance runs and road races. However, his skills in the saddle were equally matched by his understanding of successful business strategy as he often attributed his accomplishments to the superiority of his machines, the same machines that he just so happened to have for sale at Castle’s Harley-Davidson Southern Branch, where he was the manager.
Stretching it out during morning practice laps in Brooklyn, NY, July 4th, 1916. Eighteen men warming up before the big Independence Day races on the 2 miles of rough sewn boards at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway. Legendary pioneers in American motorcycle racing like Arthur Chappel, Bill Brier, Curley Fredericks, Teddy Carroll, George Sorrenson, Johnny U. Constant, and Harley-Davidson’s brightest star Leslie “Red” Parkhurst were all in this pack, but it was a new machine from the Milwaukee factory which was to be the toast of the day. The latest pure bred racing machine to come from the talented hands of Harley-Davidson’s Bill Ottaway was the new overhead valve v-twin.
