Dick loved Joe's bike, White Bear. That's why the overall configuration is nearly identical. Even the peanut tank has indented side panels. Dick's springer at 22" over stock, was two inches longer than the Bear's, and Loco ran a spoked wheel up front. It appears that White Bear was basically the mold for what would become the South Bay style.
Look Doc... even the same shifter knob, and Noot... you can just make out that clutch pedal. I'll have to ask Joe more questions about some of the details of Dick's bike. I did asked him, "since Dick was so into performance, why did he go from Pan to Shovel to Knucklehead?" Joe's answer, "Because Knuckleheads Are The Coolist"!
7 comments:
Wonder who has that bike now? What ever happened to it - any parts still left????
I recently Googled Dick Allen and read (I think on the Jockey Journal), that a guy claims he knows where it is (intact), and is going to go try to buy it. He said it's being stored outside but the running gear is inside. I kind of think he's full of it. I believe it was the bike that Dick got hit really hard on. If so, it was likely severely damaged. It was reported that the engine was knocked clear out of the frame.
Next time we talk, I'll ask Joe if he knows.
Nice Chris. Hard to believe in hindsight that the first chopper I had (1970) was a Dick Allen built Panhead with a Harley springer extended 24" over with Ford radius rods. This was before Dick started building his long forks pictured here. It sat like Loco-motion and it was painted a bitchin candy blue with white pearl sunken in side panels. I'd give one or both of them for it now. To old to care.
For some reason, I got a call from that JJ guy who was going to buy it, about a month ago.
He's in some family distress (I won't go into it here, but it's serious). He thought I should know the location, because he can't buy it.
Told me the same story. The rolling chassis is supposidly intact, stored behind a guy's house, and the engine and trans are intact, and inside the same guy's garage.
All he gave me was the name of the guy who "owns" it (a nickname, not a full name), and he gave me the city in So.Cal where it's supposidly stored, no street address, no phone number.
I called a long-time So. Bay friend, who was also a friend of Dick's, gave him the name of the owner, and the city, and he told me that he never heard of that name before. He's checking out what he can on it. This friend knows anybody and everybody involved with bikes in L.A. going back over 45 years.
Could be true, could be a wild goose chase. Who knows??
who the guy so bay long time friend of dick's who knows where the bike is
This is dick Allen's grandson Nick Allen if anyone does have any access to the locomotion I would pay high dollar for it 815-540-6492
Please get ahold of me 815-540-6492
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