Chicago - Mods vs. Rockers 2013

Each year I go to this show with much hesitation. The main reason for this is because the premise for the show being Mods vs. Rockers, which in this case is grossly misleading. I realize that the the event is supposed to be done in the "spirit" of the era and is hosted as a way to get motorcycle enthusiasts together to celebrate that long lost era of the 50's and 60's. But since the amount of bikes and scooters that actually represent the era correctly can be counted on 1 hand, it's a real disappointment. In the end, I wish the name of the show would simply be changed. There's certainly nothing wrong with getting people together for a motorcycle event, but in this case, the show has become a mockery of itself. Anyone wishing to know more about the history of the Mods and Rockers, and the bikes and scooters they rode, should do their research. This isn't a history lesson by any means. I just simply don't like the fact that over the last 5 years or so, the concept of such things has gotten misrepresented and watered down to a point of being unrecognizable. So much so, that any new comers finding motorcycles or scooters for the first time, are getting a big dose of all the wrong information.
Chicago doesn't seem to have a very good scene for vintage motorcycles in general. Which is strange considering the size of city, overall population and vast amount of people that are out riding. This particular show seems to be more social experiment than motorcycle show.

This year, I decided to cough up $125 for my half of a booth space. A good friend of mine and I would share a booth with the intent to showcase genuine machines of the era, the chance to sell some nicely restored parts and promote being able to help with the import of special parts and potential restoration services. I was skeptical of participating to be honest, and this was simply based on my experience with the event in years past. But I decided to put my money where my mouth is in order to be part of hopefully accurately showcasing vintage machines. What a noble soul I am (sarcastic of course). The main issue for me was that by setting up a booth, I'd be unable to ride to the show. With 2 trucks worth of bikes, parts, tables and tents, I simply would be working instead of riding in and enjoying the show as a spectator / participant. Oh well, such is life.

The day started out in pouring rain and looked like it would be a complete disaster. All week was forecasted thunder storms and when the morning came, the forecast proved to be correct. We packed up and headed into the city early in order to get a decent booth location. 55 miles later and we're there. Setting up in the rain, trying to stay dry and trying to make our presentation look, well, presentable. Mission accomplished, and after about 2 /12 more hours of rain, the skies cleared up and the ground dried up. This is the point where I really missed the fact that I wasn't able to ride.

In order to not get long winded, I'll summarize; the show is great social gathering and I can respect all the effort that goes into it. But the turn out of bikes and people isn't very impressive. Or at least that's my humble opinion. In the end, I think maybe 5 people gave a shit about what we had to show. Which is about 5 more than I figured would care.

Photos from the show with a few captions for the things that mattered. I'll let you make up your mind about the rest:

A sea of modern Triumph Bonnevilles.

The collection of BMWs are the only ones that seem to have it right. BMW owners are well known for the amount of miles they put on, as well as being pretty obsessed with the details. Hats off to all the nice BMWs that were a highlight of the show. A couple of which had the very rare Haske fuel tanks.

Interesting BSA single. This one is a bitsa based around a 500cc B33 motor, which has been stroked to increase it's capacity. Some nice features including brass bezel speedometer, banjo fitting for the fuel tank vent and vented single leading shoe front drum.

This Triton is owned by Larry Fletcher, and he puts on the Mods vs. Rockers show. Hats off to all the hard work that goes into it. And don't hold it against him for the people that turn out for the show.

This is a very rare, mostly period correct cafe racer. Built by a small North London firm called Marchant and Durward. I'm not a Triton fan by any means, so it pains me a bit to point out how nice of a bike this is. I feel that you're either a Triumph guy or a Norton guy, so the meshing of the two, is sacrilegious in my book. This machine is really interesting in that it consists of an early wideline featherbed Norton frame and pre unit Triumph motor, but was assembled by the firm in 1968. The late 50's and early 60's cafe racers were all home built machines that were stripped down, modified and fitted with discarded race parts whenever possible. But by the mid 1960's, bolt on cafe racer kits started to become available through the likes of John Tickle and Paul Dunstall. So this particular bike is of that era, but much more rare than the Dunstall and Tickle bits. Actually, this is the only one that I've seen in the flesh, and even finding information or photos online is next to impossible.

Clubman bars and white grips seem out of place on such a machine. Velocette steering damper knob is broken and a sign of the age and use of this bike back when it was built.

Another strange feature is the heat wrapped pipes. They just seem out of place on this bike, and certainly wouldn't have been original. Stamped timing cover shows the firm's mark.

Cast aluminum front brake plate twin leading shoe adapted into standard Norton front hub, with scoop, and M / D stamped into the brake arm.

A good example of the sort of confusion you'll see with newly built "custom" bikes. Yamaha motor and frame with a Honda tank..

Original 1970's Triumph dirt tracker. Not my cup of tea, but a genuine bike nonetheless.

A couple of vintage Moto Guzzis. The red one was in the show, and the black one, simply parked on the street.

The Honda 450 Black Bomber is my favorite of all Hondas. A late 60's machine and built before the gaudy style that Honda adopted in the 1970's. It's got a great stance and a solid presence. This one was nicely restored and looked the part.

Very nice pre unit Triumph in classy black and tan paint and period panniers.

I saved the best for last. This beautiful Italian race bike belongs to a good friend of mine and is about as nice as it gets. Very rare 1965 Zanzani Motobi 250cc factory race bike. Saved from the scrap yard and restored over a very long period of time. A true commitment to the passion of owning a vintage machine. I hope to give this bike it's due justice and give it an in depth feature at some point in the future.

You'll probably find a bunch of other features online about the Mods vs. Rockers show, and I feel that the photos tend to make it look better than it really is. Maybe I'm too big a critic. But I attend these events to see great vintage motorcycles and hopefully meet link minded people that love their machines. But in the end, this one tends to be more of a street party than an enthusiasts gathering. But you can make up your own mind.