PUR-SANG PSYCHEDELIC PROVENANCE

The ex-Jim Morrison, ex-Von Dutch 1968 Honda CL305

'Pur Sang Psychedelic Provenance'... that's not a phrase often heard, but how else to describe a humble Honda CL305 'street scrambler' which was owned by the Doors' Jim Morrison from 1968-'71, which was then purchased and painted up by  'Von Dutch'?

Kenny Howard / Von Dutch

The internet is abuzz with the recent Craigslist discovery of the lime green Honda, and lucky owner Dan Ince did his homework, after discovering an early registration in the name of Kenneth R. Howard, better known as pinstriper and moto-painter extraordinaire, 'Von Dutch', who appears to have sprayed the Honda in his early '70s asymmetric metalflake style.  Digging deeper into the paperwork, Ince found more: “The registration and release of liability card that I have for it dated March of ‘68 lists a James Douglas Morrison living on Sunset Boulevard. I actually Googled and found a copy of his driver’s license. That address matches his driver’s license issued in 12/67. It was kind of a needle in a haystack.”

Morrison had a penchant for wearing leather onstage in his pre-Paris days...

No photographs have surfaced of Morrison on this bike, or any other, but...there is another motorcycle connection with the Doors' frontman, from his final year, in Paris 1971.  While living in the 19 rue Beautreillis hideaway he shared with long-time girlfriend Pamela Courson, their uber-hip circle of friends included a female motorcyclist with a Norton Commando, who suggested a tank-painting party over an 'enlightened' weekend...and that motorcycle, with its hand-painted psychedelic tank, is in beautiful condition, but definitely not for sale.

Classic Von Dutch metalflake paint, airgun spatter, and pinstriping

The Honda, though, is definitely for sale, via Husky Restorations.

The Title release form which lists James Douglas Morrison as owner of the '68 Honda CL305; the address matches his 1970 Calfornia driver's license 

Morrison in his seldom-seen experimental film, 'HWY' (a bootleg can be found on Youtube), one of the few instances where Morrison and Motorcycle coexist, if briefly.  In this scene, Morrison has carjacked a '67 Shelby GT500 Mustang, and as he drives past a flatbed truck full of motorcycles, he can't help but check them out.

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BONHAMS' QUAIL EXTRAVAGANZA

The Motosacoche v-twin formerly owned by Bud Ekins, and restored by 'Von Dutch' (Kenny Howard) while he worked for Ekins.  Part of the 'Eddie Rickenbacker' collection at the Bonhams Quail Lodge sale, August 16th

Pebble Beach Week is a financial powerhouse for US collector car auctions, as 4 big sales tease the wallets of well-heeled visitors from around the globe, each racking up mega-millions of dollars.  The inclusion of motorcycles is a recent phenomenon at this week-long party, where the very very rich mingle with impecunious gearheads, oohing and aahing over impossible arrays of glittering vehicles, on the grassy golf courses of the Quail Motorsports Gathering (Friday) and Pebble Beach (Sunday), the tarmac of the Monterey Jet Center (Wed night), or the race track at Laguna Seca (all week).  Smaller shows crop up all over the Carmel area for Italian cars, Lemons, one-make clubs, etc...plus invite-only events at the sumptuous part-time homes of a few 'local' billionaires, which have aspirational climbers greasing elbows and cozying up to the right people at cocktail parties, hoping for an invite.

One of THREE Crocker v-twins for sale at the Bonhams Quail Lodge sale...

Motorcycles have always been part of Gordon McCall's Jet Center Party and Quail Motorsports Gathering, and were accepted on the lawn at Pebble Beach just 3 years ago.  Bonhams began adding a few bikes to their car sale at Quail Lodge, while MidAmerica has pitched a tent of motorcycles at the Pebble automobilia garden since bikes have been allowed on 17-Mile Drive (for the week only, mind you; the rest of the year they're verboten).  Mecum had what looked like a disastrous sale of motorcycles last year, but are back at it with the 71-MV Agusta collection of Gary Kohs, being sold as a single lot.

