THE SPOKES MAN INDY ON TWO WHEELS August 14, 1909, was a big day in Indianapolis, Indiana. The first race of any kind at the newly constructed Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place that day, and the machines in question were motorcycles, not cars. The track wasn’t known as the Brickyard yet, as it had been paved initially with a sort of pre-blacktop that started to deteriorate almost immediately, causing race cancelations before the first day was completed and multiple fatalities in the automobile races a few days later. Brick pavers were soon found to be the now-famous replacement when the track was closed after the inaugural races proved so deadly. GREG ARNOLD A lifetime motorcycle-collecting hobbyist, Greg purchased his first motorbike at 11 years old from a neighbor in 1965 for $10. With his career background primarily rooted in the construction industry, Greg initially joined the Mecum team in 2011 to help remodel and expand Mecum Auctions’ Headquarters. In 2014, he put his passion for motorcycles to good use joining the Mecum motorcycle division as auction manager. Greg has two grown children, Ben and Violet, and lives with his wife, Cindy, in Mecum’s original hometown of Marengo, Illinois. In those days, Indianapolis was wrestling with Detroit for the title of automotive manufacturing capital of the United States and was the home of several car and motorcycle manufacturers along with a host of OEM companies. The Spacke Machine Tool Co. was prominent among them, producing technologically advanced engines supplying Sears, Dayton, DeLuxe, Eagle, Minneapolis and Crawford motorcycle companies with its power plants in the early days of motorcycling; the company also produced some lightweight cars under its own brand as well. The most important contribution of Indianapolis to the history of American motorcycles and many other vehicles has been carburetors, first with the Wheeler-Schebler Company mixer used on many early brands. (As a matter of fact, the early IMS racing prize was the Wheeler-Schebler trophy that preceded the Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 trophy introduced in 1936.) Wheeler was one of the initial investors in the raceway and the business partner of George Schebler, the Indiana inventor of the float carburetor. Perhaps even more important to motorcycling was the Langsenkamp-Linkert carburetor, more commonly known as just the Linkert or L&L. This company produced every carburetor used by Harley-Davidson on all of the company’s motorcycles from about 1932 to 1956 and on some of its models until 1964, producing well over 500,000 of them. The durable and simple bronze-bodied carbs were also used on most Indian motorcycles from 1932 until 1948. You don’t have to look very hard at most Mecum auctions to find an Indianapolis-produced carburetor on a motorcycle or even a car or antique tractor. The Wheeler-Schebler factory building at 1234 Barth Ave. was taken over by Langsenkamp- Kinkert in 1931 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wheeler-Schebler became Marvel-Schebler, one of the founding companies of Borg-Warner. An interesting side note concerning the Speedway is the Cycle-Scoot company, producing a motor scooter that was officially tested and proven at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1953 by Wilbur Shaw, track president and three-time winner of the Indy 500. The brand was closely associated with the 500, and models were actually badged “Indianapolis 500 Cycle-Scoot.” The city’s rich automotive background makes it one of the most ideal locations for a Mecum auction, so it’s appropriate that Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic is held there each May. If cars, motorcycles or automotive history serve as a source of inspiration for you, consider joining us in Indianapolis for Mecum’s 2022 return. 72 // MECUM.COM
