The first 27 Crocker “Hemi” twins had hemispherical combustion chambers and “Crocker” embossed on the rocker-arm housing. Crocker then redesigned the cylinder heads with parallel valves and enclosed springs, and continually developed the heads, with two different “Hemi” castings used and four changes to the parallel-valve casting over its five-year run. The cast-aluminum fuel tanks were enlarged in 1938, making all earlier models “Small Tanks” and later models “Big Tanks.” The total production of Crockers is perhaps 72 total V-twins, as by 1942, “war work” restrictions meant Crocker could no longer produce motorcycles, and he chose not to resume production following World War II.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/LV0119-362293/1939-crocker-big-tank/
In a sense it is comparable to the mighty Münch Mammoth: Low volume production, high price, batshit crazy power, and the builders lost money on every bike they built. Not that they seemed to have cared all that much, because they were passionate about making street bikes that were faster than anything else out there.
ReplyDeleteWatched a lot of this auction. There were many low to mid six figure bikes selling. Amazing when a considerably older motorcycle sells in the range of many top end Camaro's, Mustangs and Mopars not to mention some Lambos and Ferrari's. There were also a lot European and Jap motocross and road racers bring crazy money (fifties to almost six figures) Actually had the opportunity to ride several of them that friends had. Talk about taking you back a great time in life!
ReplyDeletesounds like a lot of rich people are counting on these to be a great investment that takes up very little space! Not many people ride old bikes, fewer ride ones that cost over 6 figures!
DeleteYou got to ride some of these? Nice!
I saw Crockers on the streets of LA when I was a kid, and saw one at the Barber Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, AL a few years back They are truly a thing of beauty.
ReplyDeleteThere is no evidence that Engine size was an option. $480 + $5 paint option. Elmo Looper was at the factory specifically for the stroker engines, of which his 3 bikes appear to be the only examples. Crocker's did not use HD rods and pistons but all the replicas do.
ReplyDeleteMotorcyclist mag is the only reliable source of data. there was 35 bikes in the 1970s which grew to 48 by end of decade, by 2010 there was 72 listed in the so called Register + 4 extras. there is yet to be 37-61-16, 38-61-42 and 40-61-119 to fall out of the casting molds. production ended in 1940 , Sam Parriott took the bikes to Muroc for the last big day out. Knuck was debuted nov 1935, and shipped march 1936, the first Crocker was debuted in motorcyclist mag 1936. Chuck Vernon claimed he had the prototype 36-61-1X, he built the bike from parts. someone paid big money for his creation. He claimed 40-61-117 was built by Elmo Looper and Art Smythe, the Looper family have never heard of Smythe, it too is a bogus creation. The Crocker register is not club based or have any connection to the Crocker factory records, it too is a creation. There are no NOS parts, they all come from the pages of the Bigsby drawings that Skelton "borrowed" from Murray Looper and did not return. The Crocker venture turned out to be quite profitable
wow, that's a LOT of great information! Thank you!
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