SWING TIME

We take a look back at an unusual motorcycle sport, which was growing in international popularity 100 years ago but has since fallen out of the limelight

The colder months are often a time for packing away Harleys, keeping them out of the snow, away from the salt on the roads and snug inside garages. However, 100 years ago it would appear that plenty of people were keeping them running, whatever the weather. In fact, one sport in particular was coming to the fore in The Enthusiast as an increasingly popular winter pastime: motorcycle polo (or motoball, as it is now more usually known and interpreted).

Motoball first began as an officially organised sport in the mid-1920s in Europe and is now played across the continent and beyond. The modern sport draws from both polo and football, but looks a lot more like football, with a large spherical ball kicked by players riding motorcycles and aiming to score goals. Motorcycles are capped at 250cc and many players have a background in motocross.

However, the early Harley-Davidson interpretation of “motorcycle polo” was rather different and very literal. Players are pictured tackling the snow to play in Canada, with one rider piloting the motorcycle and another in the adjoining sidecar, brandishing a polo mallet with which to strike the ball. Similar scenes where caught of players in Australia – albeit under sunnier conditions – trying their hands at the recently introduced sport on a grass pitch.

Motor polo even came to feature multiple times in the regular Nobby Ned comic strip on the final pages of The Enthusiast, showing how good Harley-Davidson motorcycles are for the sport. This form of motorcycle polo did have something of a resurgence in the 21st century, albeit without the sidecars, with mallets again in the game for players sitting two-to-a-motorcycle at games in Rwanda. However, it does not appear to kept pace as a widespread interpretation of the sport.

Motorcycle polo was even featured multiple times in the regular Nobby Ned comic strip in The Enthusiast, showing how suitable Harley-Davidson^® motorcycles were. The original sport enjoyed a resurgence in the 21st century in Rwanda, albeit without sidecars.

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