New to the AMCA, introduction

[badger34]

New guy onboard, just wanted to say hello and thank you to those who created this resource and contribute. I don't qualify as a true antique motorcycle enthusiast like most of you here, this is my first look into the antique motorcycle community. Being a Wisconsin native and having family that worked for H-D I am in-turn an H-D enthusiast with interest in the history of H-D and Milwaukee. I do own one classic though, a 1956 ST165 single that has been in my family since new. The bike has a little (get it "little") story to go with it that connects it's purchase to the H-D company picnic that year. My grandfather Joe Dobner worked at H-D for 41 years from 1934-1975, he started as a factory test rider and later moved into the R&D department. My grandmother started work at H-D on the same day as my grandpa in the electrical department, neither knew each other at the time. My grandparents married in 1938 and grandma left the company after five years to raise my dad. My avatar picture is of my grandfather in 1934 with his 1st place solo division AMA Badger Derby trophy, the reason why I chose the user name badger34. Sadly my grandfather passed in 1980 before I could grasp the tales to be told, grandmother will be 94 this year. I look forward to learning more motorcycle lore as I dig in here, thanks.

[milw.pirates]

New guy onboard, just wanted to say hello and thank you to those who created this resource and contribute. I don't qualify as a true antique motorcycle enthusiast like most of you here, this is my first look into the antique motorcycle community. Being a Wisconsin native and having family that worked for H-D I am in-turn an H-D enthusiast with interest in the history of both the MoCo and Milwaukee. I do own one classic though, a 1956 ST165 single that has been in my family since new. The bike has a little (get it "little") story to go with it that connects it's purchase to the MoCo company picnic that year. My grandfather Joe Dobner worked at H-D for 41 years from 1934-1975, he started as a factory test rider and later moved into the R&D department. My grandmother started work at H-D on the same day as my grandpa in the electrical department, neither knew each other at the time. My grandparents married in 1938 and grandma left the company after five years to raise my dad. My avatar picture is of my grandfather from 1934 on his 1925 74" solo with his 1st place solo division AMA Badger Derby trophy. Also the reason why I chose the user name badger34. Sadly my grandfather passed in 1980 before I could grasp the tales to be told, grandmother will be 94 this year. I look forward to learning more motorcycle lore as I dig in here, thanks.

As a fellow Wisconsinite and whose father worked in the same dept. at H-D,( 1948-2003),you will meet a great bunch of guys on this site!
jump in and have fun

[Glenn]

glad to have you here. there is a wealth of information to be learned here I am humbled by the lack of my knowledge compared to the masses here

[jmanjeff]

Welcome Dave there is a lot of good people and Info here

[badger34]

Thanks for the welcome guy's. I have a question, since there is no forum section for memorabilia where is the proper place to post on this topic? Would it be right here under parking lot chatter or if it's say H-D related under the "H-D Other" heading?

[Buzz Kanter]

Welcome to the club forum. Great folks here.

[motorhead1]

I would think 'parking lot chatter' should do. Anyone else? Welcome to the joint!

[jmanjeff]

I would think 'parking lot chatter' should do.

good as place as any if not they well add a place for it

[HarleyCreation]

New guy onboard, just wanted to say hello and thank you to those who created this resource and contribute. I don't qualify as a true antique motorcycle enthusiast like most of you here, this is my first look into the antique motorcycle community. Being a Wisconsin native and having family that worked for H-D I am in-turn an H-D enthusiast with interest in the history of H-D and Milwaukee. I do own one classic though, a 1956 ST165 single that has been in my family since new. The bike has a little (get it "little") story to go with it that connects it's purchase to the H-D company picnic that year. My grandfather Joe Dobner worked at H-D for 41 years from 1934-1975, he started as a factory test rider and later moved into the R&D department. My grandmother started work at H-D on the same day as my grandpa in the electrical department, neither knew each other at the time. My grandparents married in 1938 and grandma left the company after five years to raise my dad. My avatar picture is of my grandfather in 1934 with his 1st place solo division AMA Badger Derby trophy, the reason why I chose the user name badger34. Sadly my grandfather passed in 1980 before I could grasp the tales to be told, grandmother will be 94 this year. I look forward to learning more motorcycle lore as I dig in here, thanks.

Hi Dave,

Good info on Joe Dobner, your grandfather. From it I made a card on him for my people file. Over the years old guys I interviewed have mentioned Joe Dobner to me and I've seen his name in Enthusiast, etc. I'm surprised his name isn't in the 1930-41 book index. It should have been. Sorry. If I run across his name again in those interviews I'll save it for you. Maybe -- and I'm going by memory only here -- he might have been on a big Experimental Dept. test trip made about c1944-46 with Grandpa Deckert and another guy who went to Texas on bikes running experimental Hydra-Glides. That just seems to ring a bell.

You also mentioned the Lange Manf. Co. in Milwaukee and an early H-D expansion. Was that a construction company? I looked at my Juneau Ave. Factory Chrono paper and don't any Lange there. But of course lots of outfits were involved. I'll keep my eyes open for the name. Guys by the name of Lange worked at the H-D company over the years, I know that, but of course that's a rather common Milwaukee name.

Welcome to the AMCA and Forum!

[badger34]

Glad you're back Herb, I've been anxiously awaiting your return. You have a very good memory and as I mentioned before I am impressed with your research. I have record of two experimental department testing trips my Grandpa Joe was a part of. One was indeed in 1945, he made the trip southwest with Hal Deckert, Griff Kathcart and Homer Miller. I have photos from this trip and would say that in the one good picture of my grandfather on a bike it looks like the front end is not a production piece. I also have a small spiral notebook recording another trip southwest in October of 1948, it is a record of the daily mileage covered, hours on the road, fuel & oil usage and where they stayed for the night. It was a sixteen day trip that covered 5,002 miles. I should make it a point to trace this run sometime in the future. I just returned home from visiting my grandmother on her 94th birthday today. She is suffering from alzheimer's but does recollect some of the guy's names from the early days like Hal Deckert, Ed Kieckbusch, Bill Knuth, Johnny Spiegelhoff and Carl Griesbacher who was close with my Grandpa Joe. She recalls Bill Knuth's and the MMC club on Fond du Lac Avenue. She also remembers the boss of the H-D electrical department where she worked, a Tony Krittner. Her nickname in the department was "Spark Plug Annie", she assembled, gapped and boxed spark plugs and also worked with ignition coils during her five years with H-D.