FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Lawyers and Cal Rayborn A lot of folks are pretty angry with the Members of the American Bar Association, but I have to admit that Rob Iannucci has helped me quite a bit over the years. About 15 years ago the Florida DMV changed all of the rules on us the day before the Daytona auction. Rob was in my office, calling judges at their homes helping to straighten the problem out. Another time, my son had won an important race at Daytona; some clowns were trying to take the win away. Rob made his way down to Tech to make sure that the process was fair. I had a famous jumper call and threaten some of my clients, when I called Rob he told me to tell the guy to jump in a lake. Rob never asked for a dime for his help, so it is with respect that I try to clear up some confusion in his letter, published in the March 2006 issue of Roadracing World, concerning an ex-Cal Rayborn factory Harley-Davidson racebike we are auctioning off at Daytona on March 10. I got my information about the factory bikes being destroyed in a very good article about the history of the XRTT done by Allan Girdler in the December 2000 issue of Cycle World. The article clearly states that the inventory was destroyed AFTER Rob got a truckload of parts out. Rob’s bike is mentioned in the article as well as the Rayborn bike that we have. We will have a copy of the article available for everyone to see along with other documentation. This historic racing bike business can be a moving target as many of the bikes were taken apart or continued to be raced. I have several historic racers; one is the TZ750 that Gary Scott rode with the national number one on it. John Bettencourt’s dad bought the bike from Gary. I have rebuilt it many times and John painted it. Is it still Gary Scott’s bike? Some supposed famous race bikes only started as a frame or spare engine. I have even heard that one was a twisted wreck and a copy of the frame was made, I believe that these are replicas. When I inspected the Rayborn bike at Patty O’Brien Frank’s home I was amazed that the bike looked like it came right off the track. When I saw the old Goodyears I had forgotten that Cal last rode the bike in 1973 and we didn’t start using slicks until a few years later. We have reason to believe that these tires came off a bike that Jay Springsteen rode later at Daytona. We have a notarized statement from Dick O’Brien certifying that this bike was the first 5 speed with a special frame designed for and raced by Cal Rayborn. We had a Harley Davidson historian locate the factory build card for the engine and indeed it is a works engine that Rayborn used. The motor was later shipped to Daytona as a spare for Mark Brelsford. Dick O’Brien worked at the Harley-Davidson Racing Department from 1957 to 1980 and the bike was reassembled by the racing team as a retirement gift for Dick. This bike was not reassembled in Prospect Maine, Brooklyn New York or Podunk California; it was reassembled in the factory race shop by the guys that built it for Cal. It was reassembled, not restored. The controls are ground from Cal’s lean angles and the fairing is burned from the pipes. They don’t come much better documented than this. We called Bill Werner, who tuned for Cal as well as all of the best Harley factory riders ever since. Bill still has his notes and did confirm that this is a works engine that Cal raced. Bill was concerned that he built the engine many years ago with Castrol R and that oil may have dried out. He has offered his services to the buyer who may want to hear it roar again so the irreplaceable factory parts wont be damaged. Bill will be at the Stetson University to verify the authenticity of the machine and answer questions. He volunteered to come on his own dime; you see he feels that this bike is a national treasure. Even if you are are not a player for a bike like this, I invite you all to come and see it, talk to Bill Werner and Don Emde and touch the grip and remember Cal. Jerry Wood Crystal River, Florida www.jwoodandcompany.com