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For one, they come relatively cheap. Nowadays you can pick one up for a fairly decent price. But for the purpose of the crowd this blog is aimed at, next, we'll state the fairly obvious: you can park - ANYWHERE. Well, basically. In simplest views, most of the time, you won't need to pay for a parking spot at your apartment because a bike is easy enough to hide in the corner, out of view in the back of the driveway. If you're really clever, you might find a way to park inside the house, along side your roomates' regular, non-engine operated bicycles, doing burnouts in the living room because that beer bong you did that one night was just enough to get you to make questionable life decisions - the point is, a bike isn't just a bike, it can be a member of the family. But what if you can't necessarily afford one? The answer, thanks to the ingenuity of Milwaukee local Joe Lange, is really quite simple - you build it.
Now, building a motorized bike might seem a little intimidating as a concept at first, but fortunately, we live in a day and age where creativity, combined with a little ingenuity, a desire to learn and plenty of elbow grease can actually produce some pretty cool and unique results. Enter Joe Lange - an old friend that I've known since my Freshman year at UW-Milwaukee, and the creator of possibly one of the most unique rides that I've seen to date. Behold, the Megabike:
First thing is first - it's no Ducati - it's not even technically called a motorcycle. What it is, is the combination of a variety of parts that originally weren't designed to come together at all in the first place. In the end though, Joe fit these odds and ends pieces together, resulting in a unique, one-of-a-kind creation, which leads nicely to my next point - this bike is RARE. If you thought that the Whizzer I wrote about previously was a rarity in the 2-wheeled market, its crown has just been stolen by the Megabike, because this is the one and only working example that you will most likely ever see in this spec, because it was completely designed and built by Joe himself.
From a numbers standpoint as I mentioned, it's not the fastest bike in the world, but it certainly is no slouch. The 2.5 horsepower 2-stroke engine, which, though it might not sound like alot, can get up to 40 miles per hour on a good day, thanks to an intuitive gear set up done by Joe, which was designed to maximize the power coming from the engine.
Now, building a motorized bike might seem a little intimidating as a concept at first, but fortunately, we live in a day and age where creativity, combined with a little ingenuity, a desire to learn and plenty of elbow grease can actually produce some pretty cool and unique results. Enter Joe Lange - an old friend that I've known since my Freshman year at UW-Milwaukee, and the creator of possibly one of the most unique rides that I've seen to date. Behold, the Megabike:
First thing is first - it's no Ducati - it's not even technically called a motorcycle. What it is, is the combination of a variety of parts that originally weren't designed to come together at all in the first place. In the end though, Joe fit these odds and ends pieces together, resulting in a unique, one-of-a-kind creation, which leads nicely to my next point - this bike is RARE. If you thought that the Whizzer I wrote about previously was a rarity in the 2-wheeled market, its crown has just been stolen by the Megabike, because this is the one and only working example that you will most likely ever see in this spec, because it was completely designed and built by Joe himself.
From a numbers standpoint as I mentioned, it's not the fastest bike in the world, but it certainly is no slouch. The 2.5 horsepower 2-stroke engine, which, though it might not sound like alot, can get up to 40 miles per hour on a good day, thanks to an intuitive gear set up done by Joe, which was designed to maximize the power coming from the engine.
This motorized bike is also quite worldly - meaning that the parts carry diversity. The bike frame itself came from China, and the white tires and brakes are from a high end mountain bike which will help to bring the Megabike to a quick stop if need be. Its also makes use of efficiency, partly because it's so light, but also partly because it only has a 1/2 - gallon gas tank. Because it's fairly light, this means that it's a fuel sipper rather than a gas guzzler, which is good for the simple reason that you won't be staring at the gas pump every other week wondering why your college - job paycheck is disappearing at 2.25 a gallon. but more so than any of these technical features, comes the rather intriguing build history behind it.
