Tiger Talk Issue #4:February 2003
New Beginnings: Vincent, Auctions, and Kit K. Boodle
----------------------
Welcome to the fourth glorious installment of TigerTalk! The theme of this issue is
New Beginnings,
and leads off with a story about the Vincent Redux. Rabid Vincent owners and groupies are slinging
arrows, casting aspersions, and barking hyperbole in the general direction of Bernard Li and his
company "Vincent Motorcycles, USA"-which, BTW, has ignored all requests by the TT for information
and interviews with Li. He must not know who he is messing with: we will NOT be ignored!
We follow that bit of fluff with an analysis of the failed efforts of ERI International to pick up
where Sotheby's Chicago left off with its annual Antique Bicycle and Motorcycle Auction. ERI's first
mistake was not giving me the red carpet treatment. But more on that later…
And finally my on-again, off-again Mean Bikee Chick sis/nemesis, Kit K. Boodle, serves up a big
helping of meow-meows with an essay on Chromosexual, or what's wrong with our biker fantasy image
of ourselves. Read on for an ego bruising-and pull out your dance shoes!
|
----------------------
VINCENT REDUX:
Will This New Rose With an Old Name Still Ignite the Flame?
Some are flaming…
----------------------
"You can't paint a Honda black and call it a Vincent," according to Neil Donovan, long-time Vincent Black
Shadow owner and active North American Vincent Owners Club (VOC) member. "If somebody wants to make a new
Vincent, why make a Harley clone or a Japanese copy? Phil Vincent was an innovator-he wasn't copying anybody."
Whoa-black Hondas? Japanese copies? New Vincents?
Yes, folks, Bernard Li, formerly of Eagle One Industries and spoke cleaner, sold the business to Valvoline
in 1998 and is devoting his time to resurrecting the Vincent motorcycle. Li began acquiring Vincent trademarks
in 1994, has registered the name "Vincent Motorcycles, USA," and in 2002 he unveiled five prototypes.
A retro model, based on the 1955 Black Lightening, is the Black Shadow standard. Modern prototypes include
the Black Lightening sport, Black Lightning ST sport tourer, and the Black Eagle cruiser.
"I'm not impressed," says Donovan, and indeed, the VOC's general attitude toward the new marque is apathy.
Part of the reason is Li's plan to use Honda's RVT 1000R 90 degree V-twin, water cooled, dual cam front valve
130 hp RC51-based engine.
"If Li is really serious about it he should come up with something no one's seen before-stretch the boundaries.
It can't be 'as good as' anything else: it's got to be better. The Vincent was faster, had better brakes,
was smoother and more comfortable, made out of better materials than other bikes at the time. The only
comparable new bike to the Vincent is the Britton. It exemplified new ideas, broke new ground," Donovan
explained further.
For an opinion from "the other side of the pond," TigerTalk contacted Jacqueline Bickerstaff, Vincent techie
extraordinaire and sister Firefly devotee. "If one is going to revive an old name it has to be with an up-to-date
vehicle-in this day and age regulations demand it," Bickerstaff began."However, the new Vincent is made in America,
which is possibly better than manufacture in Japan, but I suspect that's a black mark in general, and certainly to
the Vincent faithful! It has a Japanese engine: another black mark in principle, although it does have the benefit
of guaranteeing performance, reliability, and parts."
Appearing in the January 2003 British club newsletter MPH is a vitriolic piece by American Carl Hungness. The
opening sentence, "The world of motorcycling is being raped," lets on that at least some members would like to
choke Li or at least wring his throttle.
According to Hungness, "Li has literally stolen the once and forever mighty name of the Vincent motorcycle.
The machine that could breathlessly claim it was 'The World's Fastest Standard Motorcycle' is being reduced
to a mockery of all its fame, glory and laudatory accomplishments…Li has the audacity, the cojones, to paste
the spiritually spoken name of the one and only Vincent motorcycle on a machine powered by something other
than a Vincent engine…Li has the temerity to claim he is breathing new life into what is arguably one of the
most respected names the world of motorcycle wheels has ever seen since the beginning of time…[he has] gone
so far as to print the famed Vincent banner with a Registered Trademark symbol next to it as though he were
the chosen heir to the name that struck fear, respect and envy in the world of wheels…[he] went so far as to
utilize all of the familiar product names once produced by the Stevenage, England based concern…Meteor, Comet,
Gray Flash, TT Replica, Rapide, Black Prince, Black Lightening, Black Shadow were prominently displayed by this
imprudent individual. He boasts he is reviving the genius of engineering created by Philip Vincent and Philip Irving."
