Club History

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His trusty Harley headed to museum

By Dave Nordstrand

The Californian

May 12, 1990

The old machine and it rider are classics.  The cycle is an elderly Harley-Davidson, the base of which was built in 1926.  Methanol powered the machine.  Benzol cooled its heat.  A hint of blue flame could be seen from it's exhaust.

The rider is Larry Ketzel, known in these parts as "Mr. Motorcycle."  He a rail thin 84 year-old with a gray moustache.  Ketzel climbs aboard his old bike and wraps lean fingers around its black grips.  For a silent instant, the rider is back in the 1930's.  Ketzel is again saddled on 300 eager pounds of machinery.  The rear wheel's double chain bites into the earth.  The bike jumps forward then upward, climbing towards the sky, climbing towards victory.

"It was a good feeling when you'd crack the throttle and take a 400 foot hill with 10,000 people cheering," Ketzel says.  He'd have a 20-foot start and a 30-foot lane.  Breaking the timing string first was what life came down to.  Three times Ketzel qualified for nationals in the hill climb.

As a boy, he lived down the street from the Dayton (Ohio) Motorcycle Co.  He watched company riders test the machines.  That was his inspiration.  He bought his first bike in 1917.  In 1928 Ketzel turned pro.  He rode for Harley-Davidson.  When he got married in 1930, he taught his wife Mildred to ride and she had her own motorcycle.

Winter in Ohio kept Ketzel's sport dormant five months a year.  He heard that, in California, you could ride year round.  So he went west.  In 1931, he was in Hollywood in his first California hill climb.  the event was to benefit an orphanage.  Ketzel didn't win.  Windy Lindstrom did.  Ketzel took two seconds, though, enough for $300.  When he and Windy went to collect their money, they found that the promoter had pocketed the cash and skipped to Mexico.

In 1932, Ketzel bought the Harley dealership on Salinas' John Street.  He moved the shop to 417 Main St. where a Shell station stands today.  For 35 years the Ketzels ran the business.  During World War II, the California Highway patrol escorted troop convoys from Fort Hunter Liggett to Oakland's port of debarkation.  The CHP used 30 motorcycles to do the job.  Ketzel and Mildred maintained the bikes. 

In 1934, Ketzel formed the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club, which still exists.  Seven years later he founded the Monterey County Sheriff Department's Motorcycle Squad.  "I was trying to get motorcycle riders and policemen together as friends," he says.  "It worked pretty well."  Until he was 81, Ketzel rode with the squad, helping police roads at Laguna Seca events.  "You got to find someone else to replace me," he kept telling the group.  In 1985, the squad honored him with a plaque and the title of Captain Emeritus.

In Ketzel's study stand a case filled with trophies.  The best of motorcycling memories are his.  But there is a sadness, too.  Mildred, his riding partner, his partner in life, died last year.  She was 76.  "If I lived over again, I'd do the same kind of thing," Ketzel says.  "Working with motorcycles was what I loved to do and wanted to do and my wife was right along with me.

Ketzel gave his old Harley to a friend, Ted Ponton.  The machine is now bound for glory.  In August, Ponton will give it to the American Motorcycle Association's new museum near Columbus, Ohio.  "It's rare," Ponton says of the elderly  Harley.   "It's one of a kind."  Just like Ketzel, his friends say.

By Hope Belli

The Californian

July 26, 1984

For fifty years, the Salinas Ramblers motorcycle club has been riding and raising money for charity, performing community service and generally having a good time. 

This weekend, the club will celebrate its golden anniversary of good rides and good times with a road rider event at Laguna Seca Raceway and Recreation Area.  The event will include bike judging, field events and games, scenic tours, motocross open events, and a display of antique motorcycles dating from 1912.

The Club was founded by Larry Ketzel in 1934.  He was the driving force behind the club's formation and has remained active ever since.  As owner of the Harley Davidson shop on north main Street, Ketzel said he did not think that he should be a club officer, but he did want to promote motorcycle riding.  "You can't tell them, You go," Ketzel said.  "You have to say 'Let's go." 

 The club started with six members, and the membership grew rapidly until World War II broke out.  The charter remained active, Ketzel said, but activities declined because much of the membership was drafted or enlisted.  He said that one charter member died in the Bataan Death March.  When the war was over, the club grew to its present maximum of 60 dues-paying members.  "We could be much larger but we don't want to be," said Ketzel.  Club members range from 30 to 70 (years of age) and make their living at a variety of occupations.  Their common link is a love of motorcycle riding. 

