Classic Bike Ramblings "Italians"..........."First's".......... and "Simple Men"
Even us legends have dreams and desires, things we want to do but have not,our very own "firsts�, things we still want to invent ,things we want to learn and events to observe and as I looked up in the sky and saw that big silver airplane flying by I thought to myself how it must have felt to be the first person to fly, to take that first flight or to even have observed the first flight, what a memory they had. What I mean to say my good friends is that we all remember some of our very own firsts. The first kiss, the first motorcycle we rode, our first concert and your first love, the first Guzzi "Norge" time we watched men walk on the moon. But as we all know some of our "firsts" are not so good, some in war remember their first near miss or the first "hit" or our first visit to the dentist, and some "firsts" can be deadly such as the first time you run out of fuel in an airplane. We also tend to remember our firsts of technology of any era, our first CD player, our first fuel injected ride, that first amazing stop with disc brakes or for some when propellers gave way to jets. And it's interesting that my collecting and infatuation with a certain brand of motorcycles has to do with some amazing firsts and of airplanes. Moto Guzzi just the name evokes a lore and mystique even from people that only know a minimal amount about motorcycles. Many times I hear "Look at that Moto Guzzi" or "Wow, an old Guzzi". But there's always been a romanticism this bike evokes more so than so many others, as many Italian things tend to do. And it's a company that has hung on to become the oldest European motorcycle manufacturer in the world. It’s played a huge and vital role in Italy’s' place in history as a leader in fine racing and touring motorcycles of today with an amazing array of firsts. Moto Guzzi was started by two airplane pilots and their mechanic who had all served together in the Italian Air Corps during World War I. Three men who were assigned to the same aero squadron near Venice would all have the same dream after the wars end. Carlo Guzzi, Giovanni Ravelli and Giorgio Parodi, would form G.P. (Guzzi-Parodi) but the name would only be affixed to the first few bikes. The name would be changed to Moto Guzzi. Carlo Guzzi would engineer and innovate and Parodi who came from a very wealthy shipping family would finance and handle affairs of the company and Ravelli who was already a world renowned pilot and motorcycle racer would put them on the map through racing, but alas as with many dreams they don't all come true. Ravelli would be killed in an airplane crash just days after the war ended and Guzzi and Parodi would commemerate their friends vision and dream in the company with the Eagle Wings that form the Moto Guzzi logo even today. Guzzi would be formed through incorporation that was legally based in Genoa, Italy on March 15th. 1921 although its headquarters would be located elsewhere. Since its beginning in 1921 Guzzis home has been located on a branch of Lake Como in Mandello del Lario. Today it is a maze of multi story buildings encompassing 580,000 square feet and
building 10,000 motorcycles a year. Also in this complex is the renowned Moto Guzzi museum, the historic wind tunnel and their vast library. Carlos' brother Velvet Jones & Mr. 500 Giuseppe would be on the ground breaking GT "Norge" during the 1928 Artic Circle ride. Stanley Woods would help capture countless Isle of Man TT wins for the marque and Bill Lomas would win the 55 and 56 350 cc World Championships defeating a huge field of multi cylinder bikes on his wind tunnel faired single cylinder Guzzi. Many other names and motorcycles grace the museum in Mandello that brought so many victories and firsts to a company formed by aviators who had a dream of building their first motorcycle together, and I feel very fortunate to be the caretaker of a few of them. It was at the Ride for Kids event at Quaker Steak and Lube I was having an in depth conversation with my friend Radical Randy as to whether the girl in the short mini-skirt was hotter than the chick in the short-shorts, when Ruthie a friend of ours asked why I had a mirror under my 1946 Moto Guzzi Superalce? And with that I explained to her that Moto Guzzi in 1928 designed and built the very first swing arm suspension, an idea that all modern motorcycles of any flavor have copied. In 1928 traveling long distances on a motorcycle was near impossible as any suspension that offered comfort of that era compromised handling to the point of danger. Carlo Guzzi and his brother Giuseppe designed an elastic frame using a steel box mounted under the horizontal single cylinder head. It contained 4 springs together with a swing arm in tubes and joined by sheet metal. The Gran Turismo (GT) "Norge" would be the first bike to receive this suspension and in an effort to gain publicity and to test and prove this design the brothers would go on a challenging 4000 mile ride from Mandello del Lario to the Arctic Circle in Northern Cape Nord, Norway. Now don't forget my purveyors of history this was 1928 and the condi-
