[Truth]

Im a capricorn, that explains my shit luck!!!! Thanks, rich!

I'm not too sure on this one.

The race he refers to was a boardtrack race on the 1 1/4 mile Los Angles Motor Speedway, in what is now Beverly Hills. It was on Thanksgiving Day, 1920.

The driver and mechanic that were killed were Eddie O'Donnell and Layll Jolls, who were both in a yellow Duesenburg, and Gaston Chevrolet, who was in a red Frontenac.

Green was a bad luck color in racing way before 1920. It comes from astrology, and the sign of Capricorn. One of the astrological traits of Capricorns is that people born under this sign are thought to be not as lucky in life as people born under other signs. There is also an old superstition that Capricorns are a "jinx" to be around, and that their "bad luck" will rub off on other people.

By coincidence, the astrological color Capricorns were given was........green.

 

[scootermcrad]

Okay, here's a new one to add to the list... Some "Harley Guy" told me this story. He wasn't a very reliable source... but who knows. So here goes...

The story I was told about green being bad luck for motorcyles was that during WWII the officers that broke the news to a family that their husband/father/son had died at war rode green motorcycles. So even seeing one was supposed to be a negative connotation.

So let me say again... NOT MY story, but I was told that one a couple years ago. Just thought I would throw that one in since we haven't heard it yet...

Urban legends are fun! Who knows, but the shadow do....

 

[Pure Hell]

Ya, the way I heard it... green was the "Color of Death for Race Cars" ...
Must have been an American thing .... Or I guess there wouldn't be British racing green !.....

 

[james]

Besides the stories already mentioned, I think having a green bike in a rural area might tend to blend in with the background and be harder to see? Kida like a black bike at night?

 

[Big Fink]

I have dug that bike from the first time I saw it. I like green anyway, but it has to be the right shade for what it's on, and not everything should be painted green.

I had never listened to anyone saying that, my Scorcher is green and has been very good to me.

I would say that green isnt a color for every bike though...

-Jason

 

[DanCollins]

I've heard about green bein bad luck on bikes since I was 16 getting ready to paint my first bike, a 74 xl. I had always considered it to be a Harley only thing for some reason though, not sure why. Also, around here, having grown up in LA and the valley, it has always seemed like a no no on choppers to me because of the Vagos. They were the only ones I had ever seen riding green bikes, or bikes with green in the paint scheme.(I used to work at a shop where a few of them would buy parts.) It seems like that's changing now though, I have at least 3 friends locally that have green choppers, although one of em did just get hit on his pan, and had to replace his VL front end(that's bad luck!) On another note, i had an ironhead about 10 years ago with a 13 painted on the right side of the tank. I got hit on that bike and walked with a cane for 2 years. Bike was totalled. I probably wouldn't do that again....