There are more than 1,000 clubs chartered by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), and more than 130,000 members in the United States, but the 60 Salinas Ramblers have made a reputation for themselves.  In 1968, 1969 and 1971, the Salinas Ramblers were judged the top club in the nation by the AMA.  According to Dee White of the AMA, the award is given for the club that contributes the most to the sport and good name of motorcycle riding through community service and club activities.  She said that the Salinas club has always been active and is constantly receiving safety and activity awards.

 From 1961 to 1982, the Rambler's main charity function was the Salinas Elks and Salinas Ramblers Benefit Motorcycle Raves held at the California Rodeo Grounds.  During the 21 years the race was run, the two clubs raised more than $350,000 to aid children with cerebral palsy and other orthopedic handicaps.  The race was discontinued because, as club member Tom "Lefty" Miyanaga said, they "wore the crowd out."  

 iyanaga, a Rambler for 32 years, said in the beginning the race was extremely profitable, but in later years the crowd started to dwindle.  On top of that, he said the cost of renting the Rodeo Grounds increased, reducing profits.  The Elks and the Ramblers still work together, though.  At the Rambler's anniversary celebration this year, the two groups will co-sponsor a raffle for a motorcycle.  After an earthquake destroyed many buildings in Coalinga last year, Miyanaga said the Salinas Ramblers held a benefit ride and presented the relief fund with a check for $500.  "It was just a little local club affair and we did it," he said.

The club has been a family affair from the beginning, Ketzel said.  He said women have always been in the club and children are welcome on rides and campouts.  The club's emphasis is on riding for pleasure.  Members who mention motorcycle brand names (in meetings) are subject to a 25-cent fine, payable to the flower fund. (Flowers are sent to members and their families for various reasons.)  All members must own and ride a motorcycle and several women do, but more women ride with their husbands or boyfriends.  In addition to Thursday night meetings, the club organizes a ride almost every Sunday and there are special rides about once a month.  One special ride is a poker run.  Riders pick a card at each of five check points and the best hand wins.  Another is a secret destination run.  Riders pick up clues along the way that tell them where to go.

During the early years, the club bought a 47 acre site in Prunedale across from Crazy Horse Road for riding.  "But civilization caught up with us," Ketzel said.  The club sold the land in the mid 1970s to a developer and bought 320 acres near King City.  The area, called Clear Creek, is ideal for club campouts and for members to ride off-road.

In the last two years , Clear Creek has become the location of an AMA sanctioned national enduro run sponsored by the Salinas Ramblers.  Bill Wainscott, vice president of the Ramblers, said there are only six sanctioned national 100 mile endurance runs in the country.  Riders in contention for a national title must compete in them.  According the Dirt Bike magazine, California enduros are traditionally scorned by eastern riders because they are too easy and too fast.  This year, the magazine said the February run at Clear Creek was different.  "The Salinas Ramblers put an extra effort into the 1984 Quicksilver National Enduro with countless weekends and hours of time scouting and cutting new trails and the sweat paid off."

The Rambler have put quite a bit of time and sweat into planning their 50th anniversary celebration as well.  Club President Ron DeShazer said he expects about 350 riders to participate in the weekend events.  the two-day package includes camping at Laguna Seca Saturday night, all events, a sirloin barbecue dinner and lumberjack breakfast. The cost to AMA cardholders is $15.  Non-AMA cardholders pay $16.  DeShazer said the cost would just cover expenses.  "We are not making money," he said.  "This is a party."

It is not widely known that the Salinas Ramblers figured prominently in the 1947 incident that was popularized by the movie 'The Wild Ones'.  This movie is considered ground zero for the outlaw biker movement.   Most of the web sites concerning the incident focus on  the activities in downtown Hollister and rowdy bikers like Wino Willy and his Boozefighter compatriots.   In fact there were several events going on in Hollister that Fourth of July weekend.  According to newspaper articles, one was the flat track races being held at Bolado Park, a hillclimb also held at Bolado Park and the third was a gypsy tour that was promoted by the Salinas Ramblers.

 The combination of the three events over a three day weekend drew many participants and contestants as well as spectators.  There are a number of reports about what happened in Hollister that weekend nearly 80 years ago.  

According to club member Ted Ponton, things got rowdy downtown and Larry Ketzel, SRMC founder, drove to Salinas and rounded up members of the Sheriff's motorcycle posse of which he was a member to assist the local police with crowd control.  

  A sensationalized report in the SF Chronicle followed by the picture (left by Barney Peterson) and accompanying article in the July 21, 1947 edition of Life magazine no doubt played a roll in the creation of the screenplay for the 1953 movie 'The Wild One' starring Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin.  

