Harry Hindall article brought back memories

[brent j]

While reading Firko’s article about Harry Hindall in the latest VMX magazine I started to think some of what I was reading sounded familiar.
Back in about 1972-73 I had a copy of Popular Cycling magazine and read an article about a guy who had built a 260lb, 650 Triumph. They said it was used to chase jack-rabbits with!

The guy was a very accomplished machinist and had reproduced the majority of the original parts in lighter material or severely modified what he didn’t copy. He had built his own frame (to his own geometry) and I think even the forks and hubs etc.

I still remember the impression it made on me and thinking how great it would be to be able to so this sort of thing. When I mentioned this to my dad he said this was not a reason to select a career.
Guess what trade I took up? Although I’ll never have the patience to build a bike like that it’s certainly allowed me to enjoy my hobby to, I believe, a greater degree.

Brent

[firko]

 My friend Bob Neilson who sadly died last month has a number of Hindalls of various engines and capacities. The pride of his fleet is Harrys own masterpiece that he was getting ready to restore at the time of his passing. According to Bob, the bike is a veritable work of art with nearly every part besides the engine being hand built from titanium, magnesium or the lightest materals possible to do the job safely. Every nut, bolt and axle is titanium, even the pipes are ti. The hubs were machined from billet titanium as were the forks, made totally by Harry. Below are some shots of the bike as a barn find. Also shown is another another of Bobs 650 Hindalls that he recently had for sale. It hasn't got the exotic stuff featured of the trick bike but it's pretty nice just the same. Harry was indeed one of the best "unknowns" of the early days of motocross chassis development and it's cool that he had an influence on your career Brent.

[Lozza]

Even more amazing is how Harry aquired such materials in the 60's. In that era the supply of Ti would have been absorbed by NASA and whoever built ICBM's,nuclear subs and U2 spy planes.

[firko]

He was the head R&D engineer at Northrop Aerospace so I'd asume he produced more than a few foreign orders. Maybe that's the hidden story as to why they let him go in 1969 .