On 9 Dec 2005 18:40:38 -0800, jim rozen
wrote:

In article , Eric R Snow says...

Watching the history channel about motorcycles. Curtiss, of Curtiss
Airplanes, made a motor cycle in 1907 and drove it at 137 mph on the
sand in Florida. The motorcycle was barely a bicycle. It was hard to
tell from the pictures, but it looked as if the wheel spokes were not
even attached to the hubs on the tangent. I think it was in 1930 that
someone finally beat this speed record, and it was in a car. Curtiss
sure had big cajones.

That was actually a dirigible engine in that bike. I saw it at
the Guggenheim museum in NYC a few years ago. The motor is V8
and air-cooled. Driveshaft drive, with an open bevel gear at
the rear wheel, and an unlubricated strap-iron universal joint.

One trial was ended when the U-joint came apart.

The bike:

http://glennhcurtiss.com/12cdf4480.jpg

Now you might think that 138 mph in 1907 was fast. But Indian
made a board track racer with a fraction of the displacement of
Curtiss's behemoth - it had unusually modern four valve heads,
chain drive, and no brakes. I consider those to be far in advance
of what Curtiss did:

http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcmuseum/inracer.html

Curtiss's bike was a one-off stunt. That indian was a real
production bike - not many were made, but they ran in extensive
races.

Jim
Jim,
The bike didn't impress me as near as much as the speed at which it
was driven. I would be terrified to go that fast on my bicycle, and
it's brand new. With all the modern stuff like suspension and good
tires.
ERS