But back to Bickerstaff for a more even-keeled summation:
"My feeling overall: it's too late. The Vincent mystique has entered into legend. No modern Vincent can be any kind
of genuine successor, especially as the originals were so bound up with the personalities of their creators Phils
Vincent and Irving. A modern replica wouldn't hold up against modern expectations, and a new machine just isn't the
same. Better to have left the old name alone."
And speaking of name, Li would have done well to have thought harder in coming up with the monicker Black Eagle-safe
and predictable, but hardly inspiring. "Why didn't he call it the Black Widow-the fictitious name of legend?,"
Donovan asks mischievously. "That's what I would have called it!"
Bickerstaff conjectures that the trademark wars will be a "mess," citing the Indian and Norton 'sagas.' According
to a recent Classic Bike article, David Holder, of the Velocette Motorcycle Company of Meriden in England, is
threatening legal action if Li begins producing bikes, claiming his father bought rights to the name in 1975. Li
counters that he has registered the name "Vincent Motorcycles, USA."
"No doubt various people will claim trademark rights, name rights, historical rights," says Bickerstaff knowingly.
"They are all different, they all stack up differently in different countries. Should keep the lawyers in business
for a while." We'll see.
For more information on the Vincent motorcycle see the following websites:
www.vincentmotors.com Vincent Motorcycles, USA
www.voc.uk.com
Vincent Owners Club, UK
Back to top
Gallery of Some of the Properties Offered by ERI's 2002 Auction
British iron included this 1999 Triumph Daytona,
as well as a very rare 1983 Triumph TSS T140ES,
1979 UK Triumph Bonneville, and very rare 1975
Triumph Legend T100 
Proof that women don't tear their clothes off to
swoon over Harleys only 
Chinese rickshaw, highwheeler bicycle, and"circa
1965" 50cc Ducati Falcon-driven rickshaw 
1936 New Imperial 46 
1895 Gendron Wheel Company Pioneer
Tricycle with tiller steering, in Toledo, Ohio 
Burt Richman uncrating his 1998 limited
edition Carl Fogerty replica 
John "Dr. Desmo" Lumley with his very
rare 1978 Ducati 900 NCR 
1970 Carabela Factory Works Racer, ridden
by Ignacio Morfiri of Team Carabela. One
of 8 produced, and only surviving example,
offered by Edward Roberts
International LLC 
View of the auction floor 
Stephen Pate with the 1937 500cc Moto Guzzi with
Swiss Royale sidecar 
Three-wheeled 1956 Messerchmitt 175 Cabin Roller,
with clear plastic dome ("Cinderella's Coffin"), Sachs
single cylinder air-cooled two stroke engine, four
speed tranny with reverse, two seats aligned front
to back, three gallon gas tank, 9 hp, 100 mpg, top
speed 60 mph. 
1947 Vincent B Rapide from Al Phillips' collection 
Circa 1952 three speed 125cc Aermacchi Cigno,
the first bike model from Aermacchi, and the first
motorcycle/scooter combination ever to be
manufactured 
1948 Rap Ster with German Rex motor 
1955 98cc Moto Guzzi Zigolo Turismo 
1955 125cc three speed MV Agusta Pulmann, with
swingarm and motor as one unit 
Close-up of Rap Ster motor 
1960 125cc Aereomere Capriole Turismo made by
Carponi airplane manufacturer 
Close-up of Aereomere Capriole Turismo motor 
Close-up of 1956 50cc four stroke Motom Superelle
motor: known as the "Queen of Queens" in Italy
|
----------------------
ERI'S ANTIQUE BICYCLE AND MOTORCYCLE AUCTION: FIASCO OR FATE?
----------------------
One of my greatest pleasures as a motojournalist, after the tenure of the Art of the Motorcycle design exhibition at Chicago's
Field Museum, was the announcement of the first Sotheby's Antique Bicycle and Motorcycle Auction, at its Chicago location.
Larry Sirolli, director of Sotheby's Chicago, and his team, threw themselves into wooing consignors, high-profile fashion
co-sponsors, exotic European motorcycle manufacturer co-sponsors, habitués of the local art scene, and, most importantly,
the local motorcycling community.
