MY 1940 CROCKER
November 6, 2009 in Nostalgia, WWII
Me on my 1940 Crocker
In the summer of 1945, while awaiting ship assignement at the Wilmington Vessel Manning Cadre, I bought a Crocker mototcycle. It was an engineering marvel, fast and handled well. I can personally attest to the fact it cruised easily at speeds well in excess of 100 miles per hour. Mom and Dad had moved to Hermosa Beach, and the port was about 18-miles from their house on 25th street. Eeven without freeways in those days, I could cover the distance in about 20‑minutes on the Crocker. It was 1940, Twin‑V, the big tank model, wth the trademark thick cast-aluminum gas tank, powerful engine and heavy-duty frame. When I shipped out, I took the Crocker to Manila with me, and eventually to Shanghai, where I sold it on the black market for $550.00. According to the Crocker Motorcycle Co. Website, “Recent, conservative estimates of an original Crocker’s value range from $85,000 to over $100,000 U.S.” [1] Below are a couple of Youtube videos about Crockers motorcycles. Turn your speakers up for the second video and enjoy the sound of a real motorcycle! Boy does that bring back memories. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have! -Phil 🙂
[1] Excerpt from Escape: The Manila Project.