for Steve McQueen fans...

Rapid Dog · 01-17-2005, 09:12 AM

Got a great gift from my good friend PVR...
This is a really fab book, especially if your a McQueen fan or even if you ain't. The kids down at Johnson Motors in Pasadena are good peeps, and i believe they're responsible for editing it. I was totaly amazed at the amunt of info and pics they managed to cram in thie cover.

You can get one from JOMO too...but of course, yours won't be autographed by the ISDT team like mine is

...

http://www.johnsonmotorsinc.com/

Steve Carlton · 01-17-2005, 09:41 AM

I'm a big fan. Bullitt is my favorite movie of his. Does the book go into the story behind his car collection?

The story of his XK-SS is cool...

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0409_mcqueen/

Rapid Dog · 01-17-2005, 09:48 AM

It's a re-cap of the entire story about Steve being on the ISDT team in 1964, the Eikins bros, Eddie Mulder, etc. It's got alot of other info I'm sure, but hey, I just cracked it open...too busy lookin' at the pictures.
It hits home for me 'cuz I bought my first bikes from Bud Eikins shop 3 blocks from my house, in the SF Valley in the 60's.
Then when I moved to the desert I was surrounded by these dirt legends, including McQueen.
I got stoked...

Steve Carlton · 01-17-2005, 09:57 AM

Lemme know...

jgrm1 · 01-17-2005, 06:07 PM

I thought it was for Triumph fans.

-Jeff

itchybro · 01-17-2005, 06:27 PM

Rapid, that is SO cool.

Ekins is the guy that made THE jump over the fence isn't he?

Rapid Dog · 01-18-2005, 06:07 AM

Yep, Bud doubled for Steve on that one riding a TR6 blacked out by Von Dutch.
McQueen was just learning to ride dirt bikes with Ekins as his mentor at the time, then brought hm in as a stuntman for the movie.
Oh, yeah jg, definitely for Triumph fans!

MoDog · 01-19-2005, 07:44 PM

Steve McQueen rocks...I cut my teeth on the tank of a T110 on the mesa outside of Albuquerque when I was 4 years old...when the Great Escape came on the TV, my dad treated it at the same level as if the Pope was about to deliver news about the end of the world.

Every one needs a hero...

Long live the desert sleds!

chief · 01-19-2005, 10:22 PM

Steve Mcqueen rules!

Bullit had the great car-chase scene that probably every filmaker wants to emulate. Apparently he drove the chase scene himself.I read an account of the camera man filming from the rear seat and on one of the takes the brakes on the Mustang failed, but Steve managed to slow to a safe stop.

Lemans remains one of the best race movies ever.

Probably taken while filming The Sand Pebbles

John Lyon · 01-21-2005, 12:45 PM

As a "beginner," maybe McQueen didn't make the JUMP, but it sure looked like he had a very good feel for a bike in offroad conditions. I liked the way he locked up the rear brake and slid -- slightly sideways, but in control -- to a stop while he was surveying the situation. Very cool, which is what he was.

motoyoyo · 01-21-2005, 02:27 PM

When I was about 16 and terrorizing the Hollywood Hills on my Kawasaki 238 Greenstreak scrambler, I had the pleasure of riding a few laps at a local spot off Mulholland Drive with Steve McQueen. At that time he was riding CZ's and usually brought his kids. I remember his son Chad was about 7 or so riding a minibike. As I was mixing it up with Steve on the big track, I recall that a buddy of mine ran over Chad with his Honda and Steve came charging over to pick up his kid. Turned out the kid was ok and Steve never came down on any of us for it. He was a genuinely nice person that loved to play just like the rest of us. I only saw him on two ocassions during that summer of '69, but it was a great pleasure to have met him and be able to ride a bit on the same piece of dirt as him.

John Lyon · 01-21-2005, 04:54 PM

During that timeframe I was wreaking havoc on my Hodaka Ace 100. You had me outclassed even then, Scott, but great memories....

motoyoyo · 01-21-2005, 05:31 PM

John, the Hodaka was a great bike at that time. I had just moved up from a Suzuki 80 HillBilly, so you were way ahead of me there. The Kawasaki was kinda goofy too, but I managed to get it moving pretty good. Fun times.

Rapid Dog · 01-24-2005, 08:54 AM

at the risk of being self indulgent...

me on Mulholland circa 1969...

