Antique & Classic Cars Blog

It’s Friday again. We know this because yesterday was Thursday and the pattern’s been pretty consistent. But even without calendar memory (like muscle memory, but requires no heavy lifting), we can feel Friday. It’s in the air—which is fresh and weekendy, in our guts—which are unknotted and ready for a beer around 5, and in the innate sense that even our bosses will be cool if we adopt a more relaxed pace for the rest of the afternoon.

It’s dress-down day. How much can you enjoy that if you’re all worked up about productivity? If employers wanted that, they’d call Friday “Dress for Success” day and walk around with a box of steak knives or a first-rate fake Rolex for the person who worked the hardest. They don’t. They’re dressed down too, watching funny pet videos on youtube and emailing them to other bosses with re: lines like “Fourth Quarter Earnings,” “Yesterday’s Meeting,” and “Time Slips.”

Friday’s purpose is to go easy, relax, slide into the weekend with a smile so you can return to your desk on Monday with renewed vigor. And what better way to relax the mind than by pondering important car and bike questions.

I think we can all agree that in this subject area, one question stands with all others:

“So, what kind of motorcycle did Fonzie ride, anyway?”

If the internet has a true calling, it is to conjure forth fast, furious and often specious details on just such pressing queries. In a world where surfers are king and misinformation is also king, though of a different country, you can find lots of valuable information on trivial things.

Here’s what the hacks, typists, and enthusiasts seem to sort of agree regarding TV’s most famous motorcycle. In the early episodes, Fonz traveled by Harley Davidson. Some say this was a Sportster; others contend it was a Knucklehead. The difference is significant because Knucklehead production ended in 1947 and Sportsters first appeared in 1957 (and are still made). A Knucklehead’s an old bike. So, cool if that’s what the early one was based on.

In later episodes, “experts”—which now encompasses anyone who posts things on the internet in a convincing prose style—now agree that Arthur Fonzarelli rode a Triumph and possibly the occasional BSA. Both of these marques now fetch good collector money, which we can only attribute to an international nostalgia for the Cunninghams, Ralph, Potsie, Arnold, Pinky Tuscadero, jukeboxes, bobby sox, and of course, the original cool guy, Fonz.

Here’s a few sites to take your mind off work (site 1, site 2, site 3). Do your employer a favor and read up so you’ll be nice and refreshed on Monday.

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Answers to Oct. 19 Friday Fun movie and TV quiz:
1. Green 1968 Mustang GT
2. Black 1968 Charger 440 R/T
3. Red Sunbeam Tiger
4. White Dodge Challenger R/T (1970) Extra credit: they got a first gen. Camaro to bend over the bulldozer blades.
5. Dodge Charger, 1969
6. Yellow Camaro (1970, without front bumper) You see different wheels on the cheap one they roll on its top.
6a. Ferrari Daytona spyder
7. Delorean.
8. Bike descriptions above.
9. First gen. T-bird, red.
10. Lincoln Futura show car
Bonus: Mad Max

This entry was posted on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 12:25 pm and is filed under Motorcycle tales. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.