The Jack Pine ENDURES

Today, most Harley-Davidson enthusiasts prefer experiencing the best of nature. But in the early days, some riders went out of their way to seek a sterner test of what Mother Nature could dish out

ENDURANCE RUNS, OR ‘enduros’, go back to almost the very beginning of motorcycling. Early clubs loved to challenge their members with courses that tested either rider skill or perhaps just patience (enduros often require competitors to meet strict pacing requirements rather than just go fast).

For motorcycle manufacturers, these races were a chance to boast about durability. And few enduros offered more bragging rights than Michigan’s annual Jack Pine race. Founded by the Lansing Motorcycle Club, the Jack Pine began awarding its famous first prize, a cowbell, in 1923. That year’s cowbell was taken by Oscar Lenz. Lenz – who began as a Thor and Henderson dealer in the 1910s before moving to Harley-Davidson – competed in the first 14 Jack Pines and later became its chief organiser.

The early Jack Pines were three-day, 800-mile events that required the competitors to average precisely 24 miles per hour. Sounds easy, you say? The riders had to cross rivers and creeks, and negotiate sand dunes and thick forest. If a downed tree blocked their path, that was their problem. Riders modified their bikes with high, unskirted fenders and knobby tyres (sometimes modified by hand) to chew through mud and loose sand.

Besides a gruelling route through hill and dale, the rules were equally unforgiving. Each rider began with 1,000 points and was deducted a full point for each full minute early or late at a ‘control’ (check-in). At controls where stopping was permitted, one rules list from 1933 recommended: “You may get fuel and oil while waiting, but do not ride around town or put on any free exhibition. Save your strength and gasoline – you may need it. Don’t argue with the checker. He is trying to give everybody a square shake.” Stopping within sight of a ‘secret control’ was forbidden, and anyone 30 minutes or more ahead of schedule was disqualified.

The course itself has varied, and in later years the event was shortened to two days, with a ‘Class B’ added as a one-day contest. Many other divisions were added to accommodate different motorcycle sizes. The 1930 Jack Pine was claimed by none other than William H. Davidson, son of Motor Company co-founder William A. Davidson. With 997 points out of a possible 1,000, he became the first non-Michigan native to win the event.

In 1940, Dorothy (Dot) Robinson, competing in the Sidecar Class, became the first woman to win a Jack Pine race. Known as ‘The First Lady of Motorcycling’, Dot was co-owner of the Detroit HarleyDavidson dealership with her husband Earl and co-founder of the Motor Maids, the world’s first women’s club. She would win the race again in 1946.

In the first 20 years of the ‘Cowbell Classic’, Harley-Davidson® motorcycle riders won 18 times. Many of those early years were dominated by Harley-Davidson riders, sweeping the top spots in each class. The final Harley-Davidson rider to take the coveted cowbell in the Class A Solo event was Gerald McGovern on the all-new Sportster® in 1957.

As more off-road-friendly motorcycles came to the showroom floors, H-D’s bigger twins would yield the cowbell to others. But in their deep and muddy tracks was left a lasting legacy of Harley-Davidson durability – and a rugged tribute to the adventurous spirit of those early riders.

To plan your visit, go to www.h-dmuseum.com. To see more historical items from the H-D Archives, visit the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.

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