Dick Mann

Dick Mann (June 13, 1934 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional motorcycle racer. He was a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship. Mann was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. He was one of the few riders to ride motocross and Observed Trials as well as dirt flat tracks, TT (tourist trophy) and road racing.

Mann was the second-winningest rider in AMA Grand National Series history with 24 national victories.

1960s In 1963, Mann won his first AMA Grand National title. Mann beat former world champion Mike Hailwood, and rising stars Gene Romero and Gary Nixon. It was the first win by Honda in an AMA national, He was still competing in vintage racing when he was inducted in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. Over 400 people came to see the opening.

Design and Fabrication

Throughout his racing career, Mann was an innovative designer and fabricator of frames and related hardware. He also worked for and acted as consultant to several motorcycle manufacturers.

1960s In 1966, Mann designed and fabricated a large diameter backbone Chromoly frame for his BSA A65. Elements of its geometry became the hallmark of several of his designs.

In 1967, Mann was retained by John Taylor of Yankee Motor Corp. and incorporated the same design elements into the Yankee 500Z. In 1969 while with Yankee, he designed and worked with Frank Conner of OSSA/West to build the highly successful OSSA/DMR flat tracker. After winning several National races, the DMR was put into a short run of production by Yankee with 150 units being produced in 1970-71.

Mann was also influential on styling. Design elements of an earlier BSA of Dick's appeared on the Ossa Wildfire SS tank in 1967, the DMR tank, and the tank and seat that graced the first 500Z prototypes in 1968. That prototype had influence on later designs such as Craig Vetter's Triumph X75 Hurricane.

1970s In 1975, Mann started designing frames for the Yamaha XT 500. In all, he sold some 200 frames for this engine in four marques, the final frames being completed in 1982. He also designed variations for the Honda XL/XR500 and the Suzuki DR/SP370. All the production frames were constructed by Terry Knight based on each of Mann's home built and extensively tested prototypes.

Personal life Mann owned a business specializing in restoring and selling vintage race motorcycles. He also actively participated in American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) Vintage Moto-Cross racing. His wife's name is Kay.

Biography

Mann of His Time, Ed Youngblood. Whitehorse Press (September 7, 2002). .