The Minneapolis Motorbike

Jim Black's first transportation invention revved at 10 mph. He attached a lawn mower motor to his bicycle and became the envy of all the other 14 year-olds in his Minneapolis neighborhood.

The son of a flight instructor, Jim spent many hours with his father in their engineering workshop/garage tinkering on projects way too dangerous for any kids today.

A Man in Uniform... or more often jumpsuit

Jim earned his wings at the Flying Cloud Airport with a solo flight in a Cessna 150. He started his college career at the University of Minnesota where he met his wife.
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Called to serve, Jim joined the Air Force working as an aircraft mechanic/flight engineer flying test bed aircraft.
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Cessna 02 Skymaster Oshkosh Fly-In 2017
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Convair C-131 Flight Engineer - Ohio 1971

Getting a Little Experimental

After earning his Engineering degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Jim joined Piper Aircraft designing jet engine installations. His career took him to Boeing, Learjet, Williams International (they make jet engines and jet packs), and Northwest Airlines (as lead engineer for the DC-10 jet engines).

Duct tape, fabric, and glue filled his free time as he built a series of Ultralight Aircraft collaborating with other EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) members. He's flown several times to the one of the nation's largest airshows at Oshkosh, WI (only been there 17 times).

It Started in the Garage

Shifting his focus to "low flying," Jim returned to building a better bicycle.

He recognized the social benefits of enjoying a bike ride with friends or family on a sunny day and combined two bicycles into a "sociable" tandem. After researching ergonomics, he pushed his design to the next level by leaning back into a recumbent model.

Growing demands for his bikes lead to the founding of Blackbird Bikes (a division of Blackbird Design Inc - Jim's contract design engineering firm).

Awards & Applause

Issued a patent in 2003, Blackbird Bikes have been sold and ridden around the world.

The Veterans Association, the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, the Parkinson's Foundation, Can-Do-Canine, the MS Society, Gillette Children's, and many others have praised Blackbird Bikes for driving people to think differently about where their abilities can take them.

The CBS Early Show, NBC Kare 11, the Million Dollar Idea TV show, and the Star Tribune featured stories about Blackbird Bikes and their riders. Jim was even invited to "Pitch to America" for the Tonight Show.
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