Wheels Keep on Turning / The Dance of the Spokes

Back around 1979 in an Illustration class in Art School , we were given an assignment after being exposed to the art of Marcel Duchamp. I don't remember the perimeters of the assignment other than this being one of the things I came up with.


My generation grew up building models. Marcel poked fun at the art world. This was my way at poking fun at him,"conceptual art", and the model kits of the sixties.

Marcel Duchamp is considered by some as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Before you laugh, you have to consider that he was poking fun at the art establishment but, also the first (for better or worst), to experiment with "conceptual art", decades before the term was ever coined.

Marcel's words from a website I found: "In 1913 I had the happy idea to fasten a bicycle wheel to a kitchen stool and watch it turn."


The two sides of the box I made. Having fun with how those old AMT and Revell model kits were sold as Three in One.

He continues, "The Bicycle Wheel is my first Readymade, so much so that at first it wasn't even called a Readymade. It still had little to do with the idea of the Readymade. Rather it had more to do with the idea of chance. In a way, it was simply letting things go by themselves and having a sort of created atmosphere in a studio, an apartment where you live. Probably, to help your ideas come out of your head. To set the wheel turning was very soothing, very comforting, a sort of opening of avenues on other things than material life of every day. I liked the idea of having a bicycle wheel in my studio. I enjoyed looking at it, just as I enjoyed looking at the flames dancing in a fireplace. It was like having a fireplace in my studio, the movement of the wheel reminded me of the movement of flames".


My miniature was based on the one above he made in 1951 for MOMA New York. In many ways it's the the most significant one, since it was the first to be exhibited to the art world. I'm guessing it was the one I saw in my class and art history book.

Duchamp said that the Bicycle Wheel was a "personal experiment", which was never intended to be shown to the public and wasn't formally shown in a gallery space until 1951.


The original Bicycle Wheel (l1913 France), was lost. The one to the left (also lost), was the first recreation made after Duchamp came to the USA in 1916. Many mistakingly refer to the 1916 version as the original since it's the first photographed. No, that's not me (on the right), in my studio. It's Marcel wearing a lampshade with a later recreation of the 1916 version in the sixties.

Since 1951 a few more Bicycle Wheel replicas were made. In Milan 1964, 8 were made based on the 1916 version under Duchamp's supervision and were signed. I came across one that was auctioned off for $1.7 million!


For my wheel, I used the front wheel off a Revell Chopped Hog Harley model. The fork is a cut down top fork tree from the Highway Patrol Harley model with model trees bent as legs. The stool was scratch built from balsa wood, wood dowels, and toothpicks.

Too me, there is something about the juxtaposition of the two objects. I also wonder if I'm the only one that can appreciate this strange combination of models from the sixties and art.

Now, before you shrug his concept off as stupid, think about it. 1. It wasn't Duchamp, rather the art community that made big deal of his Readymades. 2. It was a thinking machine for him to get ideas turning in his head. 3. Who can resist touching and turning a wheel? Who hasn't played with spinning a wheel, or been mesmerized by the criss cross visual flicker of the dance of the spokes?

German Helmets and Purple Shag Carpet

I always think folks from the past would be puzzled and or amazed by the strange combinations of stuff that emerges. Can you imagine telling a soldier during WWII, that in the future, there would be some guy wearing a German motorcycle helmet on a rig like this? What strangeness awaits us?

Don't Chrome It, Collage It!

For a totally different custom look, recycle those old magazines.


You could do a whole bike like this ....or, not.

Ride to Live/Live to Skate

.... or something like that

Harley's prototype Skate-Tail?.... Another attempt by the factory to attract young blood?

It was said the guy uses it to surf his bike. It somehow almost looks right. If were not careful this could catch on. Found at http://motorcyclephotooftheday.com/

Sometimes you got to share what you find.

WHAT SORT OF MAN READS MC ART?

A colorful character who's not afraid to express his individual style. In everything, from the bike he rides, the way he dresses, or the blog he reads. The kind of guy who knows where to find MotorCycle entertainment that's a perfect match to his own spectrum of tastes.

Born Winner

I must be the luckiest man alive! Just look at how many winnings I came into last month, and it wasn't even the whole month.

P.T. Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute".

7-Ten?

A while back, I posted a 4 engine 45 for 5 and a 2 engine Harley Limo trike for 10. Here's another Harley 10 seater.

Below is a couple of frame grabs from a video I stumbled across a while back. I believe this video was a originally a segment on some CBS News affiliate.

