He is most famous for developing the 2 into 1 exhaust system,
first using disk brakes on bikes,
first using automotive 'mag' and aluminum rims on bikes
and being the first guy to run a primary belt drive on a Harley V Twin made by using belts from the 6-71 dragster blowers on his own machined pulleys in 1963.
He actually came up with a lot more than these few items and invented countless 'small' innovations for bikes that have become almost commonplace today.
And he was probably the first to make an aftermarket, narrow springer, from 3" to 36" longer than stock. Just like Meyer's Manx dune buggies, there was far more demand, and several companies went into business making similar but not as high quality.
Dick experimented, improved and then built Choppers so that other people could ride and enjoy having a properly modified bike and not some monstrosity built by a celebrity. He cared not for fame or fortune and sought out neither during his lifetime. He didn't run a shop that sold glitz and bling for inflated prices. He didn't rip people off for 'services' and basically he lived by the 'Golden Rule' of Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. Dick was into bikes for the pure joy and excitement of the 'Ride' and this is probably the real reason he became a legend. Somebody in the industry was once quoted as saying that Dick's 'Word' was better than any printed legal 'guarantee' offered by any manufacturer anywhere at anytime.
http://www.chopperhandbook.com/allen1.htm inspired by a story in an issue of Garage Magazine, issue 11, October 2006
Thats my dad 👍 I was a baby when he left so I never got the pleasure to ride with him or got to ride one of his builds. I ran into a guy in sturgis long store short. I saw this chopper grape apes n had to be 8-9ft long front end. Awesome looking so I pull over to look at it because it looked like a dick allen springer. It's was.n look over n saw these another two that had a dick allen springer,they were. N these two guys come over I was asking about there bikes n it looked like one that my dad would've build,they was. They was tilling me about the guy that build them in the old days n how great he was. N it was cool to hear about it. N I finally said that dick allen was my dad.
ReplyDeleteI met another one while I was doing some investigating about dick n all he done n how he was. He was loved in the bike life. N a few of them liked to take his Glory n credit for his work.i started working with this guy that dick allen built a chopper for him. N was going to build me a chopper Locomotion
ReplyDeleteI saw this chopper when I was a little kid in a book. Fall in love n said I want one it was called Locomotion, n find out it was my dad's. Long store short. He told me it was almost done I was so excited , I wanted to put together the dick allen dash calf to Chicago and the memory's of ALL THE GREATNESS N JOYNESS HE BROUGHT TO THE RIDERS.
ReplyDeleteI took this to some calf. Friend's of Dick Allen I had t-shirts made and Lord behold if one of those friends didn't take that t-shirt start selling it on the internet it was supposed to go to a fundraiser for riders that lost limbs riding to help them get back to rideing. N at the same time let the generation nowadays who to think for the greatness of choppers DICK ALLEN. I was trying to do something Good n people took all that work I did to line there pocket N TAKE THE CREDIT AND THE GLORY OF DICK ALLEN's name n inventions.
ReplyDeleteThere is a special thanks that I want to say a old friend of Dick allen got to together with a shop in that put together chopper like The Locomotion took it to the shows and did real good I thank you ,you are a tire good friend I wish I could tell you in person but can't find u or the shop owner that put it together. I sure wish I had the money to buy that bike u put together to make a part of my dreams come true. Thank u agin u know how u r
ReplyDeleteDick was a good friend of my husband's - came to our wedding and there's some great pictures. I had one of the few cobra trikes, it was pretty intense. Wasn't allowed to take it on the freeway for obvious reasons. Lots of memories.
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for the note! Can you share a photo of the trike?
DeleteI think I might have a dick allan front end Springer
ReplyDelete