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WORLD PREMIERE OF GURNEY ALLIGATOR MOTORCYCLE
Dan Gurney introduces his Alligator motorcycle at the
Petersen Museum in Los Angeles on April 24, 2002. Chassis No.1 is presented
to Mr. Robert E. Petersen for permanent display at the museum.
PRODUCTION OF "36 LIMITED EDITION" HAS BEGUN
It was a spectacular birth: Alligator Chassis No I
cracked through an enormous Styrofoam egg to the delight of the press and
many fans who gathered at the Petersen Museum on Wednesday night for a
celebration. It was the first glimpse the public got of the finished Gurney
ALLIGATOR motorcycle, an exclusive single cylinder niche bike for the street
which has been developed over 2 decades.
Production on a "36 LIMITED EDITION" has started. The
number 36 is significant as it was the number that donned the Formula I
Eagle which won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, exactly 35 years ago, a first
for an American built car and driver/constructor and an achievement that has
not been duplicated yet. The first 36 Alligators will commemorate and
feature the colors of the car that made F I history. With the Alligator motorcycles
being designed and built in the very same facility as the F I car, Dan
Gurney hopes to make history on an entirely different front.
This radically different looking motorcycle with its low center of gravity
has been developed over 2 decades and has been called
"revolutionary" and "representing a breakthrough" by
many of the 89 riders that have logged countless test miles on the 5
prototypes preceding the final version. It is a feet-forward single cylinder
(modified Honda air-cooled 710cc engine) with electric start and fuel
injection delivering around 70 plus horsepower, weighing approx. 320 pounds
with a top speed of approx. 140mph.
The Gurney ALLIGATOR has a look and riding feel unique and different from
anything on the road. Unlike other motorcycles, the rider sits below the top
of the tires with feet in a forward position. The fuel tank is mounted below
the seat and behind the engine. Gurney originally moved in this design
direction because he is tall and many bikes made him feel as if he were
pitching forward when going downhill. The Alligator is this concept taken to
its logical extreme. What works so well for tall people works equally well
for people with shorter legs. They do not have any trouble getting on or off
the bike, are no longer worried about falling over at a standstill and being
closer to the ground, they feel much more comfortable and safe. This low CG
concept has been developed and refined over the years into something quite
extraordinary: a motorcycle with a confidence inspiring riding feel, obvious
and significant aerodynamic benefits and most of all: a fun factor to match.
The ALLIGATOR name, which has been trademarked, came about because of the
bike’s long, low appearance. The name was also chosen to reflect the
American aspect of this intriguing machine, as the Alligator is a species of
North America not found anywhere else in the world.
In the modern day world of design by computer, committee and consensus, this
machine is the product of one man’s idea in the tradition of the great
motormen of the past. "To go where no man has gone before " has
been a Gurney trademark in the motor racing world for four decades. With the
introduction of this revolutionary exclusive motorcycle for the street, a
new chapter has begun.

For sales information: Email:
aarpr@aarinc.com
Dan Gurney Alligator Motorcycles, Inc.
Corporate Offices:
2334 S. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92707-0186
Tel. (714)540-1771 Fax: (714)540-3749
Email: aarpr@aarinc.com
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