September 1st
John Alfred Prestwich was born this day in Kensington, London
A pioneer of cinematography, he designed his first motorcycle engine in 1901. JAP engines dominated the sport for half a century.
J.A. Prestwich
The Motor Cycle road tests the 2½ h.p. Hawker Two-Stroke Lightweight. Harry Hawker of Australia became somewhat well known - he is the Hawker of Hurricane and Harrier fame.
Hawker 1921 292cc
Robert Pirsig, author of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The book tells story of a former philosophy professor who underwent involuntary electric shock treatment for alleged insanity, and who rode across America with his 11-year-old son.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The only known photograph of Irma de Maere depicts her on a Praillet & Antoine 350cc on the 1st September 1929. Later that day she died in a accident during the Grand Prix de Bruxelles. It was the first fatal accident of a female motorcycle racer on record.
Praillet & Antoine