Marty Dickerson Back in the Saddle

By Motorcycle Classics Staff
Published on February 7, 2008
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Motorcycle Hall of Famer Marty Dickerson was back at Bonneville in 2007, and at 81 years old, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Back in 1951, Dickerson set a Class C record on the salt at 129mph, then came back in 1953 to run 147.85mph on the same bike, his beloved Vincent motorcycle known as “The Blue Bike.” The 147mph record stood for 20 years.

In 1996 (at the age of 70, mind you), he brought the bike out of hibernation to run at Bonneville again, but ran just 130mph, still setting a vintage speed record in the process. He’s since sold the bike to Texas collector Herb Harris, where it lives in the same collection as the John Edgar Lightning, better known as the bike Rollie Free famously rode to a land speed record of 150.313mph in 1948 while wearing a bathing suit.

Yet while his Vincent has been retired, Dickerson’s still going strong. This year, riding a friend’s black Vincent in the 1,000cc modified vintage gasoline class, he set another AMA record, with a two-way average of 151.685.

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