A genuine ex-works 'Rob North' framed factory BSA racer, one of 11 built, confirmed by Mr North himself

This year Bonhams is laying out an incredible spread of machines at the Quail Lodge on August 16th, worthy of, or even better than their top sale at Stafford, which has kept Bonhams at the #1 spot for many years. After recently announcing they'd secured the long-coveted 'Eddie Rickenbacker' collection of early machines, it became clear the Quail sale would be more than 'merely' a 3-Crocker affair.

How about a 1945 Kettenkrad?  Using a 1500cc Opel engine, they're simple to drive, with a 50mph top speed, capacity to climb 25degree hills with ease... and with rubber tracks, they are street legal in the USA! The possibilities are intriguing.  This example is in apparently original-paint condition, and in excellent mechanical shape.

To the Crockers and 'Rickenbackers', Bonhams has added plenty of other significant motorcycles, like a genuine ex-Works 'Rob North' BSA triple racer, a '37 Brough Superior SS100, 1952 Vincent Black Shadow, a 1928 Windhoff 4-cylinder, an ex-Otis Chandler 1920 'White Mars' A20, a barn-find 1910 Pierce 4 in incredible condition, even a 1945 Kettenkrad...all of which are expected to drift into 6-figure territory.  It will be an exciting sale to watch...check out the catalog here.

The 1920 Mars A20 was a sophisticated and expensive big twin, with a 956cc flat-twin engine made by Maybach.  

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TINTYPES IN THE DESERT

As continued prep for the Cannonball Run in September, part of my equipe for the Velocette Summer Rally this year included a portable darkroom, plate camera, and all the chemicals necessary to make 'wet plate' collodion Tintypes on the road.  While the technique is a bit fussy, the resulting images are unique, and the process is satisfying in a way digital photography could never be.  Kind of like the fussy old bikes we're riding...

My  photo-partner in this escapade, Susan McLaughlin, and her '65 Triumph Bonneville

Jeff Scott, Pd'O, and the little Velo GTP two-stroke...

...seen better in this image.  This 1939 model is a 250cc, the last of the Velo two-strokes, which were their mainstay from 1905 until they started making OHC 'K' models in 1925

Jeff Scott

Gil Loe and his Velocette Venom

Hanging out with the Bonnie at the end of a good day's ride...(this photo has been digitally 'reversed')

Dai Gibbison from Wales, owner of the Velocette Technical Forum 

Frank Recoder from Mexico rides a Thruxton

The Velocetting Hassel family

Pete Young of Occhiolungo

The Young family and their '39 Velo MSS with sidecar

Some technical details for the curious; these are 'direct positives', which means we pour a sticky medium - collodion- onto an aluminum plate which has been painted black.  The coated plate is soaked in silver nitrate for a few minutes, and then inserted into a plate holder, which has a slide at the front.  The plate holder is placed in the back of a plate camera (with plate at the rear, bellows in the middle, lens up front...we're using a new Chamonix 4"x5" camera with an 1800s 'Petzval' portrait lens).  These images were exposed between 1 second and 25 seconds, depending on the light and time of day.  The plates are exposed 'upside down and backwards' as we're using an old lens without a mirror or inverter to make the image 'normal'.
After exposure, the plate must be developed before the collodion/silver dries, which is why the technique is called 'wet plate'.  We pour developer over the exposed plate in a darkroom (in this case my Sprinter, with blackout fabric taped over the windows), then it can be soaked in fixer (same kind as with paper images - sodium thiosulfate), and washed for 10 minutes in a hotel bathtub.  It's possible to tell if the image is properly exposed within 2 minutes of taking the photo, so your subjects don't have time to flee if you need to re-shoot...although I find people generally love having their photo taken, and are fascinated by the process.  Except for women, who usually hate how they look in the UV light spectrum the 'wet plate' is sensitive to; it adds 'character'.

Scratches on the plate usually occur when moving plates from my van to the hotel bathtub, when the collodion is really vulnerable...we're working on a better 'in the field' carrier. Variations in exposure, chemical residue, incomplete coverage with the collodion, 'mistakes' with developer, all add to the unpredictable character of the process, which is its fundamental charm.

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ARIZONA ROAMING, PART 2

As the Velocette Summer Rally continues to explore the mountains, deserts, and canyons of Arizona...

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