Dave Brackett is no stranger to oddly designed motorcycles. In fact, he’s a pioneer in the field.
Brackett grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Southern California in 1958 as a high school freshman. He took welding, machine shop and drafting in high school, then got a four-year degree in industrial technology from Fullerton College. Since then he’s spent a career building, rebuilding, creating from scratch and restoring all kinds of bikes and cars, working on everything from a 1930 Ford Model A to Indy cars and the first Ford Thunderbolt.
He built and raced dragsters and go-karts, started his own business (Brackett Speed Products in Anaheim, Calif., in 1965) and then spent two years in the U.S. Army as a missile repairman, returning to his trade and hobbies in southern California in 1969.
He joined forces with old friend Tom McMullen and they started building one of the leading chopper parts manufacturers in the industry, AEE Choppers. Soon after, Brackett created a bike called “Big Twin” (see story below). Dozens of motorcycles, go-karts and dragsters followed.
He moved to the North Olympic Peninsula in 1980 but his bent toward almost all things motorized followed. Check out his bio and photos at www.brackettracing.com.
Brackett and one of his more unique projects is soon to be featured on the History Channel, on an episode of “Counting Cars.” The show is set for a 9 p.m. airing on Tuesday, March 31.
“The first part of February this year I had a most wonderful experience. Forty-five years ago I built an unusual five-wheel motorcycle, one up front and four across the rear.
I wanted to take something to the Oakland Roadster Show. I did some sketches and I had 32 days to build that thing.
In February of 1970 it won the grand National Sweepstakes Award at the Oakland Roadster Show, the largest show in the country. The motorcycle was called ‘Big Twin.’
It’s a purpose-built show bike. We did drove it around the block but it was never licensed or registered.
For several years it was the hallmark of AEE Choppers. After I sold it three years later, it was seen around the show circuits for several years. Then, it disappeared.
In 2012, ‘Big Twin’ came up for sale on E-bay. It was sold and was not in good shape. There was nothing to support the front end. He (a previous owner) was trying to add a blower to it. I don’t know what he was thinking.
The new owner contacted me to restore the motorcycle. They sent me the bike and I refabricated it and returned it to the owner, Bones Legacy Motorcycle of Las Vegas.
They continued the restoration and had the bike was painted at Count’s Kustoms of Las Vegas. The TV show ‘Counting Cars’ is shot at Count’s Kustoms, and the TV people asked about the strange bike. They decided to make it an episode of ‘Counting Cars’ and asked me to be there for the TV shoot.
They flew me to Las Vegas and I worked on the bike several days, then we did the TV show. I was pretty nervous about it. I met Danny ‘The Count’ Koker and lots of motorcycle people from today and the past. Danny was so nice and pleasant — he calmed me down. Everybody was having a good time. There was no script; it was just kind of talking, back and forth.
At first we had trouble getting it running (for the show finale) but in the end it started right up.
I was surprised how well known I was and how many knew about my work.”
Everyone has a story and now they have a place to tell it. Verbatim is a first-person column that introduces you to your neighbors as they relate in their own words some of the difficult, humorous, moving or just plain fun moments in their lives. It’s all part of the Gazette’s commitment as your community newspaper. If you have a story for Verbatim, contact editor Michael Dashiell at editor@sequimgazette.com.
