Description
Indian 1929 Scout “101” 600 cc V-twin in “Wall of Death” trim
The “Wall of Death” is a carnival sideshow featuring a silo- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, ranging from 20 to 36 feet (6.1 to 11.0 m) in diameter, inside of which motorcyclists, or the drivers of miniature automobiles, travel along the vertical wall and perform stunts, held in place by centripetal force.
Derived directly from United States motorcycle boardtrack (motordrome) racing in the early 1900s, the very first carnival motordrome appeared at Coney Island amusement park (New York) in 1911.
The following year portable tracks began to appear on traveling carnivals, and in 1915 the first "silodromes" with vertical walls appeared and were soon dubbed the "Wall of Death."
This attractive form of amusement soon spread to fairs in Europe and other continents and from the 1930s hundreds of Wall of Death artists were performing all over the word.
The motorcycles most widely used were the first generation Indian Scout models that were famous for their stability and dependability.
After WW2 most shows disappeared; In the 2000s, there remain only few touring Walls of Death (source: Wikipedia).
A notable show is that of Dutchman Henny Kroeze.
On a historic wooden wall-of-death dating from 1936 Henny and his team are performing breathtaking manoeuvres on the steep wall, among others with three Indian Scouts.
See www.steilewand.nl
The history of the machine we offer here is not known, but it is supposed she once was part of a Dutch show.
The machine is essentially a 1929 model but it has been fitted with early 20s fixed head Scout cylinders