vintage sidecar custom by art deco motorcycling

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to get to know the best motorcycle builder in all of Eastern Europe. His name is Szakál and he is "100% Magyar," as he says. The bikes he builds in his garage are branded "Art Deco Motorcycling" and despite our language differences, he recently wrote us and I've been given the humble opportunity to trade some emails with the dude to find the grace that is visible in his creations is a natural reflection of the man himself.

Here are a few questions I asked him, with his replies regarding his amazing new creation, a World War II-era thumper massaged into a beautiful one-of-a-kind sidecar motorcycle.

bM: This is a beautiful bike, Szakál! The name of your company is surely reflected in the flowing lines of this machine. Before we get into your design, can you tell us about the motor? It's an NSU OSL251; a 242cc four-stroke single made in Germany with dry sump oil circulation that has maybe 10 horsepower. What can you tell us about the year and the unique properties of this engine? Did you make any modifications to it?

SA: Thank you! The engine was probably made during WW2. It's interesting that the cylinder-head has no oil line. It becomes oil vapor through the pushrod tube. The oil tank is integrated into the front of the crankcase. I only modified the looks with some copper plating, patina and polish for contrast, with brass screws, black paint and some holes in the primer case.

bM: Well, your work on the motor is amazing. The sidecar is also really nicely done and fits well with the cycle. The leather on the seat and around the inside of the car add an elegant touch that reminds one of the days when motorcycling was a gentleman's sport, and not dominated by hooligans like me and my drunken readers as it is now. Why did you decide to build a sidecar with this bike?

SA: It was not really my decision, although I like sidecars. The bike was custom-made to the wishes of my client.

bM: I'm sure he is happy. I understand that your sons help you with your motorbike creations. What contributions do they make with this build?

SA: I am a "weekend father" and my sons are only here part-time. When they are, they work side-by side-with me in the workshop. I try to teach them the value of creation and work.

bM: I bet there are many of us that envy your boys. It seems that everything has been custom-made on this motorcycle, from the interesting front end to the frame. Please tell us about some of your engineering and metal work on this bike. Is the front end a first, or a style that was once built by another company? What metals did you use in the construction of this bike?

SA: The entire bike is my own project. I've never seen anything like the front end I created. My metals were brass, copper, steel tube, and steel sheet metal. Most of the parts are made from solid brass, with a few - tail lamp, border of the gas tank, sidestripe of the box under the gas tank - built from copper sheet metal. The gas tank was maybe the most circuitous work on the bike, and took more than two weeks to complete.

bM: I've posted a photo of you sitting outside your shop door drinking a beer. What brand was it and is it your favorite beer? Can you tell us about Hungarian and/or Eastern European breweries you enjoy?

SA: It was probably Kozel. I like it a lot, but only in the summer. From autumn to spring I drink a brandy wine called "pálinka," which is a spirit made from different fruits. There are a lot of beers in Hungary, and if it's hot outside, a cold beer can save your life, whatever brand it is.

bM: Yes, I agree with all my soul. If it wasn't for beer, I'm sure to be a serial killer. What are you planning to do for your next motorcycle creation?

SA: It's a custom-made scooter in art deco style based on a GDR-made IWL from Berlin. It will be smooth and graceful and worthy the name "Marlene."

bM: I'm sure the scooter will be a looker. We'll look forward to seeing Marlene when you are done, Szakál. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about you and your work. We're very happy to meet you and hope you enjoy great success with Art Deco Motorcycling.

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friday post of cool stuff saturday edition

What's cool is Confederate is moving back to New Orleans.

I know this isn't a metric builder but New Orleans has something no other city has and my history there demands that I go on. Can't help it. New Orleans is like Jesus, drunk with curse words. It's sad and angry. It'll fuck you 'till you're soothed and then kill you. If the baddest motorcycle in the world was a city, it would be called the City of New Orleans. It's wise and crooked and beautiful and scarred. I love New Orleans like no other place I've lived in. From San Francisco and Honolulu to Austin and Hollywood, NOLA has them all beat as if they were crack whores gagging on blood and semen.

I met the founder of Confederate Motorcycles a few years ago when the woman who inexplicably loves me and I walked into his shop. The receptionist was cool but Matt Chambers came out of his office and gave us an extensive tour of his facility. He answered all of our questions except the ones we had about the bike under the sheet in the back. It was the Wraith, he said, and that was all he wanted to tell us. In every other facet of his time with us, he was smiling, serious, caring, eccentric, and we had a great time.

I know his company is going through some financial issues, but who has six figures to blow on a machine most are unable to handle, especially in the economic state of the world for the past two years? Now he's got a $750,000 incentive from the city to move back and a new partnership with S&S to build the latest version of the Hellcat for under 40k.

His stuff pushes boundaries and you either love 'em or hate 'em. That's art. No half-assed "whatever" about it. From the name of his company, which I must admit set me aback when I first discovered the Confederate Hellcat in 1998, to the latest bike, the P120 Fighter Combat, apparently named by a pubescent boy deeply into warplay video games, his ideals are unabashed, unapologetic, and uncooperative with the vanilla mainstream that runs through our country like a stale cracker dipped in ranch dressing.

I like Matt Chambers and Confederate Motorbikes and hope his new venture with S&S will yield great rewards for both companies while keeping the most creative American motorcycle brand alive for a very long time.

Here's a babe. She's got your back.... Or does she get you in the back? Guess that all depends.... If she's using her tongue, I'm cool with that.

Speaking of rims:

Well, not actually rims, drums. We're putting these old Honda drum brakes on the front wheel so we can use Rock's new Swiss-cut aluminum bar-end controls. The wheels we'll be using are 36-spoke & 21 inches. Excellent.

Are you in central Texas and have nothing planned today or Sunday?

This bike will be at the Freedom or Death Motorbike Bash in June. Brian will park it in the bar for everybody to gawk at. I may post some info about it here soon.

For you vintage cats:

Panther Motorcycles were manufactured by Phelon & Moore of Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, Great Britain from 1904 until 1967. They made eight models, starting with a 500cc 40-degree single which also functioned as a front frame member. This design spanned the entire history of the company, ending with a 645cc model in 1967. A 1938 version of this motor can be seen in the drag-race bike above, which raced in the early 60's.

Panther made two and four-stroke singles and twins and in 1926 the firm built the 242cc transverse V-twin Panthette, with a four-speed gearbox. It was pretty pricey due to it's advanced engineering and failed to sell.

Panther did a lot of nifty things over the years and won some races, but nothing was as forward-thinking as the Panthette.

In the '40's, Panther had many plans and designs on the drawing board but they were shelved as production turned to war contracts where the company produced three singles and several variations including a trials version.

By the mid-50's Panther introduced three singles and two lightweights powered by Villiers engines. Villiers bought out J.A.Prestwich Industries in 1957. In 1959 a scooter, known as the Princess joined the range of gay-sounding, effeminate monikers.

The arrival of the Mini left Panther in a shrinking market by the early '60's. Over the following few years, models were cut and by 1967 one single and one twin trickled out of the factory. Panther was out of business by 1968. Oh well.

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