Whats in a Name

"The Giant" "The Brute," "The Giant Killer" "The Beauty" "The Monster" "The Beast" "The Gorilla" "The Thing" "Quarter Horse" "Barn Job" "the Turnip Eater" "The Hog Slayer" ....all of these were names of motorcycles from the early days of drag racing. Great names.... great bikes; many of them legendary. Seems that the drag bikes of today rarely get a name. That's a shame, I think, for it added a little personality to an otherwise cold chunk of metal.

Keeping tradition in mind, it would only make sense that if one were to build a nostalgia drag bike, they should name it. Of course one would not want to take one of those renowned names from yesteryear, at least not on purpose. No, what a person needs is a good period correct name for a period correct drag bike. More to the point, since I am building a nostalgia drag bike, I need to find a suitable name for it.

Now, if you have been following the saga of my vintage style drag bike build, you may remember I have already named it "Vinnie," short for "Vintage Drag Bike." And while that is a perfectly good "working title," it never was meant to be the kind of name you would paint on a gas tank. In fact, "Vinnie" sounds more like a name that would be attached to the vintage rider than to the vintage drag bike. So, I am going to be forced to appeal to you, my three or four regular readers, to come up with suggestions for a good nostalgic name for a good nostalgic drag bike.

So far Jane and I have come up with two possibles. One is "The Vulture" and the other is "Greased Lightening," but I am certainly open to suggestions. I may even be able to come up with a T-shirt or similar prize for anyone who submits a name that I use. So tell me .... what would be a good name for a nostalgia drag bike, 1950's style?