Several types of motorcycles can be called ‘trackers.’ The original is the board tracker, named after the machines that raced on board tracks in the USA in the 1910s and 1920s.
In the 1930s, as the board tracks faded away, flat track racers appeared: street bikes modified to race on dirt or clay ovals. Past icons include the Harley-Davidson XR-750, but others include flat trackers from BSA, Norton and Triumph. This style is still popular today, with interest spurred by an intense rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Flat track motorcycles (or dirt trackers, as they are sometimes known) do not have front brakes, but the slimmed-down style has been copied by builders of ‘street tracker’ customs.
When we were talking to Brad Peterson about his XR750 street tracker a month ago, he let slip that he also had a TZ750 in his garage. And it too was street legal. An explosive Yammie two-stroke with classic flat track good looks is too hard to resist, so we just had to show it.…
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The biggest cliché in motorcycle journalism is the ‘listicle’ of the best-looking bikes ever made. If we ever run out of ideas and succumb at EXIF, you can guarantee that the Harley-Davidson XR750 flat tracker will be in our list. And we’d lament that it was never street legal.
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Nicky Hayden left a massive hole in the motorcycling world—and in all of our hearts—when he passed away unexpectedly in May last year. In a fitting tribute, the Kentucky Kid was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame earlier this month. To commemorate the occasion, the Hall of Fame Museum commissioned two tribute bikes from…
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The world of custom motorcycles is full of beautiful machines, but many of them see little mileage. While that doesn’t stop us from admiring them, we’re suckers for bikes that are designed to be ridden in anger. Right now, we’re hooked on this BMW R nineT flat track weapon, built by Dan Riley. Based in…
Read more »The great thing about flat track racing is that anyone can have a crack. You don’t need a rocket scientist crew chief,…
Read more »The Glemseck 101 festival being held this weekend is a high-octane celebration of speed and power. At this very moment, thousands of…
Read more »Harley-Davidson owned the internet yesterday. Unless you live under a solid aggregate of minerals, you’ll know that the Motor Co. teased its…
Read more »Like many of you, we’re total suckers for racing machines—especially flat trackers. And although we’re captivated by American iron like the Indian…
Read more »The Ducati Scrambler is an obvious fit for ‘casual’ flat track racing. Ducati even made a ‘Flat Track Pro’ limited edition in…
Read more »If you like weaving through city traffic during the week, and then blasting through the twisties on your days off, the Street…
Read more »A Ducati Monster tracker ready for the Superhooligans, a monstrous Indian Chief-powered cafe from Germany, a gorgeous Honda built for Steve Caballero…
Read more »There are some builders who seem to have the Midas touch: everything they create turns to gold. Aaron and Shaun Guardado are…
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