Motorcycling in the 1930s was a great way to bring smiles during tough times as the country struggled to rebound from the Great Depression .
1959 at the age of 47 , he was the oldest contender in a young man ’ s game – a game that never paid him more than $ 1,100 for a win .
Sam Arena was an equally effective track threat from Harley- Davidson . The mods applied to his bikes by legendary tuner Tom Sifton allowed Arena to keep the throttle pinned throughout the 1938 Oakland 200 race in California , a feat undreamed of until then . The result was a start- to- finish
Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle win that beat the previous record at that track by 17 minutes !
These were bright spots in the Depression ’ s dark times that helped make things better – until December 1941 , that is .
WAR EFFORTS World War ll affected the country in every possible way . Once rationing kicked in , rural motorcycle dealers were hit hard , and plenty of them shut down for the duration of the conflict .
For the American motorcycle industry , another World War guaranteed sales on a 10 % cost- plus basis . Almost at the outset , the U . S . government approached H- D and Indian about building machines to match the Wehrmacht BMWs . They also
Life was good in the 1930s – if you could afford the thrill of riding on two wheels .
Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle
22 | OCTOBER 2023 | AMERICANRIDER . COM