I'm going to be a taking a bit of a vacation over the next couple of weeks. My lovely lady and I are heading to NYC this week, and then I will be heading back to Wheels Through Time to film a few more episodes of These Old Bikes with Dale. However, being that New York was such an active and important nursery in the earliest days of American motorcycle history, I wanted to post a little something in honor of my upcoming trip.
Ralph Rudolphus Hepburn, a man who could easily be considered one of the greatest ever to tuck in behind the bars of an iron rocket was not only one of the most prolific pioneer American motorcycle racers, but unequivocally one of the kindest. “Hep,” as he was known amongst friends and fans alike, was apart of the second wave of early American motorcycle racers having grown up fascinated with lightning fast dare devils of the American motordrome in the late 1910’s. Born in Sommerville, MA, on April 11, 1896, Hep’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1906, fortuitous timing to be a 10 year old boy in America’s nursery for motorcycle racing.
A true pioneer in every sense, the woman in this photo determined to manifest her own idea of freedom, setting off onto a solo motorcycle journey across the country at a time when such an idea was the polar opposite of normal. The deceptively lovely Miss Della Crewe may have had the appearance of a gentle wife who had hopped out of her husband's sidecar for a quick photo, but the truth of the matter is that this young woman from Waco was in fact as tough as they had ever come. Though she appears well-kempt, Della was a true adventurer and in the midst of an epic 11,000-mile solo adventure at the time that this photograph was taken on the streets of Atlanta in September of 1915.
As we dive into the culture and history of American motorcycling we talk a lot about pioneers, innovation, and heritage. Harley-Davidson was by no means the first, but they found a way to persist throughout the decades and have become synonymous with American motorcycle culture as a result. Indian, arguably the first significant and successful brand in the country dominated both the showroom and the track at the turn of the century, but the prestigious brand disappeared for the better part of the last 60 years. Though the marquee has returned with a mountain of momentum their absence from the overall culture for the last half-century is significant. Excelsior, a latecomer, and early-goer gave the mighty Indian one of the best runs for their money in the early days, but the company never made it out of the Great Depression. Many of the first manufacturers were offshoots or expansions from existing companies within the booming bicycle industry of the late 1800’s. Still, brands like Flying-Merkel, Thor, Reading-Standard, Wagner, and Henderson were among the most successful early manufacturers of motorcycles, some of which grew out of the bicycle industry, but most saw their rise and fall occur all before the first World War. However...
