I've actually been meaning to buy a copy. Can't get it from my local dealer - they are too far away and unintrested in anythung but trying to sell me a new bike. Preferably a BMW. But I was looking on line last week and found a number of copies for sale.
The following is off topic and should be in a PM but I cannopt seem to get PM's to work. Not getting the option to "send" for some reason. Yes, I am logged in.
Dave, very glad you mentioned Dean Hummer. I tried to contact him maybe 6-7 years ago. He was in a nursing home and they told me it just wasn't possible for him to talk to me.
I understand you were friends with him. I was wanting to talk to him about one of his sidecars and about an engine he might have commissioned from Strociek. One of his sidecars came up for sale on eBay but the seller wouldn't deal with me. He insisted on the buyer coming to collect the outfit in person and that's a big ask for me as I live in Australia. Given the "sad" state of the bike and the lack of an engine in it, it just wasn't worth it.
But I believe the Strociek engine I have was intended for use in a sidecar and I think Dean would have been the most likely buyer of this engine. That's just supposition of course. The engine is very unusual in that both the inlet and exhaust ports are on the left side. Which would make perfect sense if you had a right side platform sidecar. Which dean had.
I have a serious interest in getting some information on this engine as I'm trying to get approval from MA (Motorcycling Australia) to run this engine in the Period 4 class. For that the engine needs to be pre 73. Belly numbers begin with 772 and it has -72 casting date codes. But it has no engine number and the heads and cylinders are clearly Strociek, not Harley Davidson.
I did have a talk with his mechanic many years ago. Can't remember his name. He told me he managed to get the heads from the engine that blew up (I think in Canada?) But he had nothing else to add.
Were you by any chance mates with him as far back as 1972 ?
Again, sorry this is not in a PM.