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| Oliver Godfrey, winner of the 1911 TT, and his 580cc Indian |
There wasn't much 'Century' talk among motorcyclists until recently...we completely missed the tormented, sporadic, hundred-year birth of our beloved sport in 1967, and anniversaries pass us by like freeway markers. 1995 - the first production motorcycle (
Hildebrand and Wolfmuller); 1998 - the centenary of
Peugeot motorcyles, the oldest two-wheel maker in the world; 2002 - the first Indian, etc. Only Harley Davidson, the last man standing in the US, made something of a ruckus at their century mark in 2003.
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| The replica of Oliver Godfrey's 1911 TT winner, built around an original 580cc 'TT'-capacity engine found in England. |
2011 marks the 100 year anniversary of Indian's
clean sweep of the Isle of Man TT, the first and only American motorcycle to win that race, the story of which appears in
this related post. To mark this anniversary, the only extant example of a 1911 Indian 580cc 'TT' racer, a replica built by
Pete Gagan (former president of the
AMCA and founder of the
CVMG) around a correct engine found in England, will lead a historic parade at the TT this June.
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| Dave Roper in his business suit. |
Most appropriately, the Indian will be ridden by the first American motorcyclist to win a TT, David Roper, who won the Senior Manx Classic in 1984, aboard a
Team Obsolete Matchless G50. I hardly need say that Dave is a personal hero of mine; I've been watching and reading about his exploits for 27 years; today he sent a
link to his website devoted to this June's ride on the Indian.
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| Pete Gagan and the TT Indian rep. |
Dave is raising funds for this historic trip, to ship the bike, and himself, to the Isle of Man. To make a donation, or find out more,
please visit his website here.To see a bit of Dave at the Island, here are a couple of videos to inspire you...
