photo courtesy of Wheels Through Time Museum
The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance isn’t just about some of the most beautiful cars ever built or restored; it also celebrates some of the best preserved and rarest motorcycles on the planet. The Concours presented bikes in two different classes this year, Prewar American Road Motorcycles and Prewar American Racing Motorcycles, and our friend and curator of the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, Dale Walksler, was invited to bring two of his finest examples of early board track racing bikes. Although the famous “Munro Special” 1920 Indian Scout from the movie World’s Fastest Indian took first honors in the X-2 Racing Bike Class, Dale’s rare 1909 Reading Standard Board Track Racer took home the second place prize, while his “one of one” restored 1929 Harley-Davidson DAR Board Track Racer (above) clinched third place. The engine for the Reading Standard was the basis for the side-valve engines that appeared in later Indian models. As is the case with most of the vehicles and bikes on hand at Wheels Through Time, both of Dale’s entries are run on a regular basis at the museum.
Winner in the X-1 Road Motorcycle Class was a 1915 Henderson Long Tank owned by Michael and Karen Madden, with second place going to another 1915 motorcycle, an Excelsior Twin, owned by Steve Huntzinger. Third place was awarded to a rare 1936 Crocker belonging to Brian Bossier Sr.
photo courtesy of Wheels Through Time Museum