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Bobs 1940 CAV Chief and sidecar


Robert (Bob) Beatty
(@niteowl)
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Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 2
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Hi, wanted to introduce myself and my bike, its a military bike that was changed over to the skirted fenders long long ago.  It also has a very clean sidecar that I have yet to paint and attach.  Hers a bit of fun stuff to read, also I got so much documentation with the bike, the previous owner received many words of wisdom and parts from Bob Stark.

 

Here is a letter from the previous owners (Cam), wife:

July 13, 2012

Cam bought the Chief and sidecar in 1973 from Ted Hector, in Winnipeg. Bob, you have the paperwork on that sale. Don Doody knows Ted, and says that he still has a shop in Winnipeg. I googled him today, and discovered his shop is called Thunder Road Motorcycles Inc. But couldn't find an email address for him. I'm wondering if he and Cam knew each other back in the day, because Cam grew up in Winnipeg.

I believe Cam worked on restoring the bike for years and years, puttering away a bit at a time.

Don D thinks he sold Cam the fenders that are on the bike now. They would see each other at different swap meets over the years.

Sometime between 1997 and 2001, the bike went to someone in Port Alberni for a short time to have some work done to it. I don't know what was done, but Don D also knows this guy,  (I don't know his name). I believe Don spoke to him recently to find out what was done, and if I remember correctly, Don said this fella in Port Alberni had just done some minor adjustments to the engine. I had thought that this might be where he took it to get the handlebars repaired, but I certainly could be mistaken about that.

Don also thought  it may have gone to Gary ? some fella in the states, but then after looking closer at some things on the bike, I believe Don may have changed his mind about that.

In 2001, we took the bike to the "Pig & Fin" at Coombs Fairgrounds. This was a huge weekend campout benefiting the Vancouver Island Injured Motorcyclists Association. They had a bunch of goofy biker games, a huge pork and salmon bbq, a dance, and prizes were given out for different categories. Cam's bike won second prize in the three-wheel division. He was pretty pleased!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Pig & Fin . . . At that time, Cam was driving an old 1966 (I think) Chevy pickup which had wooden boards for the bed of the truck. (the bike and sidecar just baaaarely fit in the back of the truck!) He was smoking then, and tossed a burning cigarette butt out the window. Unknown to him it landed in the back of the truck. After a little while he noticed smoke coming from the back of the truck so of course he pulled over. I was driving my own car separately and was about thirty minutes behind him.

By the time I came on the scene, he was busy shaking up diet coke and spraying it on the wooden floorboards to douse the smoke. Fortunately, no harm was done, but I think he was very lucky the whole truck, bike, and sidecar didn't go up in flames!

A few weeks later, someone we had met at the Pig & Fin borrowed the frame for the sidecar, I believe he was making his own frame for himself. Of course, he returned everything when he was done, but that may be why the sidecar wheel wasn't bolted to whatever it was supposed to be bolted to. (Don noticed that), or maybe it was just that it was partially disassembled for the move to Victoria.

Over a ten year time period, Cam had six different serious leg operations, two of them were amputations. (smoking and diabetes . . . Such a deadly combination). These eventually took quite a toll on him, and he really didn't seem to have any energy left for fixing motors.

I think that is why the bike was not quite all together, I think at one time over the last few years, he was probably in the middle of a project of some kind, and just ran out of steam.

Well, that's all I remember for now, if anything else comes to mind, I will let you know.
Bye for now,
Maureen

=========

Wow, I love history, so:

1973.May - Cam purchased the bike and sidecar from Ted Hector, in Winnipeg Manitoba, it was in very nice condition with the military fenders.
 
History - The story gets a little murky now, I called Ted Hector, he remembered Cam and the bike. He was only 24 back then (65 today 2013), and he would ride that bike all over up and down the hwy's into the prairies, he even carried his kids in the sidecar. He said he bought it back in 1969 or 1970 for no more than $1000.  The guy he bought it off of had put the sidecar on it, it was purchased from Don Hall (or John Hall) Indian motorcycles in Winnipeg, the sidecar was never used and still in a box, it was mint but the seats appolstory was aged.  I guess that's why it's in such good shape. (mint). As he went on he told me there was an abundance of indian in those days, the motor ran good and you could cruise no problem with that sidecar 80 mile an hour all day.

 

I dont seem to be able to upload pictures, it says my max is reached.  Maybe I can tomorrow as I have not sent any yet.

 


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