In Monday's Then and Now column, we'll delve into the pre-1960 motorcycle culture in Spokane. In the early years of motorcycling in Spokane, there was Brush Cycle, started by C.F. Bruschi in 1921.  It was the Harley Davidson dealership. Bruschi held the 1917 record for riding 1000 miles in 24 hours on a motorcycle with a sidecar.  Then he sold to George Faulders, who won or nearly won most of the races he entered for much of his adult life. The Spokane Motorcycle Club organized events, races, rides and parties, but also emphasized safety and training. Veteran rider Arthur Hitchcock talked with the Spokesman-Review in 1953 and emphasized the dangers of life on a motorcycle. "The secret to riding a motorcycle is to be afraid of it," he said. "When you think you can ride a motorcycle, that's when the trouble starts and you get hurt." The 1950s was a more innocent time to be a member of the , but Dan Hite, a former mechanic at Brush Cycle, and his fellow club members played a role in the 1961 apprehension of Hugh B. "Chris" Morse, a multiple murderer who used to attend club events.  Some of the observant members noticed that Morse disappeared after each killing and didn't participate much during searches for the victims of the local sex slayings. Morse was eventually admitted to several violent murders and died in prison at age 73. Outlaw motorcycle gangs became the news story of the 1960s and 1970s and still catch the attention of law enforcement today, though they are less visible than they used to be. 

 

 

 

 

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