1946 Guzzi "Superalce"
tions of Europe’s' roads were just above that of donkey 1955 Guzzi V8 trails, and our fearless rider Giuseppe Guzzi would make it in four weeks. So with that my friends Moto Guzzi could claim that it invented the first modern rear swing arm suspension and transformed the motorcycle into an everyday mode of transportation that it is today, ask that guy on a hard tail how "it use to be"? Moto Guzzi would design the first prototype shaft drive; although it would be BMW to first put it in production. First linked brakes, first cartridge forks, first motorcycle with a center stand (1921 "Normale"), first motorcycle manufacturer to use AGM batteries and the first truck-motorcycle hybrid the "Ercole" made in 1928 and capable of carrying 800lbs.First large wheel scooter ever, there were so many other firsts through the companies history it could fill several pages. The year would be 1950 when Guzzi whose heart and soul were truly made up of "airplane minds" would build the first motorcycle wind tunnel capable of testing full size prototypes, and this would allow them to market the world’s first integral fairing. It also allowed them to refine and observe the airstreams around the bike, reduce frontal area and friction, optimize air drag and get better fuel economy and this would lead to one of Guzzis' greatest achievements and some say its first folly. The Moto Guzzi Grand Prix DOHC V8 in 1955 it used the very first dual overhead cam V-8 motorcycle engine. It was an amazing 500 cc V8 racing machine with two valves per cylinder it put out 80HP at 12,000 RPM, about 20 percent more that its main competitor the MV Augusta and Gilera V-4's. (Ducati would not be building "large cc" motorcycles yet) The V8 Guzzi hit over 172 MPH and it would be over 30 years before that speed would ever be seen again on the Grand Prix Racing Circuit. Its sound was amazing when it ran, but the "Otto Cilindri" was complex and expensive to build, very difficult to ride and control at speed and by 1957 with the two bikes available no one would ride them and development was soon focused on its 90 degree transverse vee twin that would start the company’s' second chapter. 1967 would become known as the SIEMM years Guzzi would be under government control for the next 6 years. The new transverse vee twin would be designed by the same man that came up with the mythical V8 Grand Prix Racer. It began life as a 700 cc 45 HP engine in an effort to win the Italian governments competition for a new police motorcycle, which it won and the Guzzi Ambassador 750 and Eldorado 850 went on for many years to be a staple of many of Americas' police forces such as LAPD, Dallas and Atlanta to name a few. The basic original 1967 engine has been developed and upgraded to the 1200 cc engine offered today. Guzzi would be brought from state
control by Alejandro de Tomaso who was famous for building sports and luxury cars. He got it in a package deal with Maserati and Benelli. In the 27 year period De Tomaso owned the company (73-2000) the 850 lemans, the V35/V65/ V75/ and many ground breaking bikes would be built. It would be in these years that Guzzi would hit many other firsts. The 71 HP "Convert" built between 1975 and 1982 would be one. This 110 Mph transverse Vee twin would use a 2 speed Sachs torque converter that would make it the first production automatic motorcycle, arriving on the market before the Honda 750 or 400 automatics and the Suzuki 450 auto. The year 2000 would find motorcycle builder Aprilia buying Guzzi for 65 million dollars, but about the same time that these two motorcycle companies were merging the R & D racing programs and their technology, Italy would make National laws requiring helmets for motorcyclists and huge insurance rates for teenage riders. Even in these slow sales years Aprilia would renovate and upgrade the Guzzi facility and turned down an offer to buy the struggling enterprise from Ducati Motor Holdings. But in the year 2004 Piaggio would buy Aprilia thereby acquiring Moto Guzzi and would become Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. In keeping with how airplanes have interacted and affected motorcycling, mostly through amazing innovations and the R&D that aviators have brought to us from their industry or sometimes vice versa, Airplanes and "firsts" would also affect us in other ways. I was at Plant City Bike Night talking to a friend of mine Scott and I would hear the band, a very talented duo goes into the first notes of "Simple Man". I had just entered high school, the world of girls, surfing, dirt bikes and the awesome KZ 650, and in High School I would begin to first listen to the music that has become a bike event staple and southern bikers favorite, and that would be the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band would be formed in the 1960's when five