The picture above is of the Megabike following its second rebuild, which was necessary because originally, while Joe knew plenty about motorcycles, he didn't know much, if anything, about how to build them. His solution? The internet. After scouring the pages of YouTube and following a messy trial-and-error build process, the first version of the Megabike finally came together, though it's safe to say its first few runs, like with any prototype, certainly revealed some bugs that needed to be assessed. After reaching a point during development where he was finally satisfied with how things came together, he decided that the theme of this new creation should pay tribute to one of his long term interests - the Board Track Racers of the early 1900's. So, he took the Megabike apart again, and re-painted the frame, fitted some white bike tires and tightened some loose bolts here and there to make it run better. The result was what you see in the picture above: a well-oiled, custom-built fast and efficient machine. I hadn't been that educated on Board Track Racers or the history of these once iconic motorcycles, but after asking Joe about what inspired him to pay tribute to such a long - gone piece of race history, I decided to do some extra research on my own, and what I found out was very interesting.
Board Track Racing could arguably be considered the birth of America's obsession with speed. The races were fast, competitive, and deadly. In addition to this newfound speed addiction, the Board Track Racer was also the birth of modern motorcycle racing, and it all came from quite humble beginnings. In 1901, the Hendee Manufacturing Company came out with their 2 - cylinder, 1.75 horsepower Indian Motorcycle, with Harley-Davidson following up with the release of one of their earliest motorcycles in 1903. It was inevitable then that these two motor bikes would find themselves lined up at a starting line - and it was at that moment that motorcycle racing was born. The earliest races were held on horse racing banking - designed to allow riders to attack the corners on their bikes at high rates of speed - a characteristic of Board Track Racing that contributed to its deadliness. Soon, these crude tracks became known as Velodromes. In the years following, these specialized race tracks started to pop up across the nation in 1909, starting in LA and expanding elsewhere. They were wide wooden tracks with steep banking designed to allow racers to attack the corners at maximum speed. These tracks, formerly known as Motordomes, were the site of some of the fastest - and most lethal bike racing America had ever seen.
The earliest Board Track Racers themselves were purpose-built for racing, and were rather crude in their early years. To get them going, they needed a bump start, which was done by getting another motorcycle to tow the Board Track Racer behind it. Because the horse was still the chief utilitarian form of transport, spectators marveled at the speed of these bikes when they compared their horsepower to the power of, well, an actual horse. And because they were designed chiefly for speed, the early Board-Track Racers ignored things like practicality, or more importantly, safety. As a result, the earliest days of motorcycle racing were very lethal. So much so that eventually, the Motordomes where the races were held eventually earned the nick-name "Murderdome" among spectators, because of the risk associated with competing in these events - a trait of motorcycle racing which, though at one point was the pinnacle of its appeal, lost its luster and eventually resulted in the sport's ultimate demise. Though this particular era in motoring culture was short-lived, we simply wouldn't have known anything about the birth of motorcycle racing had it not been for one man - Ashley Franklin Van Order - a former Motor-cycle salesman, and one of the very first, and only photographers and reporters of the sport of Board - Track Racing.
Born in 1886 in Sandwich, Illinois to a Livery-Service Family, Van Order quickly became interested in motorcycles, and before long, the two-wheel bug bit him so hard, that in 1911, he moved his entire family to Los Angeles so that he could ride year-round. Eventually, he became enthralled with Board-Track Racing, and raced as an amateur when he wasn't selling Harley-Davidsons at his LA dealership. That racing career was short-lived, resulting in an injury that led Van Order to conclude that he should report on the racing, rather than participate - a decision influenced heavily by his wife and family.
So, as the sport rode into its second decade of racing, Van Order saw an ever-increasing need to document the progression of Board-Track Racing. In addition to helping to officiate the races, he began to photograph the races. In the early 1920s, he would traverse the country, covering the events nationwide. Van Order would be one of the only people to document the rise - and fall - of Board Track Racing, painting an illustrious history of the sport, and all of the camaraderie, controversy and excitement that it had to offer. It is because of Ashley-Franklin Van Order that modern history possesses such a deep knowledge of the history of Motorcycle racing. In Fact, the AMA states that had it not been for his interest in the sport and his coverage, "much of the rich history of the early days of motorcycle racing in America would be lost to time".
