The first time I stood next to Barn Job was 23 years ago on the loading dock of the National Motorcycle Museum. We were bringing in about 30 bikes for the QuarterMilestones exhibition dealing with the history of motorcycle drag racing. Author John Stein had agreed not only to loan one of his iconic drag bikes, but to curate the exhibition.
I had seen photos of Barn Job, Clem Johnson’s Vincent-powered masterpiece, and was in absolute awe. While operating a Bridgeport milling machine or an engine lathe is not among my skills, I can appreciate that when machine work transcends function, it is worthy of the term “design,” even “art.” I was grabbed by Johnson’s machinist skills, but even more so by his sheer sculptural talent. It’s one thing to cut out a piece of aluminum to function as an engine mount, clutch basket, or battery holder, but quite another to make that part from scratch, make it elegant, and in absolute harmony with the rest of the motorcycle.
In this issue we bring you the Haas Moto Museum and the Handbuilt custom show, both in Texas; the Commonwealth Honda road racer; and arguably the most famous drag bike of all time: Barn Job. These stories offer examples of specially-built motorcycles that move beyond the engine manufacturers’ rolling chassis design producing winning motorcycles, whether for show or go. Back in the late 1960s, a team at Honda Motor Company shaped wood patterns for sand casting parts for the prototype CB750 engine. Then, they machined them, fit them together, and made the prototype CB750 engine. They, too, were masters of fabrication, and we’ll share their extraordinary work from nearly 60 years ago.