friends Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson and Bob Burns (who would be replaced by Artimis Pyle in 1974) would play as the group "My Backyard" at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. In 1969 their name would become "Leonard Skinnerd" in a jab at their gym teacher Coach Leonard Skinner. Billy Powell who had become a "roadie" for the band in 1970 would be their keyboard player two years later when ,to the bands amazement he would sit down at a piano he was moving and play what would turn out to be the intro to the epic song Freebird. It would be 1972 when the producer of Blood, Sweat and Tears would have them change the spelling to Lynyrd Skynyrd and sign them to MCA records, their first album was self titled and contained "Freebird, Simple Man and Tuesdays Gone" among others. The group enjoyed big-
ger success every year performing at the biggest shows and arenas worldwide. On Oct. 17th. 1977 they would release Street Survivors which immediately sold 500,000 copies and would propel them to becoming possibly America’s biggest band. Their tour to promote this album would be their largest ever. Starting in Miami on Oct. 15th. It would end 32 stops later with a double show in Honolulu on Feb. 1st. 1978. It’s always to this day been an interesting side note that the cover of this epic album would have the band surrounded by fire and inside would be an order form for a Lynyrd Skynyrd "survival kit". Well, my 78 loyal fans of Southern Rock what does a band need to accomplish such an amazing tour, to move management, roadies, and friends from city to city? Yes, you got it, an airplane. The airplane chosen was a 1948 Convair 240 the third one built of that model. It was delivered to Western Airlines on Dec. 30th. 1948 and registered NC 8401H. After going through a few owners and racking up 29,000 flight hours it was purchased by the L & J Company of Addison Texas and registered N55VM. Its also documented that this very plane had been inspected by Aerosmiths flight crew for use in their early summer tour of 1977. In fact Steve Tyler and Joe Perry really lobbied for this very plane, but it was felt that neither the plane nor crew were up to standards. In an interview Zunk Buker Aerosmiths assistant chief of flight operations at the time recalls seeing the pilots , 34 year old Walter McCreary and 32 year old William Gray Jr. both employees of Falcon Aviation trading a bottle of Jack Daniels back and forth while Buker and crew were inspecting the plane. It would be on the flight from Lakeland Fl. to Greensville, S.C. that a sound tech would see a six foot flame shooting out of the right side 1200Hp Pratt Whitney R-2800 engine. It was decided that the band would get rid of this plane when it reached the concert in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana University School scheduled for the Friday night Oct 21st 1977. Cassie Gaines (Steve’s older sister and back up singer) had wanted to ride to this next gig in the equipment truck, but she was talked out of it. The plane would depart Greenville Downtown Airport around 4 PM (ET) on Oct. 20th. 1977 enroute to Ryan Airport in Baton Rouge LA. The Convair 240 would contain 2 pilots and 24 passengers. It would be a routine flight route using instrument flight rules and radio
navigation. The pilot would request an altitude of 12,000 feet and an estimated flight time of two hours and 43 minutes. The airplane was thought to have 5 hours of fuel on board and clear and calm weather was expected for the entire route. Well my interested friends it would be around 6:42 PM (ET) when Houston center would be contacted by one of the pilots. "Yes sir we need to get to an airport, the closet airport you've got sir". Houston asked if they were declaring an emergency, to which the pilots reply was “Yes sir, we are low on fuel and just about out of it, we want vectors to Mc Comb". They were advised to turn to a heading of 250 degrees and then the Convair 240 pilot said “We are not declaring an emergency but we do need to get close to Mc Combs as straight and good as we can get sir, post haste sir !" 60 seconds later the crew of "Air Skynyrd" would call Houston air control with this transmission. "55 Victor Mike we are out of fuel". The tower replied "Roger, understand you are out of fuel?" The pilot of N55 VM replied “I’m sorry, it’s just an indication of it" but with no further explanation to a very confused Houston tower. Air controllers would ask the flights present altitude and would receive "We are at four point five" and that my sad friends were the last conversation between Lynyrd Skynyrds Convair 240 and Houston air control. A few minutes later the sound of an emergency location transmitter could be heard by local aircraft. It would be broadcasting from a remote, wooded and swampy area five miles outside Gilsburg, Mississippi and for my generation, in my circle of friends it was truly "The day the music died" for you see; my first real concert was on Oct. 16th. 1977 at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg where I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd play. Four nights later they would be gone. "Street Survivors" would be released Oct. 17th. And the next day they would play Lakeland Civic Center as their second to last show on Oct. 18th. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist, Steve Gaines, backing vocalist, Cassie Gaines, ass't road manager, Dean Kilpatrick and pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray Jr. were all killed on impact. Guitarist Allen Collins had two cracked vertebrae in his neck and both he and bass player Leon Wilkeson nearly had arms amputated as a result of the crash, in addition Leon had severe internal injuries, a punctured lung and most of his teeth knocked out. Billy Powell would find his nose barely attached to his face and leg lacerations. Guitarist Gary Rossington broke both of his arms, his right leg and pelvis along
"If I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me?" - Freebird
with a punctured stomach and liver. Drummer Artimus Pyle and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the crawled out of the wreckage with "several ribs sticking out" right engine which resulted in "torching" and higher than of him along with two road crew members; they would normal fuel consumption." There should have been 240 hike through the swampy gallons of fuel in the plane at woods and flag down impact, NTSB investigators Convair 240 Johnny Mote the farmer recovered 1 quart. of the land adjoining Due to this lack of fuel the crash site. The thick there was no fire as the plane swamp hindered rescue ripped apart on impact and operations and a 20 foot that saved most everyone wide waist deep creek on board, and did not play needed to be crossed at the prophetic cover of to get to the survivors. "Street Survivors". Both pilots Three helicopters from autopsies found them to be the Coast Guard (New clean for drugs and alcohol Orleans), National Guard and the plane was found to and Forest County Hoshave no defects, even the pital would be the most right magneto appeared to help , two bull dozers function properly...So go were used later to cut a rough road to the wreckage out now my friends and make some firsts of your own. Sing from a nearby state highway. your first karaoke song, make your first trip to the gym, go There would be 20 survivors and 6 fatalities. Folon your first motorcycle ride (my mom did at 78) or go your lowing the crash Street Survivors would become the first day without a bands second platinum album. The original cover cigarette, its nevsleeve for the album (the band engulfed in flames) er too late to start would be substituted with a similar image of the band having "firsts" I against a black background. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded also highly recafter this. And as of this writing Artimis Pyle and Gary ommend that you Rossington are the only two left of the "pre crash Skynyrd" remember some still on earth Collins/ Wilkeson and Powell are gone. firsts of your past Powell would play keyboards on Kid Rocks 2007 hit "All you may find out Summer Long" which used "Sweet Home Alabama" as its your a bigger structure. It was the deal than you right engine magthought. And if neto (it provides you happen to be spark and timing riding your moto the engine) that torcycle and see seemed to be the an airplane flying primary cause of above, remember our rock n rollhow much we ers crash, and its share with our interesting to note brothers in flight. We my good readers are the sum of so that the pilots had many firsts, are we not? intended to replace To view a few video links of the Moto Guzzi this small power V-8 in action and a couple of MR 500's favorite Skygenerator in Baton nryrd tunes go to http://floridafullthrottle.com/ Rouge but that mr300/mr500.html would not have mattered as the P.S. If you would like to contact me and discuss any article band had already or ideas for future atricles you can e-mail me at decided the night before that they would buy their "first "Lear Jet and a new tour bus. They had a huge album and were on their biggest national headlining tour of their lives, so why not? It seems the malfunctioning magneto fooled the pilots into making an exceptionally rich air/fuel mixture causing them to burn 25 gals. An hour more fuel (the Convair 240 burned 183 gal. per hour normally) this was compounded by miscalculating the fuel load at previous stops, basically causing N 55VM to literally run out of gas. Some said the pilots panicked and dumped the fuel. Some say they had been up all night snorting cocaine and some say they had a bad fuel gauge and did not manually check the fuel tanks (this could be a big part of it) but the official accident report said " The National Transportation and Safety Board determined the probable cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to fuel supply contributing to the Actual Photo From Crash Site fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning
mr500@FloridaFullThrottle.com