 Hollister riot - Wikipedia 

 Cycle Guide Magazine: The Hollister Invasion: The Shot Seen 'Round The World 

 THE WILD ONE (1953)  Trailer  

"The place known as 'THE SAND PIT' was Salinas Ramblers property located across from Crazy Horse Canyon Road on HWY 101 about 12 miles north of Salinas.  It was purchased  some time back in the late 1940's or early 1950's. The track was a sandy type soil, with the starting line beginning at the bottom of the long up hill straightaway.  It had a left hand sweeper that tighten up in to a dogleg switchback that set up for passing because different lines could be used. This spot always developed holes or large rolls, and this made for tank slapping entertainment or rocket ship passing.  Then a short down slope straightaway in to a jump then bending right steep up hill into a tight, high banked left hander to shooting down hill right then left on to flat left.

When it was raining heavy this low area would have a couple of inches of water on it so if you were hauling ass it was smother like being on a ski with a big water rooster in the air. If it was dry it was easy to stick the front wheel if you nicked the power. The hole idea being that the faster you made this corner the harder you hit the jump, and the faster you go up the uphill straightway. With deep sand soil sucking all your horsepower, getting speed to stay on top was an important trick.  The finish line was beside the start line at the jump on the straightaway.

Usually there was a wheelie contest during intermission if we had time. It was uphill (good) in deep sand (bad) . When I was young and would watch all the 40 inchers race on this track ( especially if just graded ) it was the most beautiful thing to see all sand being sprayed in to the air like flames from rockets traveling flat lakes. Needless to say this influenced me to want to tear up some Terra Firma.  The mixing of earth, wind and fire with my GOD given fossil fuel, Oh thank you Lord for this freedom!!!"  Benny King SRMC # 14

The Quicksilver Enduro was an American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) event held in the Clear Creek Management Area from 1973 until 2007. From 1983 until 2007 the event was designated a National Enduro by the AMA.   

The event was originally hosted by the Salinas Dirt Riders (SDR) as an AMA District 35 event.

  The Salinas Dirt Riders was an off-road oriented club.  Many members rode enduros and in 1972 the club decided to host an enduro in the Clear Creek Management Area in 1973.  The event was staged from a property adjacent to Clear Creek that the club leased.

In 1976 two events changed the course of the enduro.  

First some background.  In 1976 there were two clubs in Salinas, the Salinas Dirt Riders (SDR) and the Salinas Ramblers (SRMC).  While the SDR were 100% dirt oriented, the Salinas Ramblers were primarily a street and dirt track oriented club.  Many members of the SDR were also members of the Ramblers.  The SRMC owned a club grounds north of Salinas in Prunedale where they ran dirt track races in the "Sand Pit".  When the Sand Pit was first used for racing in the 1950's and 1960's, Prunedale was relatively undeveloped.  Over the years housing gradually encroached on the SRMC property and this resulted in complaints about noise from the races.  In 1976 a developer approached the SRMC about buying the property.  At the same time the property  owner who leased the Clear Creek property to the SDR decided to sell the property. Seeing the writing on the wall with regards to the Sand Pit and encroaching development, the SDR disbanded and the members who were not already members of the Salinas Ramblers joined the SRMC and formed a voting block that eventually led to the sales of the Sand Pit and the purchase of the Clear Creek property as the new club grounds.  At the same time the hardcore street riders split off from the SRMC and formed the Salinas Road Knights  

 In 1977, the Salinas Ramblers hosted the Quicksilver Enduro as an AMA District 36 event with the same core group of people putting the event together.

The event hit a low point in 1978 when, due to a number of mistakes by the layout crew, so many checks were thrown out that District 36 did not award advancement points for the event.  This situation was corrected when the original layout crew was complemented with younger members who actively competed in D36 enduros.  The quality of the event improved significantly from 1979 onward.

Because the event was located in the southern most part of District 36 and was a long drive for many D36 members, the Quicksilver drew fewer contestants than other D36 enduros.  At the  same time, a number of southern California enduro  riders had discovered the Quicksilver and would journey north to compete.  In order to increase attendance, in 1982 the SRMC applied for and was selected to host a National Enduro in 1983.  The club also received a sanction from AMA District 37 for the 1983 event. 

The Ramblers hosted a national enduro each year from 1983 through 2007 except for two years, 1986 and 1988,  when we had to cancel the event due to snow.

 After the 1988 event, the club created a "wet weather course" that we turned in to the BLM in case snow would make the primary route impassable.  Twice in the ensuing years we had to revert to the wet weather course, first in 1994 and then again in 2001. 

 From 1961 to 1982, the Rambler's main charity function was the Salinas Elks and Salinas Ramblers Benefit Motorcycle Raves held at the California Rodeo Grounds.  During the 21 years the race was run, the two clubs raised more than $350,000 to aid children with cerebral palsy and other orthopedic handicaps.