Joe's attribute to the early days of motorcycle racing by theming the Megabike to this period of time, when it was ever-evolving into what it is today, is just one of the many reasons to love and respect this unique machine. Brought to life by the ingenuity and effort that one might have put forth in the development of a bike that would have competed in these early races, the Megabike is not just a form of transportaion that got Joe to and from classes at the Univeristy of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, it is also a tribute to a rich and infamous piece of history that reminds us of the humble beginnings of the American motorcycle.
Board Track Racing could arguably be considered the birth of America's obsession with speed. The races were fast, competitive, and deadly. In addition to this newfound speed addiction, the Board Track Racer was also the birth of modern motorcycle racing, and it all came from quite humble beginnings. In 1901, the Hendee Manufacturing Company came out with their 2 - cylinder, 1.75 horsepower Indian Motorcycle, with Harley-Davidson following up with the release of one of their earliest motorcycles in 1903. It was inevitable then that these two motor bikes would find themselves lined up at a starting line - and it was at that moment that motorcycle racing was born. The earliest races were held on horse racing banking - designed to allow riders to attack the corners on their bikes at high rates of speed - a characteristic of Board Track Racing that contributed to its deadliness. Soon, these crude tracks became known as Velodromes. In the years following, these specialized race tracks started to pop up across the nation in 1909, starting in LA and expanding elsewhere. They were wide wooden tracks with steep banking designed to allow racers to attack the corners at maximum speed. These tracks, formerly known as Motordomes, were the site of some of the fastest - and most lethal bike racing America had ever seen.
The earliest Board Track Racers themselves were purpose-built for racing, and were rather crude in their early years. To get them going, they needed a bump start, which was done by getting another motorcycle to tow the Board Track Racer behind it. Because the horse was still the chief utilitarian form of transport, spectators marveled at the speed of these bikes when they compared their horsepower to the power of, well, an actual horse. And because they were designed chiefly for speed, the early Board-Track Racers ignored things like practicality, or more importantly, safety. As a result, the earliest days of motorcycle racing were very lethal. So much so that eventually, the Motordomes where the races were held eventually earned the nick-name "Murderdome" among spectators, because of the risk associated with competing in these events - a trait of motorcycle racing which, though at one point was the pinnacle of its appeal, lost its luster and eventually resulted in the sport's ultimate demise. Though this particular era in motoring culture was short-lived, we simply wouldn't have known anything about the birth of motorcycle racing had it not been for one man - Ashley Franklin Van Order - a former Motor-cycle salesman, and one of the very first, and only photographers and reporters of the sport of Board - Track Racing.
One of Ashley-Franklin Van Order's photographs - Photo: Hemmings daily
Born in 1886 in Sandwich, Illinois to a Livery-Service Family, Van Order quickly became interested in motorcycles, and before long, the two-wheel bug bit him so hard, that in 1911, he moved his entire family to Los Angeles so that he could ride year-round. Eventually, he became enthralled with Board-Track Racing, and raced as an amateur when he wasn't selling Harley-Davidsons at his LA dealership. That racing career was short-lived, resulting in an injury that led Van Order to conclude that he should report on the racing, rather than participate - a decision influenced heavily by his wife and family.
So, as the sport rode into its second decade of racing, Van Order saw an ever-increasing need to document the progression of Board-Track Racing. In addition to helping to officiate the races, he began to photograph the races. In the early 1920s, he would traverse the country, covering the events nationwide. Van Order would be one of the only people to document the rise - and fall - of Board Track Racing, painting an illustrious history of the sport, and all of the camaraderie, controversy and excitement that it had to offer. It is because of Ashley-Franklin Van Order that modern history possesses such a deep knowledge of the history of Motorcycle racing. In Fact, the AMA states that had it not been for his interest in the sport and his coverage, "much of the rich history of the early days of motorcycle racing in America would be lost to time".
Joe's attribute to the early days of motorcycle racing by theming the Megabike to this period of time, when it was ever-evolving into what it is today, is just one of the many reasons to love and respect this unique machine. Brought to life by the ingenuity and effort that one might have put forth in the development of a bike that would have competed in these early races, the Megabike is not just a form of transportaion that got Joe to and from classes at the Univeristy of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, it is also a tribute to a rich and infamous piece of history that reminds us of the humble beginnings of the American motorcycle.
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