Beware of eBay bikes! This one came out of North Carolina. The high bidder dropped out (probably when he saw it in person!), so the Dick Mann replica came our way. My friend from Richmond, Mike Stevens, volunteered to pick it up. When it arrived at the Broom Factory, I was immediately disappointed. The bike was a cobby mess! I knew it didn’t have the correct forks or front wheel but what I didn’t know was that the frame was bent (probably why the front end was replaced!). What to do? We contacted Framecrafters, gave them our budget, and they were willing to give it a try. The repair took a while, but they did a great job! The steering head and wheel alignment are right on! Together, we saved a DMR. Fewer than 200 were built by Yankee Motors – the guess is about 50 4-speeds and 100+ 5-speeds – a very unique bike. Dick Mann-designed frame, Telesco 34mm road forks, steel spool hub with a WM-3-shouldered rim and 400-19 Carlisle tire, TT-based engine, diamond-patterned Boss seat, maroon metalflake gelcoat finish on fiberglass tank, alloy rear fender and quick-change rear hub. It turned out to be a good “practice run” before the Yankee 500 went into production! Old racers still talk about this American model today – it handled well. Thanks, Dick Mann!
Scott and Mike
