Swing Time

We take a look back at an unusual motorcycle sport, which was growing in international popularity 100 years ago, but has since fallen out of the limelight.

The colder months are often a time for packing away your Harley-Davidson motorcycle, keeping it out of the snow, away from the salt on the roads and snug inside garages. However, 100 years ago it would appear that plenty of people kept them running, whatever the weather. In fact, one sport in particular was coming to the fore in The Enthusiast as an increasingly popular winter pastime: motorcycle polo (or motoball, as it is now more commonly known).

Motoball first began as an officially organised sport in the mid-1920s in Europe and is now played across the continent and beyond. The modern sport looks a lot more like football, with players on motorcycles kicking a large ball with the aim of scoring goals. Motorcycles are capped at 250cc and many players have a background in motorcross.

However, the early Harley-Davidson version of motorcycle polo was rather different and very literal. Players are pictured tackling the snow to play in Canada, with one rider piloting the motorcycle and another in the adjoining sidecar brandishing a polo mallet for whacking the ball. Similar scenes were caught of players in Australia – albeit under sunnier conditions – trying their hands at the recently introduced sport on a grass pitch.

Motorcycle polo was even featured multiple times in the regular Nobby Ned comic strip in The Enthusiast, showing how suitable Harley-Davidson motorcycles were for the game. And while modern-day motoball seems to have taken over, the original sport did enjoy a short resurgence in the 21^st century in Rwanda, albeit without sidecars.

Fancy seeing some other crazy sports being played with Harley-Davidsons in 1925? Click here to see the January 1925 edition and turn to page 12 for some snowy shenanigans.

Words by Wendy Brooking

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