Hodie Ace 100!

John Lyon · 01-24-2005, 10:56 AM

RD: I'm sure you can relate, but I dreamed of having the "B" model with the better suspension or even (dare I dream?) the Super Rat. I see you had the fork brace though - very cool (and very necessary).

Rapid Dog · 01-24-2005, 11:04 AM

Look closer, I was already doing machine bits for bikes at 18...billetmachined fork extenders ! Made aot of my own stuff including fenders, braces and evenn a tuned pipe...metal shop was a necessary source.
Yep, I always dreamed of building the ultimate WISECO bike...I rode my friend Al "Ace" Baker Jr's Ace 90 once when he was racing trailbikes...scared the crap out of me!

JonyRR · 01-24-2005, 06:36 PM

groovy, rapid!
motoyoyo, I had a greenstreak 100 with a super-radical-cut rotray valve and a chamber my high school math teacher helped me design; it wound out to the moon (and had a straight stinger on it); my buddie's dad used to mix up 'specal' premix for it with model airplane fuel (that started a lifelong fascination for 'specail gas' hehehehe) . A few years later I got to ride a 238 in a champion frame a few times...it would blow away the yammie DT-1s and was as fast as a bultaco astro....greenstreak, baby!!!

Rapid Dog · 01-25-2005, 06:28 AM

The DT1 was a hard trailbike to beat, though I remember wheeling past a brand spankin' new one on a hillclimb trail in Saugus one Sunday afternoon...it's not what you ride...
I'd just bought the Ace100 from Bud Ekins, with motoX bars and trials universal tires for what...about $350!?! I put a milled head, tuned pipe, aircleaner and a 19" front wheel from a DT1 on this fresh bike. I'd worn out my poor Ace 90 into a basket case, literally.
Oh yeah, and I think I was thinking WEBCO not WISECO. They made all the best stuff for Hodakas.
I useta see Steve and his kids also at riding spots around the valley. He was already under Malcomb Smiths tuterage by then.
After finishing the book last night, I can assess it as a good collection of pictures, and memorabilia collected by the eitors, but it is sorely lacking in real guts about the actual 1964 ISDT race itself. There are tentative plans to release a DVD of the 90 minutes of footage shot on film by teams photgrapher.
Now that would be great to see!

bradzdotcom · bradzdotcom's Garage

hey rapid~
mcqueen was VERY proud of having ridden the ISDT. for many years afterwards, he wore the team usa colors (blue helmet with two white stripes).
during one period of his career (after nell, before ali) he was more than broke. we used to ride at Indian Dunes every wednesday. he had a free pass through the gate, and i supplied gas and test bikes (compliments of popular cycling). steve always brought at least one bike, usually a husky.
after riding, we'd often go to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. he'd write a check, and in the "memo", part, he'd write a personal note to the cashier ("Thanks for the food Marge....love steve").
we learned that if we kept the tab under about $20, the grocery girls would keep the check as a souvenir.....never to be cashed...and we'd get a free meal out of the deal.
the only hard part was changing grocery stores. after about 3 weeks of the same Ralphs store on wednesdays, we'd have to switch because we'd get to the store and there'd be 30 women roaming the aisles with empty shopping carts, hoping to meet him. it looked like a parade behind us.
then he did "getaway", met ali, and got rich again. we still went riding, but didn't have to scrounge food anymore (at least HE didn't).
....brad
ps: by the way, Bud got a substantial amount of steve's bike collection when he passed on. they're nestled in a quanset hut in north hollywood.

Rapid Dog · 01-25-2005, 07:06 AM

That's good to know, I've been doing a Google search on his collection, coming up with nil. I know that Bud has alot of bikes. It just so happens that Sean Kelly, the Brit that now owns Johnson Motors and who co-edited the book, is Bud's next door neighbor...
This is how he managed to end up with Steves '64 ISDT Triumph, with the help of Ekins.
Nice connection to have...

When Steve was riding and training with Bud and the crew, Steve first came out on a spankin new Triumph, then later the Husky's, which became the rulers of the desert seen.
My parents had a tavern out east of Lancaster then. We hosted a race evry third Sunday of the month called "The Ponderosa Hair Scrambles"...that's when I leearned to ride desert, and all the greats where there. J.N. Roberts, Malcolm, McQueen, et al.
An excellent time to live in the desert!