“The BLOB”
Steve McQueen was one of the highest paid and most well regarded movie stars of the 60′s and 70′s. The price of fame is the lack of privacy however. Around 1977 Steve bought himself this 1947 Indian Chief chopper. He added on some additional pieces, the strange chrome exhaust slip-ons, the sleeping bag, the mis-matched hand grips… all to make it look ratty and ridiculous. He was aware it was not a top condition bike, but towards the end of his life he grew out his hair, put on weight, grew an unkempt beard and rode for the privacy and solitude he couldn’t find anywhere else.
It was noted that the bike leaked oil like mad and had terrible brakes – but that didn’t matter to McQueen, because of the way it looked and ran it was a way to escape. When the bike was auctioned along with the rest of his collection it pulled a lot more attention than a bike in this condition should because there were whispers that this was Steve McQueen’s personal bike – not a track day bike or a collector piece. Called “The Blob” after McQueen’s first leading role in the film of the same name.
Since it was auctioned it’s been in the hands of industry leaders, Casino magnates, and famed bike builders. We’re very happy that we have it on hand to share with you!
In 2010 the brave riders of the Cannonball proved that antique motorcycles could indeed be put to the ultimate test. A test that would pit rider and machine against the North American continent. Reviving a tradition as old as the motorcycles themselves, they took a ride into history. Not only proving the capabilities of the machines,but also confirming the pioneering spirit this great country was built upon.Collectors from around the world are realizing their dream of using their machines for the purposes they were originally intended for, and they are enjoying every minute of it. Restoration takes on a new meaning as skilled motor builders put over 100 years of mechanical knowledge into ancient iron. Motorcycles that lay silent for decades now have a reason to live. To run thru the great wide open as they did nearly a century ago.The rapid decline of the motorcycle industry in the late teens was followed by an era of prosperity known as the “Roaring Twenties”. Only three factories remained in the United States as motorcycle design advanced considerably. The competition between the “Big Three” defined motorcycling for over a decade. We aim to revive this rivalry in 2012. Although the majority of our field will be from these three marques, we invite all makes and models of motorcycles built before 1930 to join us in an epic adventure of man and machine.
