In 1972, Kenny Roberts was a youthful 21 years old AMA Rookie of the Year. An immensely talented and thoroughly analytical rider, Roberts was already three years into his professional racing career, and two years into a factory Yamaha contract. However, he was still not much known outside of the USA. Roberts went on to finish 2nd in the AMA Grand National Championship that year, his first season as an expert class rider.
TSY is Pennsylvania-based and thus very proud to present a brand new series of posts– PA MAKERS written and photographed by Raymond C Schwab IV. We are grateful Ray is kind enough to share these with us.
Picture this: A bike shop burns to the ground in Philadelphia. There’s a fire sale a couple days later. There you see a burnt up 1951 BSA Star Twin motor up for grabs and you think “There’s my land speed racing motor!”
The Frozen Few may be the antithesis of The Race of Gentlemen in climate & conditions, but in spirit it’s the same balls-out combustible mix of freedom, speed, and more than a pinch of chaos that’s behind everything TROG founder Mel Stultz brings to the world. What’s in store for The Frozen Few & Crazy Eights ice-racing wrecking crew? You’ll just have to wait and see… For now, enjoy this amazing short film by Stephen M. Marino that just won the Tokyo Moto Film Fest award for “Most Inspiring Film.”
The Frozen Few
“Once upon a time, on a cold day in March, a group of men known as the ‘Crazy Eights’ crossed their American borders in search of an even colder climate in the ‘Great White North.’
It was in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada that their icy, snow-covered tires finally came to a halt. A forgotten land that once provided great trade between these two countries during their industrial revolutions—now a vast, almost-wasteland of buildings left behind; lost in time…
That is, until the Crazy Eights laid their eyes and wheels upon it! Once again, this land was looked upon with great hope and promise. Hungry and wild-eyed, they set their appetites for that ever-lingering taste of speed.”
-Meldon Van Riper Stultz
Mel Stultz, also founder of The Race of Gentlemen – Photo (C) Stephen M. Marino
Richard St. Clair on his 1961 Harley-Davidson Panhead, AKA Queenie. “The bike came to me in 1975 at the time my wife was expecting our first child. So we sort of had twins — one for the barn, one for the crib.” (Come meet Dick and see his work at TSY June 17th, 6-9pm.)
“If you don’t know Richard St. Clair– you don’t know Dick!“
The first time I tried-out this line on Dick St. Clair– he cackled with delight. Not one of those forced, polite laughs– this was like a kid facedown in birthday cake kinda laugh. You see, Dick to this day is simultaneously amused and annoyed that something as honest and simple as going by the name Dick (his given name, mind you) makes certain people uncomfortable. Some people will wince, others kindly ask if they can call him by another name. Yes. If “Dick” makes you uncomfortable, please call him– Biggus Dickus.
Now that we got that outta the way.. Seriously– You really don’t know dick about biker art if you’ve never experienced the works of Richard (Dick) St. Clair. Dick is the real deal– having spent a good many years logging countless miles on his Harley in the ’70s – ’90s riding cross-country to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Daytona Bike Week, Harley Rendezvous, and everywhere in between. He took photos that captured the life of free-wheelers, outlaws, and strays living life on their own terms. Many of these photographs gave birth to his epic paintings. There are many sides of Richard St. Clair to discover– he’s a storyteller, writer, photographer, and yes– one amazing fucking painter.
On June 17th, TSY presents “Live Cheap– Never Die” The Art of Richard St. Clair.
John Harman (and I believe, brothers Harry & Bill Holland) in the early days of H & H Cycle which was born from John Harman’s revolutionary design for an internally sprung girder that was not only easy on the eyes– the performance and quality far exceeded what was commonly found on the market at that time, setting a new standard that others tried to followed– but there really was no other like Harman.
“Sushi” Atsushi Yasui of Freewheelers & Co. The Race of Gentlemen 2016, Wildwood NJ– Photo © Sean Madden
Sean Madden came into the TSY shop last summer emitting an abundance smiles and good vibes. I liked this guy right away. We chatted about his passion for motorcycles and photography, and reconnected a few times since. Well, he decided to bite the bullet and come down to Wildwood, NJ and shoot The Race of Gentlemen 2016– which can be quite daunting as many of the best photographers in the business now religiously make the trek to TROG. When I got a look at some of his shots I was impressed enough to ask if TSY could share them with all of you. I especially dig his shots like the one above of Sushi racing. Sean’s shots where he’s intentionally cropping the images of the riders & machine flying out of frame emit a sense of speed and movement that I dig. Definitely very different from a lot of the standard TROG imagery you see these days. Hope y’all enjoy.
The Race of Gentlemen, 2016, Wildwood NJ– Photo © Sean Madden
Love this shot of Chris Price of Archive Moto on his Indian that traces back to Bill Brownell, married striptease legend Patti “Waggin'” Brownell– Photo © Sean Madden
Man, The Race of Gentlemen 2015 already feels like a long time back. Damn the blasted holidays for drowning out the amazing memories on the beach and off-season streets of Wildwood, NJ! More good times, familiar faces, new friends, and great races than you could shake a stick at. Mel Stultz, Bobby Green, Sara Francello, Hollywood, and the entire TROG crew over-delivered on a great event, even in the face of a hurricane threat. In honor of them, and to relive the good times, here’s a great little TROG 2015 film shot by the crew at awol.tv x worthless.co–
“This is the closest thing to time travel we will probably experience in our lifetimes. The Race of Gentlemen challenges the owners of hot rods and motorcycles from the 1940’s and earlier to drag race as it used to be done– at the wave of the flag and on the beach. We ventured to Wildwood, NJ to watch the most unique racing we’ve ever seen.”
“In Harrisville, NH is a shop full of magic and mystery where motorcycles too beautiful to imagine come from the heavens. If you believe that’s how it happens, you’re an idiot. Oh, there is a shop in Harrisville where some of the world’s most beautiful bikes come to life, but they’re not done with magic and sorcery, they’re built one at a time by Walt Siegl of Walt Siegl Motorcycles. Magic doesn’t make it happen, it’s a man with a single focus, building motorcycles that will cause people to pause and stare.” –Steve West
WALT SIEGL MOTORCYCLES — All photography is the work and property of Steve West
The Race of Gentlemen 2015 shined bright in terms of excitement and attendance– even in the shadow of a hurricane threat, and sharing the same weekend with the widely attended Barber Vintage Days motorcycle show. Mel Stultz, Bobby Green, and the team were admittedly short-handed due to the last minute need to push back a week into the off-season, but everything seemingly came-off without a hitch due to the passion, positivity, and perseverance of all involved in putting on what many call The Greatest Race on Earth. Thank you!
Allan Glanfield (one half of The GodSpeed Company and founder of Blackburn and Foster & City Dog Living) generously captured the weekend for The Selvedge Yard — The sea of jaw-dropping hot rods and bikes, and the colorful cast of characters that convened in Wildwood, NJ for the races and to get shit-faced. In that order. Both with gusto. With all the photographers on-hand, the challenge was to balance the must-have shots right in front of your face with pulling away from the pack to find the gems that occur off to the side, caught with a candid eye. Allan more than succeeded, and we are excited to share his captures of TROG weekend.
All photography in this post: the work and property of Allan Glanfield @blackburnandfoster
A perfect little film on an insanely talented artist that I’ve long been a huge fan of — Death Spray Custom. Curiously strong, iconic, inventive, original, and executed with surgical precision and a sense of humor.
The Selvedge Yard 