The Neilson/Schilling 1977...
The Neilson/Schilling 1977 Daytona Superbike winner in its final iteration as Old Blue, Daytona 1997.
Prior to joining Cycle magazine in 1978, I made occasional forays to the offices in Westlake Village, California, to see what was going on. There Neilson and Schilling, along with Gordon Jennings, Dale Boller, Jess Thomas and Paul Halesworth, always made such groupies feel genuinely welcome. One fine day after college I arrived to find "Overdog," the 750cc predecessor to the 883cc Old Blue, ready for exercise in the shop. Unexpectedly, Neilson invited me to have a toot around town on it. Compact and lightweight, with low handlebars and feet-up rear-sets, it had the stance and the goods to take on any superbike of its day. I have an indelible memory of throttling it up in the Cycle driveway before heading out for a lap around the business park with that magnificent engine thundering away beneath the fiberglass tank (yes, maybe the one with the fly in it). Gulping race gas and sporting high-compression pistons and thigh-roasting high-pipes, it made a shocking amount of heat that only a long blast down Riverside's back straight could have quenched.
 Stein and Neilson at the 1979...  Stein and Neilson at the 1979 Ontario 6 Hour, where the author rode Old Blue's progeny, the Red-and-Silver Pile, in an exhibition race. Neilson would soon embark on a career in commercial photography. |  Neilson and Schilling reunited...  Neilson and Schilling reunited with Old Blue-and each other-at Daytona in 1997 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Superbike win. Neilson rocked the Speedway with a full-throttle blast on the bike. |  The author generated only...  The author generated only modest corner speed at Ontario, thanks to old slicks and a healthy dose of self-preservation. |
Staged photo-finish at the...
Staged photo-finish at the Ontario vintage race: The Red-and-Silver Pile had exponentially greater speed than Buddy Parriott's Norton Manx and Jody Nicholas' Gilera, and required drastic reining-in.
In the end, perhaps only five or six guys-including "King" Kenny Roberts-ever got a chance to swing a leg over one of the Cycle magazine racers. Although I contributed little if anything to Neilson and Schilling's endeavors during that time, it's a tremendous honor to have shared the experience.