The Original Iron Man: Legendary Motorcycle Racer Ed Kretz Remembered in British Customs' Legends Series
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 09, 2016 -- Motorcycling has changed. Over the decades, the motorcycle community has shifted as its culture has grown disconnected from its roots. Many of the archives where the legends of motorcycling were recorded have been forgotten, and since they haven’t been digitized, the motorcycle community’s heritage has been lost.
Until now.
British Customs, a lifestyle brand and designer of aftermarket motorcycle parts, has been connecting with the legends of motorcycling who are still with us to breathe new life into their stories and share them with today’s motorcycle riders. British Customs has been interviewing and profiling many of yesteryear’s motorcycle icons, and has been establishing an authoritative archive where these figures can live on and inspire new generations of riders.
British Customs calls this the Legends Series. The Legends Series bridges the past and the present by revitalizing the heritage of motorcycling in a fresh new way on their blog.
For riders who want their own piece of history, British Customs has built a number of custom motorcycles and developed multiple lines of products with some of the remaining legends that are true to the designs used in the heyday of motorcycling. These custom motorcycles include the Triumphant, built with Eddie Mulder, the Sonny Nutter Tribute, built with Sonny Nutter, the British Customs X Mule Motorcycles Tracker Classic built with Richard Pollock, and the Spirit of Gyronaut designed with the heirs of the original Gyronaut X-1 team. These motorcycles were built with parts that are publicly available, including Drag Pipes, Slash Cut TT Exhaust, Pro Builder Series Mule Motorcycles parts, the Stainless Steel Collection, and many others.
British Customs this week has added a researched and connected piece on one of the greatest and most innovative motorcycle racers ever: Ed Kretz, Sr.
Ed Kretz started racing when he was 20 on a whim during the Great Depression on the motorcycle his family used like a trusty old station wagon, but was so naturally talented he earned factory sponsorship within years. He would go on to become one of the greatest racers ever, and would win some of the most difficult and prestigious races in the country over his career, including the inaugural Daytona 200.
The motorcycles Kretz raced on, as did every other daredevil, stuntman, racer, and even the common rider, were all street bikes that had been stripped down and modified for any purpose wanted. In step with this, British Customs published a series of style guides to help riders inspired to transform any Triumph Modern Classic including the iconic Bonneville, Thruxton, Scrambler, and other into a tracker, cafe racer, dirt bike, desert sled, bobber, resto-mod, and other styles.
Each week, British Customs will publish at least two pieces on their blog to continue growing their archive on the racers, events, personalities, machines, and events that created the heritage of today’s motorcycle community.
Anyone interested in using or viewing the archival images and documents British Customs is digitizing is encouraged to contact them.
About British Customs:
British Customs is a Southern California-based lifestyle brand and designer of aftermarket motorcycle parts. They are known for making the highest quality factory-spec bolt-on parts that only require common tools and minimal technical knowledge to install. With any of their parts upgrades, the average rider can completely customize his or her motorcycle in a weekend.
David Bumpus, Triton Communications, +1 3104368012, [email protected]
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