I generally think such contraptions are dumb but, everyone is having a good time and it's pretty interesting to see this thing go. Watching it take a turn looks crazy as it sort of plops it self on it's outboard wheel. It also seems to teeter back and forth on as it travels down the highway.

It's called the Timeline motorcycle and it has 7 Harley engines. A J-model, Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evo, and Twin-Cam. The engines are suppose to represent the history of Harley V-Twins from 1909 to the present. All engines run and can contribute power, but the Twin-Cam is the only one used on the highway.... what's up with that? They run all 7 for exhibition rides.

It was ridden to Sturgis in 2009. If your interested in videos, go to Youtube and search 10 Seater Harley or Timeline Motorcycle.

Maybe they should have put another seat on it and called it 7-Eleven.

A Good Issue II "A Real Colorado Chopper"

A crushed velvet seat and fender with a Nazi helmet tank! Extended forks?... why not e x t e n d e d swing arms?

From the July 71 CM shown below.

Today's Cost of Bobbing

I found this H-D product announcement a few weeks ago and thought it was kind of amusing. Is it just me?

Combine Chopped Rear Fender and Solo Spring Saddle for Classic Style

MILWAUKEE (March 26, 2010) – Owners of most 2006-later Harley-Davidson Dyna® models can achieve the hot bobber look with the installation of three new items from Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories that are easy to install with no cutting, welding, or fabrication necessary (and no fun!), my words.


The new Chopped Rear Fender Kit – Dyna® Models (P/N 59860-10BEO Primed, $349.95; P/N 59860-10DH Vivid Black, $449.95) is a complete “bolt-on” chopped fender kit. The chopped fender eliminates the traditional tail lamp and center-mount license plate, replaces the original equipment rear turn signals with the included stop-turn-tail lights for a clean, stripped-down appearance. Installation requires the separate purchase of the new Side Mount License Plate Kit (P/N 60938-10, $194.95), finished in brilliant chrome, with a durable steel mounting bracket that incorporates license plate illumination.



Complete the bobber transformation with the new Solo Spring Saddle – Black Leather (P/N 54373-10, $269.95), a 10.5-inch-wide solo seat with the minimalistic “just enough to ride” look. The torsion-style springs are designed for the optimal balance between spring suspension and support. The smooth metal seat pan and the simple frame cover leave a clean, finished appearance. The seat can be removed and replaced with a touring seat for a two-up riding. Installation requires separate purchase of Spring Seat Mounting Hardware Kit (P/N 54075-10, $229.95), sold separately.

Add it up and it only costs $1045.00 (plus $100 for black only), to bob your Dyna's fender , change seat and to relocate the license plate. Not counting tax or paying the dealer to install the kit. (we wouldn't want you to break a nail).

You too can have a unique customized bike... just like everybody else's.

Remember the days when Bobbing was done with a hacksaw, a file, surplus parts, some imagination, and little or no money?... me neither.

Factory Bolt ons? - Not a Bobber!

Way Too Much

The handle bars... extreme. The pipes, sissy bar, and velocity stacks... over the top... but,... that seat!

Pack Rats

Talk about a Garbage Wagon.

I remember when a rat bike was just an old bike (sometimes chopped), that was greasy and grubby with maybe a few odd pieces that were usually functional.

Now it seems it's mostly about piling on useless junk. Sorry but, I don't see what's cool about that!?

Dumb Stuff: Ugly, Lame, or Stupid...

or How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Motorcycle.

I've been holding back for a bit.

This blog is mostly about what I like, but like the header says, also Dumb Stuff. Those of you who have been reading the blog for awhile probably kind of "get" what I like and what I don't, so here we go.

Ugly, Lame and Stupid... and a waste of Knuckle Heads.


Grubby old bikes are OK with me, but I don't see how just piling on Garbage is cool.

Speaking of Garbage....

Holy Swiss Cheese! It slices and dices! There's a lot going on here.


I believe Ness makes these foot boards. Money and chrome don't necessarily=Cool.


Theme Bikes. WTF? The guy checking it out basically sums it up.

I've said it before: "Just cause ya don't like it, doesn't mean it ain't fun to look at!"

More Stupid Shit

This isn't quite as bad as the 4 engine 45 built for 5. After all, they only make a quarter million new Harleys each year.

It appears to say, "The Worlds Only 10 Passenger Service Motorcycle". Let's hope so.

4 for 5

This falls under the heading, WHY?

Why do people build shit like this? image from Knucklebuster1939 blog