Hello People,
When I was a teenager in 1968, I found an old abandoned rolling motorcycle frame leaning against a tree. There was no engine and no identification what so ever - as to what make and year. It was very heavy duty. There was no gas tank, but it still had a single springy leather seat and handle bars. The mechanical drum brakes worked and the bike had large tires and steel spoked wheels - still held air and had lots of tread. It was all painted black with no chrome. The odd thing about it was the front suspension. Below where the headlight was once mounted, there were two large springs. Between the springs there were cast iron levers and shives arranged with four consecutive rubber vee belts. This gang of belts were very short and actually bore the weight of the front end, serving as a cushion. It was very heavy, but you could push that bike and coast for a while. I remember running it up over a curb and marveled as it completely absorbed the bump. As kids do, we got bored with it and abandoned it ourselves. Well, I'm an old man now and over the years I have searched the internet and read all about the old suspension systems - springer and girder types, etc. I never saw anything with that arrangement of belts. So, at the risk of boring you, I thought I would write and see if anybody is familiar with this type of setup. I've looked at old Harleys, BMWs, and antique American bikes, but to no avail. I even looked at old military bikes from the 30's and 40's. If anybody has ever seen anything like this, I would certainly appreciate your comments. Thank you very much.
