The earliest feature I've seen on Routt's original Double is this story out of a 1962 issue of Car Craft. I'm pretty sure that's a Cadet retreaded slick mounted on a 16" Goodyear tire.
This Rod & Custom feature is from 1963 but is the same photo shoot as the Car Craft story above. This story was tied into a model kit build of the Routt Double. The 20" TR5 wheel is something I'd like to run on a future custom build.
Winning Competition Show-Bike at a 1962 car show. The front wheel hub has been chromed at this point and it has lost it's nifty little trumpet tips on the exhaust.
Cycle magazine had a Custom Bike Contest in 1962. I haven't been able to get my hands on the issue where they showed the winners, but here in the second place story is the Routt Double. I have a feature to post on the blown BSA soon. At this point Sonny's Double has a different clutch that I don't recognise and it also has a 16" Inglewood drag slick. Unfortunately the bike's days came to a dramatic end not long after this photo...
Ouch!
Is there a single part left that has not been destroyed? The complete devastation of this wreck is really amazing. Did the frame let go? Wheel come undone? Engines explode? Looks like all of the above actually. The good part is that Sonny survived. Quite a bit of details can be seen here. What was he running inside those engines? Just take a look. The heads look to be the rare 1958 Cliff Guild modified specials from Tricor (I have one for sale on
ebay right now). Sonny was close to Tricor and had access to the special equipment they offered and in the late 1960's supplied his special equipment directly to Triumph in the form of the first factory Triumph 750's.
So he built another one. And this double was just as good looking as the first. Lots of little detail changes but the same basic layout and frame design. Now running a 18" Avon drag slick and no front brake. Front brakes were required under most drag racing rules in the late 1960's so this pic probably dates from sometime in the mid 60's.
Back to shutting down the big Harley's and anything else that pulled up next to him.
The earliest feature I've seen on Routt's original Double is this story out of a 1962 issue of Car Craft. I'm pretty sure that's a Cadet retreaded slick mounted on a 16" Goodyear tire. 
This Rod & Custom feature is from 1963 but is the same photo shoot as the Car Craft story above. This story was tied into a model kit build of the Routt Double. The 20" TR5 wheel is something I'd like to run on a future custom build.
Winning Competition Show-Bike at a 1962 car show. The front wheel hub has been chromed at this point and it has lost it's nifty little trumpet tips on the exhaust.
Cycle magazine had a Custom Bike Contest in 1962. I haven't been able to get my hands on the issue where they showed the winners, but here in the second place story is the Routt Double. I have a feature to post on the blown BSA soon. At this point Sonny's Double has a different clutch that I don't recognise and it also has a 16" Inglewood drag slick. Unfortunately the bike's days came to a dramatic end not long after this photo...
Ouch!
Is there a single part left that has not been destroyed? The complete devastation of this wreck is really amazing. Did the frame let go? Wheel come undone? Engines explode? Looks like all of the above actually. The good part is that Sonny survived. Quite a bit of details can be seen here. What was he running inside those engines? Just take a look. The heads look to be the rare 1958 Cliff Guild modified specials from Tricor (I have one for sale on ebay right now). Sonny was close to Tricor and had access to the special equipment they offered and in the late 1960's supplied his special equipment directly to Triumph in the form of the first factory Triumph 750's.
So he built another one. And this double was just as good looking as the first. Lots of little detail changes but the same basic layout and frame design. Now running a 18" Avon drag slick and no front brake. Front brakes were required under most drag racing rules in the late 1960's so this pic probably dates from sometime in the mid 60's.
Back to shutting down the big Harley's and anything else that pulled up next to him.
Rad! I'd love to hear one of those things run. A guy over here in NZ built a sidecar out fit with two pre units mounted side by side, first time I'd seen that layout. Cheers
ReplyDeleteI KNOW YOU WON'T REMEMBER ME BUT IN 66' I USED TO DRAG RACE MY BIKE AT CAPITAL RACEWAY WHERE YOU DID ALL THE HANDICAPPING AND I USED TO RACE CALVIN BALTIMORE FOR TOP ELIMINATOR. I ALSO RACED AT 75-80 DRAGWAY IN DAMASCUS MD. YOU DID ALL THE WORK ON MY BIKE AND YOU HATED IT BECAUSE IT WAS A B.S.A. AND NOT A TRIUMPH. I ACTUALLY HAVE AN 8 M.M. FILM OF YOUR TWIN ENGINE AT 75-80 IT SHOWS HOW YOU STARTED IT WITH YOUR BACK CAR WHEELS ON A ROLLER I GOT ONE OF YOUR RUNS. YOU HAD A WIFE BY THE NAME OF DIANNE I THINK. A COUPLE OF THE PAGANS MOTORCYCLE CLUB HUNG OUT AT YOUR SHOP AND GUY WITH LONG HAIR OLD GUY NAMED JOHN ? RODE A RIGID FRAMED HARLEY, THAT YOU USED TO HELP OUT.NEVER HAD ANY MONEY BUT YOU TOOK CARE OF HIM.YOU ALSO YOU TO RACE A RED HEADED GUY WHO RODE A HARLEY (PRIMERED)DON'T REMEMBER HIS NAME WHO EVENTUALLY RACED FOR YOU. tHAT'S ALL I REMEMBER HOPE YOU READ THIS. TOM FORBES
ReplyDeleteHey Tom - You should get that film transfered to dvd and post it on youtube!
ReplyDeletesonny, idont know if you remember me but my name is butch from hyattsville md. i ran with arno and dennis wolfrey. you built the 53 pre unit for me. i'm trying to buy one of your juggs by routt t shirts. i wore all of mine out. please let sonny see this comment. thank you butch harris
ReplyDeleteHey Butch. I'm Greg. Just wondering if you know if Arnold or Gene Thompson are still around? I knew them when Gene had his shop in Tuxedo. Both great guys! Hope to hear back from you Butch. Take it easym
DeleteGene passed away a few years ago. Arno is still around. Spoke with him on the phone the other week.
DeleteHey Sonny Im trying to get your patterns from factory you gave them to but with no luck need to get a few more out there for us at vintage nationals I talk to Arno from time to time Skinner from NVMDRA
ReplyDeletemr Routt during those racing years ,showed kindness to those that helped his cause. His is a story of the american dream,and through it all ,I can say he made each person he "touched" a better human being.In his words "if it stalls on the rollers ,you gotta flush it of the nitro or else.
ReplyDeleteAs a flagman/starter at Aquasco Speedway in the early '60s, I often had a much different perspective of Sonny's twin Triumph. That bike hauled arse!
ReplyDeletedidn't some guy named frog ride for him?
ReplyDeletehey sonny, I spent every saturday morning at ur shop at melros Xing ,buying parts for my 54 pan 67-71 ? Larry welch and u helped me out with a lot of good advice... and who was the guy with the pipe..he was the best. I still ride a panhead..wish u were still around ....Rick
ReplyDeletelong live 1320
ReplyDeleteThe guy w/the pipe was probably Ed. Nice guy. Ed was patient with my youthful ignorance and helped my dumb teenage ass keep my Harley goin'.
ReplyDeletesonnys shop was the best.i lived in brentwood and I had 2 triumphs in mid 60s before going Harley.always had a good time at sonnys shop and their help was always better than the the others.
ReplyDelete