Holding glitzy receptions where women in black cocktail dresses and pearls rubbed elbows with those in black leather,
Sotheby's reserved curbside parking for motorcycles only, guaranteeing a VIP aura to Real Bikers. Sirolli, high-profile
and personable, seemed to be enjoying himself tremendously, and remained highly accessible, readily supplying media with
quotes, slides, and the gorgeous catalogs, which were destined to become collectors items themselves.
Sotheby's announcement in 2001 that it was pulling up its Chicago stakes and curtailing its motorcycle auctions signaled
not only the loss of a major local socializing opportunity, but the end of an historical event that underscored Chicago
as a-believe it or not--major motorcycling center.
Then in late winter of 2002, Edward Roberts International, an auction house specializing in wine, announced it would hold
an antique bicycle and motorcycle auction. ERI's Edward Brooks, a childhood friend of Sotheby's bicycle consultant Mark
Mattei, would be availed of Mattei's expertise on an unpaid basis. Marketing specialist Stephen Pate, a friend of Mattei's
as well, would join the effort as a co-organizer. This talented trio would attempt to do what Sotheby's did, without the
team of 15+, the slew of high-profile events, and the huge marketing budget.
When all was said and done, of 84 bicycle lots and 89 lots of collectibles, only about half sold, and of 46 motorcycles,
none sold. Almost no bidding was offered by the 50 people present, and most of the phone bidding was from the same Sotheby's
stand-by in Qatar.
So what went wrong? TigerTalk posed this question to Brian Neale, Chicago-based motojournalist and contributor to the Chicago
Tribune's Transportation Section.
"They totally failed to build a buzz, the bikes were estimated too high, they forgot this is Harley country," Neale responded.
"They didn't kiss nearly enough motojournalist ass. And they weren't Sotheby's. Most bikers I knew didn't even know about it."
Indeed, ERI was ham-fisted with the catalogs, demanding that media pay for them, and only a handful of people attended either
reception, with only two or three motorcycles ridden by attendees to either event. Brooks was largely unavailable to the press,
and on at least one occasion, ERI's phone line was answered by a fax machine.
Susanin's, an auction house located in downtown Chicago's Merchandise Mart, would house the consignment and the final event,
but its staff remained largely ignorant of auction details. Phone receptionists consistently told callers that the bicycle
and motorcycle auction would take place on a Sunday, which would make the event illegal in the state of Illinois. And Sean
Susanin, who would be calling the lots, was unaware of the actual date of the auctions a week prior. During the auction,
he took a private call on his cell phone, talking at length until someone shouted, "Hot date tonight?," whereupon he hung
up and announced, "Can you believe that? It was Nancy. She wants to sell the house!" Huh?
But the main organizers didn't help either. The Sotheby's auctions, with over twice as many lots total, took about 4 hours
to call in a single day. ERI made the decision to split the vehicles from the collectibles lots and auction them on a
consecutive Saturday and Sunday. Because one of the organizers had been telling interested parties both auctions would
run for several hours each, people were trickling in hours past the barely hour-long it took for the bikes. Obviously not
everyone was on the same page.
Did they blow it, or did they just never have a chance in the first place? "Even Sotheby's couldn't really pull it off,"
says Neale. "They pulled off a big flashy event-got the press fired up, got the local community fired up-but they pulled
out of the city. ERI didn't have nearly the resources. The Trib gave them the same coverage as Sotheby's but ERI didn't
get the word out. It's not really fair to compare it with Sotheby's."
"It was a big undertaking," Mattei acknowledges, and deliberately had stayed in the background. "I did not want to be in
the auction business." Though he felt they had strong properties, "They could have been stronger. The first year is always
tough." Mattei cited his favorites as the series of small displacement 1950s and 1960s Italian bikes. He himself had 45 or
so mixed properties consigned, of which only "16 or 17" sold, all bicycles. Regarding his Vincent Black Knight, he acknowledges,
"I put a high reserve on it, and yes, I was happy to get it back."
Like Brooks, Pate wore many hats, soliciting consignors, moving the bikes, and setting them up to be photographed, among other
tasks. "I could have tripled the number of properties we got if I had a panel truck and drove around picking stuff up," he said.
The location of the auction was chosen for its "toney" address, but it proved needlessly expensive, and a hindrance besides, as
the bikes had to moved as much as eight times between the auction house, a storage facility, and a makeshift photo studio.
