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Sam Morgan is amazing. She is the ONLY female trick rider in the world.. For the longest time she was also the ONLY female rider in the U.S until Sandra Dee <California Hellriders out of Mass> came along. Sandra is the 2nd female rider in the United States. Sam was Sandra and her husband Doni’s trickrider for about 4-5 years and now Sandra is taking time out to be a mom. For those who might not have heard of Sam < hard to believe> she is a Motordrome rider. There are not a lot of dromes left~ Sam has ridden in Germany and France and in Europe is considered somewhat of an enigma because women don’t do stuff like this!!
Sam grew up in not the best situation of foster care and ran away when she was 11. Sam was 14 when she ended up at a county fair and saw Sonny Pelaquin ride the “Wall of Death”. It was then her fate was sealed.
She started hanging around the Wall, helping where she could, sweeping, taking tickets and just soaking it all in. When they went from town to town Sam went with them. She worked so hard to prove herself and Sonny took her under his wing and became not only her mentor, but her father, the father she never had. Sonny’s family had been in the motor drome business for years and it once it’s in your blood it’s there for life. Sonny had the safest operation, cared about his riders and in the business longer than anyone. That philosophy and drive has been passed down to Sam.
When it came my turn to learn to trickride, Sonny had retired, his Indian 101 Scout had been wrecked by a drunk rider (as most of the riders were back then), and I chose to learn on the small Indians we had - which no one else rode that way. Sonny said he could not teach me, for he could not trickride those machines - and there was no one left who could. He was always there for me though, to give a much valued opinion when needed and to keep me as safe as possible! When the day came that I got to ride a 101 Scout - the future opened up for me! The bike is the best balanced motocycle ever made( I trickrode many others, and know from experience). It is state of the art for acrobatics on the Wall!
I have been very lucky in my life, for though I have no secret knowledge to set up the Scouts for the Wall(I just ride 'em as they are)- I learned in my own way to compensate for a bike that is not quite right. This includes hanging half off of the seat to get a bike that's pulling to track straight... no secret, just a shift in ballast! Of course, I am not beyond putting a johnson bar to the front leaf spring and tweaking it a little...! I have seen bikes dropped to straighten them out, sledgehammers taken to the axle, as well as many other things I would rather not ever use! I have shared my knowledge - sometimes to my regret - as there are some people who will never acknowledge or give credit to anyone other than themselves - and talk badly about the rest of us in the business. That doesn't even matter, though. I will continue to stay and do as I was taught by Sonny Pelaquin - who was raised in Lion Dromes with his family -who were some of the pioneers of the sport. The family was riding Indians on the Wall in the '20s!
I rode carnivals most of my life, and believe me, they are a far cry from the bike meets of today where drome riders are treated like gold, and have the best of everything! (I believe we were called "carny biker trash" back then). But I also got to ride for thousands of children, who are now the adults who come up and tell me their grandparents took them up to see the show when they were kids - and even though they don't really remember what they saw - they remember it was great... and they are bringing their children up now - unafraid! Now we have a future! Duffy redid her bike in 1998. He sure did make her pretty! I prefer a white frame, as it's easier to see if there are any cracks! Paint cracks when the metal cracks... (We pull up to 3 &1/2 Gs in the Drome - under which these machines were never designed to operate...leading to cracked frames, front ends, etc...from time to time!). Live to Ride - a 101 Scout!
About my Indians: I have two I am working on(street & wall bike-both '29 motors) - both are rolling chassis now - (i even got to make some of the bushings for the front ends myself -i am learning how to work machines in a machine shop). The bikes will not be show quality - as are most of your alls...but they will be functioning, working-for-a-living Indian 101s! I am taking the motor out of the Wall bike for the other - it has a sport scout top end, different cams (chief, i think), and a very small rear sprocket (like it was used for hill climbing or something...). Actually, they are both bikes i got from Bruce Kiper (Ancient Age Motorcycles in Land 'O Lakes, Fl.)-and originally belonged to a drome and globe guy named Speedy Babbs.(Passed in 1975). It may have been a globe bike - as they need quick speed response and power at a slower speed. Anyway -I am going to put that motor in the street bike for more power. The motor in the street bike(which came from So. America) has homemade pistons and various other interesting rigs. I have some friends with old flatheads( Indians and others) who are figuring this all out and teaching me as we go... they say with a little work, that motor is ok also. On the wall I do not need so much power (my '37 pulls me just fine) -so the '45 will be perfect for that wall bike. My '37 is in Cal. with jay still - I can't work on that, so this is keeping me busy.
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