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FAMILY

Melvin Brown was born in Cortland, NY, in 1935.  He turned 81 this year.  He has been riding motorcycles for 61 years. He was 20 when he bought his first bike while stationed with the US ARMY in North Carolina. It was a 1953 "74" Harley, and he's owned a Harley ever since.

Melvin married his first wife, Shirley, in 1956, and they had two sons together. Fran and Clarke. Both Melvin and Shirley rode their own Harleys, and were often seen about town with a boy riding with each of them. Typically, gas caps would act as handlebars for the young riders. When the boys were practically still in diapers, they bought minibikes for them, and Melvin built them a dirt track in the front yard. 

AN AMA LIFE

Melvin & Shirley were charter members of the Krome Kruisers Motorcycle Club in 1960. Rides were scheduled every weekend. He rode many sportsman hillclimbs with full dress Harley's for a couple of years. He would ride his big road hog from home to the hill, like Mansfield, OH, spend an hour stripping it down, haul ass up the hill, and hope they could make it road worthy again to ride home. They did a lot of Sunday road runs and field meets with other MCs.

RACING ITCH BEGINS

Melvin is often asked when he started racing. Everyone assumes that he started racing in his teens or twenties, but in reality he will tell you: "I started racing when I was 62. I had to wait until I started collecting Social Security to be able to afford it!"  When pressed, he will elaborate, and say: "I raced (scrambles) with a 175cc Montessa for one year when I was 28 years old. Then at the end of the year, my wife said 'You can continue racing, or you can live with me, but you can't do both.'  So I chose to live with her." Then he'll laugh, and smile, say that was the right choice. 

They raised their boys together, and loved watching Fran race (National #50) professionally in the 1970s and 1980s.

Sadly, we lost Shirley in an accident in 1989.  

SERIOUS RACING

Sometime around 1997 (when he was 62) he went to Schenectady to a short track race with his son, Fran. They tied the rear end of his dirt bike down and raced the short track, and he got hooked on flat tracking right there.

Soon he bought a vintage 500 BSA, adding Triumphs over the next 20 years. Last year, a Yamaha joined the team.  

Through the 90's he was still doing hillclimbs, riding trials, putting knobby screws in the treads of his dirt bike to race on the ice, flat tracking, and of course, riding on the road with the Harley.  

NORTH AMERICAN TRAVEL

In 2004, he married Catherine. In 2003, they rode together through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. 

That was their "test run". In 2006 they rode their Ultra Classic from Homer, NY to Fairbanks, Alaska and back in 2006. They were gone 45 days, put over 13,000 miles on the bike, and loved every day of the trip.

Several years after the Alaska trip, Catherine planned a vacation in Hawaii. Melvin wasn't too sure about that. After all, how much fun can you even have on vacation if you don't ride your Harley to get there? He decided Hawaii was pretty fun after all when Catherine surprised him with a Harley rental on arrival!

CHRIS CARR WOULD BE PROUD!

Melvin's racing career has been quite successful, especially considering his late start. He brought home so many trophies that he has two walls of his garage basically "wallpapered" with them. Last count, there are at least 370!

Since 2001, he's won 10 Vintage National Flat Track Championships, and placed 2nd an additional 3 years!

He's worn out 2 sets of leathers and eight steel shoes. 

He has logged a half-million miles carting his bikes to races; another half-million riding his Harleys. 

He has made countless friends and collected die-hard fans all across the racing circuit.  

For the last 10 years or so, announcers have had great fun declaring his age while he races, because even though he's racing against the "old guys" when he goes out with the Senior class, he's racing against 50 years old. That's a 31 year gap!  Even when he races against the "older old guys" in the Super Senior class, those guys are as young as 60. He's got 21 years on them!

This year it was Melvin's goal to win one last championship. Unfortunately, he had to retire early due to an injury, but we're so proud of him for his many, many accomplishments! He has his two sons, six wonderful grandchildren, and one great-grandchild who are his pride and joy. 

Thank you all for helping Mel celebrate retirement from racing!