A craze for custom motorcycles were the hottest two-wheeled trend of the early 1960s, when the youth of America discovered the infinite coolness of custom vehicle culture. The writer Tom Wolfe did a superb job of discussing the scene in his essay ‘There Goes (Varoom! Varoom!) That Kandy-Kolored (Thphhhhhh!) Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby (Rahghhh!) Around the Bend(Brummmmmmmmmmmmmmm)…’ published in Esquire in 1963 [read it here], which became the title of his first book (1965), ‘The Kandy Kolored Tangerine Metalflake Baby’, a pioneering example of New Journalism and a work of genius. Wolfe was not originally a custom car fan, just a journalist on assignment by the New York Herald Tribune sent to cover a show in New York City. He submitted his story, but knew it didn’t do justice to the vibrant new scene, so approached Esquire with the idea of a long-form essay that truly captured the vibe of a ‘Teen Fair’ in LA. He references the rigid codes of teen fashion, language, and music, and interviewed George Barris and Ed Roth for their thoughts as the revered elders of a new subculture. It’s a must-read.



“Spectacular indeed is Louie Lopez’ ’46 Triumph show bike, from its gold-chartreuse metalflake paint job to its quilted black leather seat with black fur trim. Features include metalflake cylinder head, sculptured tank, dual side-by-side front headlights, 21″ front wheel and 19: rear, lucite footpegs, chrome oil tank with metalflake scallops and black striping.”

“Bikes continue to capture the imagination and attention of auto enthusiasts and it was never more apparent than at the car shows, where cycles are appearing in ever increasing numbers. This custom ‘46 triumph was built by 23-year old Louis Lopez of Bell Calif., following up a chain of customized four wheelers that included a ‘59 Cad, ‘58 Impala, and a ‘57 Thunderbird which won three shows. Lopez spent six months and $1500 converting the rig and obviously succeeded and putting more ‘Umph’ in the Triumph. Gold hardware from the top tricks in the West include first places at the ‘63 Winternationals and at Larry Howard’s show of custom bikes, as well as sweepstakes at the Trident sports arena spectacular. The lime metal flake beauty is chromed except for the rear fender, forward frame section and tank. Paint was applied by Junior’s House of Color, the tailored seat stitched by Martinez; Both of Lynnwood. Foot pegs, starter crank and foot shift lever are colored plastic. With assists from Gary Connor and George Foster, Lou developed a masterpiece that will go as well as it looks. The vertical twin engine is bored to displace 45 cubics, and has been fitted with 1 5/8” valves, alloy push rods and lightened rockers, a Jim Lemon Special cam and MC 12:1 pistons with Grant rings.”



Ahhh …. models kits … loved em … customized ( kit bashed ) the heck out of em .
For the longest time all anyone was making was Triumph chopper kits … but I wanted a Harley … so
Bought a Trumpy Chopper kit ( molded in metalflake green ) and a H- D cop bike in the same scale …. built and modified the Trumpy chopper frame … crammed that V-Twin into it ( with more than a few additional mods ) … repainted the frame fenders etc with a touch of custom … a bit more kit bashing ( wheels tires etc ) and … viola
Y’all didn’t wanna sell me a H-D chopper … so I made one myself
Ahhh …. the joys of growing up in an age where doing it yourself was considered a positive personality trait
And damn … now that Iv e got the time again .. do I ever miss model building
Two Thumbs up PdO …
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On the demise of many past iconic race and custom M/C’s
Honestly … though PdO may hate me for saying this …. much of it is due to what for a good long time was an over inflated collectors market desperate for factory original bikes .. even if they were ‘ restored ‘ back to original
Case in point … Big Sid Biberman’s Vincent ‘ Rattler ‘ In its day one of the fastest drag bikes in the country as well as the fastest Vincent in a 1/4 mile in the world . But then the unmentionable happened .. its last owner desperate to cash in brining it back to stock … and poof … no more ‘ Rattler ‘ .. just another Black Shadow amongst many . .. that in fact hadn’t been ‘ factory stock ‘ since its inception .
Can’t tell you even from my limited knowledge how many times this has happened … not to mention a certain ‘ celebrity ‘ who’s been responsible for more than a few himself
Sigh … stupidity … greed … and no respect for the past . … especially the custom and racing past
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