Davenport Swap Meet 2013

For some reason, I had never been to the annual swap meet in Davenport, Iowa. Which is strange because it's less than 2 hours from where I live. I've always known it to predominantly consist of vendors selling vintage American iron. And while I love all these old bikes, I don't spend any of my money on anything other than Nortons or period aftermarket specialty parts. But what the hell, it's Labor Day weekend, so I decided to take the Friday off, and my buddy and I would make the trek.

It turned out to be well worth it, and I picked up a few needed parts. Nothing too crazy or exotic, but I found the Dominator timing cover that I've been searching for, the tail light bracket that's eluded me for some time now, a spare featherbed cross brace and a Webco float bowl extension. All for about a hundred bucks.

Past that, there wasn't a ton of British bikes or parts, but definitely enough to satisfy my attention and make the trip well worth it. Here's a smattering of what was on hand (or at least the things that interest me):

Flat track Norton with high dollar Steve Maney crankcase and cylinder
                                   

Ian Kennedy valve covers. I'd like to take a minute and talk about these. Ian Kennedy made some aftermarket parts back in the 1960's, most notably, his cast aluminum top yoke. As long as I've been around vintage bikes, and as much as I've searched for all these cool old bits, I've never seen these. When I first walked up, I thought this bike was for sale. It sat next to another Norton flat track rolling chassis that was for sale, and they both had signs in front of them. Since I was so excited to see these, I ignored what the sign actually said, and my plan was to try and purchase the rocker covers. I never try and buy individual parts off a complete bike, because it's basically just rude. But I was going to break my own rule and have a go at these things. Luckily, I realized the bike wasn't for sale, before the owner walked over to talk about the bike. So I wisely just kept my mouth shut and listened to him explain the very interesting history of the machine. Too bad for me, as I was willing to cough up a big chunk of money if these would have been for sale. Anyone out there that has a set of these kicking around, please email me. I'll gladly pay good money for them.

International Norton Owners Association gearbox inspection cover. These were made in stainless steel with painted inlay. They've been unavailable for quite a while now. I see them on bikes every once in a while, but I've never seen one for sale. This is another one of those things that I'd like to find some day.

 Dunstall Commando rear set bracket detail:

Inside the hall with all the bikes that were in the show, there were a few cool machines. I've always liked the paintwork on the Excelsior.

Back out in the swap meet area, interestingly painted pre unit BSA

You'll see a lot of old machines like this for sale, and while I'm not the buyer for these types of things, I think they're a thing of real beauty

JAP V-twin motor for sale. Magnesium crankcases and twin Amal GP carbs. It's hard to tell the scale from this photo, but this thing is massive. Far too big for any motorcycle frame. This would have originally powered a 3 wheeled Morgan.

A very original looking Yamaha race bike. I believe this to be a TZ 250, but could be wrong. I'm just not that educated on vintage Yamahas. Either way, it looked very purposeful.

Saving the very best for last. This Norton is the show stopper. Hands down, my 2nd all time dream bike. A very original featherbed framed Norton International. The featherbed Nortons are by far my favorite motorbike in the world. The absolute cream of the crop, would of course be a genuine Manx Norton. Followed in close second place by this machine.

The International is an overhead cam 500cc single cylinder machine, and unlike the Manx, you can actually ride and enjoy this bike on the road. You get the world famous featherbed handling with Roadholder front end, with the performance of an OHC single. Obviously the Manx is a purebred race bike, with no provision for electrical or lighting. It's also got no kick start or kick stand, so riding one on the road is impossibly impractical. So the closest road going brother to the Manx, would be the International.

A rare machine in every regard, especially here in the United States. Importing Norton motorcycles into the US didn't pick up until the 1960's, so there just aren't that many 1950's era examples to be found here. Much less one of this nature and this condition. This bike looks to be very original, well sorted and completely ready to ride. It was for sale, but carried a price tag well out of any modest man's budget.

The International cambox made for a tight fit in the road going frame. So much so, that the top tube needed to be crimped at the factory to make for clearance. Also seen in this photo is the original Amal TT carburetor.

Note the tire pump mounted on the top frame rail. This is the only machine with the tire pump frame tabs mounted on the left. All others were mounted on the right side frame rail. But for reasons of clearance on the cambox, as mentioned above, the factory simply changed to mount it on the near side.

All in all, a lovely machine that's had the same owner since 1973. I've purchased some Norton parts from the owner in the past, and I'm going to try and get some additional information about the history of this bike.

On a final note to all swap meet vendors, I simply ask that you know the parts that you're trying to sell. I understand and can appreciate the dance, and the art of negotiation, but please know what you're talking about and know the value of what you're selling. Countless times these guys are valuing parts at absolute top dollar. Which in some cases is fine, if the condition of the parts warrant it. Don't try and sell me some shabby, nicked up, dirty discarded part at a high value as if you've put the time, work and money into restoring it. Don't tell me how rare something is, or how valuable something is. I already know. Anyone trying to buy some miscellaneous part of your swap meet tarp, probably knows exactly what it is, how rare it may be and exactly what it's worth. I know that I sure do.
Don't use ebay as your sole comparison for value either. It's a swap meet, not ebay. If you want to use ebay to asses value, then sell your crap on ebay. A swap meet might have a few hundred potential buyers, whereas ebay has a billion people globally looking at your listing. That's a massive difference. Also, don't tell me that it's probably the only version of that part that's available for sale at the swap meet. Because guess what, with that same thinking, I'm probably the only person at the swap meet that's willing to buy it.
Don't start the negotiation by asking me how much I want to pay for it. Because I'm going to always say the same thing; $5. I know how it works, the seller wants to get as much as he can for it, and the buyer wants to pay the least amount possible. I'm always willing to pay the price for what it's really worth. So unless it's a new old stock part, or you've put the time, work and money into making it perfect, and I can take it straight from the swap meet and bolt it onto my bike, then it's not worth top dollar.
All this advice I offer for free, no charge. You're welcome.