Inspired by French cycling star Henri Fournier’s motorized pacing machine which he brought to the United States in 1897, companies like the Waltham Manufacturing Company, makers of the popular Orient line of bicycles and tandem pacers began acquiring French made DeDion button engines to experiment with their own motor-pacer designs. Paced bicycle races had grown in popularity leading up to 1900, and with the introduction and application of new gasoline powered combustion engines the pacing machines had quickly become a sensation at the track.
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.
