By Tracy Karasinski
Notes on Flashlights
The Allure of Flashlights and Motorcycles…
A couple of weeks ago Mr. Wonderful graciously helped me out with one of my interminable motorcycle issues. While he was addressing the bike and I was wandering around looking for something productive to do, I asked for his thoughts on a solid replacement for my go-to flashlight that recently gave up the ghost. Afterall, among many other things he’s a flashaholic. “Hey Bill, why do you like that brand so much?” He promptly tossed his bright little torch on the concrete floor and said “that’s why.” I was sold.
But why are we talking about flashlights in a motorcycle newsletter? What’s the connection?
Like many things, each tells a story of intelligence, innovation, evolution, and adventure. Flashlights were born in the very early 1900’s, equipped with weak zinc carbon batteries and incandescent bulbs. Motorcycles became available a decade or so earlier. Both have clearly (and thankfully) evolved over the past 120 plus years.
For collectors and enthusiasts, vintage flashlights, like vintage motorcycles, are more than just objects—they are a way of preserving history. Each item is a link to the past, a tangible piece of our own stories and the experiences of those who came before us.