But it may not have mattered: the crowd never materialized. Discussing the poor attendance at the auction, Pate said, "It
was bizarre: like poof!," claiming to have been inundated with calls and emails from out of towners seeking hotel information
in the last couple days beforehand. "It was depressing but not surprising. I'd really like to do another bike auction, but I
don't think it'll work here [in Chicago]."
None of those involved seem to understand what went wrong, although Brooks is citing the economy. "There was a great deal of
interest in the auction. We felt we had a good response to the offered bicycles, particularly given the sluggish economy," he
said. "We were very happy with the quality of the offered property and can only deduce that the lackluster perfomance for
motorcycles was due to the current state of the economy."
Will ERI be doing it again? "When the market appears to justify it. Meanwhile we plan to continue with stand alone bicycle
sales as one of our continuing categories."
Back to top
|
----------------------
KIT'S KATERWAULING
----------------------
Kit depicted by Mitch O'Connell"TM
www.mitchoconnell.com
Kit's back! The black sheep of the bad branch of the Boodles gin family, Kit K. Boodle got introduced to biking after
going AWOL from a Swiss finishing school in her late teens, and the rest is a deep dark secret that only her analyst
and her mechanic know.It didn't take much convincing to lure her out of her tree to address the fickle and ticklish issues around biking
with her unique brand of hissing, spitting and scathing wit.
WHO'S CHROMOSEXUAL? I am so tired about civilians-non-riders-assuming what I'm all about coz I ride a motorcycle.
Being a woman on a bike, people think I'm either a dyke or a slut. And guess what, I'm neither.
And people always assume biker dudes are bad-slimey, smelly, and mean through and through. And maybe a couple of
them are. But I had a real eye-opener a couple weekends ago. I saw a couple biker movies that convinced me that
bikers-male bikers, dudes, boyz-are all gay!
OK, let me explain. The first movie we saw was "The Wild One"-and guess what the big, bad, 'don't-let-them-do-this-to-your-town'
kind of biker dudes did? They ride into town, get off their bikes, and-no, they don't start beating up civilians or ripping the
town apart-they start dancing with each other! Chix don't even figure big till later, and then it's pretty small. In one scene
the biker dudes are running around with beauty parlor appliances on their heads, shrieking like schoolgirls and showing off to
each other. I know guys who claim they couldn't wait to grow up and ride bikes after seeing that movie. So what does this say
about them?
OK, so maybe that's not enough evidence to draw conclusions from. So let's take an example from "Mad Max," the classic biker
cult film that, when I first saw it, sent chills down my spine and mad me unable to wait to grow up and ride bikes.
When the bikers ride into town down under, they get off their bikes--no, they don't start beating up civilians or ripping the
town apart-they start dancing with each other. Now what the hell is that all about!?!
And what about that Brit flick "The Leather Boys"? The biker guy hero marries a nice girl who immediately tarts herself up on
the honeymoon by bleaching her hair. The chick makes him so crazy the guy finds himself sharing a bed with his best bud who
falls in love with him and takes off on a boat at the teary ending with a crew of gay dudes.
OK, I give up. Biker guyz are gay! Need I say more?
Yes, I do. Now that biker ultra-paranoia about queers makes sense. You'd think big manly types wouldn't be bothered by the
existence of this seemingly unthreatening faction of our society. But to paraphrase Shakespeare, "methinks the big hairy
biker dudes doth protest too much." They are afraid they might have feelings-those kind of feelings, if you know what I mean!
So, mean biking chix, if you want to make sure your biking dude ain't gay, take him to a gay bar. If he seems OK with it,
he's a keeper. If he starts dancing with other guys, stay friends and ask him for suggestions about your hair. But if he
runs away screaming, head in the opposite direction and don't look back. Coz that dude is queer, in spite of the V-twin,
loud pipes, and helmetless noggin!
Finally, some advice for you runaways: embrace your chromosexuality! You can be a lone wolf running with that pack-there's plenty
of you out there to have a big swishy hairy biker group hug. Love yourselves! And love the ones out there that paved the way for
you to be a gay biker-the gay Hollywood boy dancer extras that made those biker films so famous and contributed so much toward
the bad biker image.
Now how come the dumber-than-a-box-of-rocks public never picked up on that!?!
Back to top
|
|
