I've been looking forward to the show for months now. It makes for a nice destination to ride to, and it's a chance to see some great vintage motorbikes up close in person. It's about 42 miles from my house if going the scenic route, which is a mix of surface streets, rural highways and a fast paced, yet bumpy section of the highway. Weeks ago, the temperature had been sweltering hot, and the Norton was running really lean. This would be the first decent chance to test the tune of the bike in decent weather, and a long enough ride to really judge the different settings. A few days prior to the show, I lost the tach drive plug while out for a ride, but luckily didn't lose the gear. Either way, without a fix, or a replacement, I'd be unable to ride. Luckily, a close friend has a small machine shop in his house, and in about an hour's time, we were able to machine a new aluminum plug. So all was set for a fine day, and a really great way to spend a Sunday.
Bultaco Metralla, pretending to be the much desirable TSS. This is one of 2 replica bikes that he had at the show. Both of different size motors and entered in separate classes. I doubt the owner had any intentions of tricking anyone, but to the untrained eye, you'd think this could be a genuine TSS. A very good friend of mine knows a lot of these bikes, and was in attendance to point out their subtle differences. Either real or not, it's a good looking machine.
Two valve Jawa speedway bike, in original, as raced condition.
Unrestored and original condition Ducati 860. These models tend not to be nearly as desirable or expensive as other vintage Ducatis, but I personally really like them.
Nice looking BSA, also original and unrestored.
The other side, with nice bronze tachometer drive.
The usual sea of Triumphs
A very nice and original pre unit Triumph 500. I spoke to the owner who said it's been in the family since new. Strangely, it was for sale. Seems to me that it'd be more valuable to keep it and enjoy it, then to get the $5000 or so that it's probably worth. But then again, what do I know.
Late 70's Triumph 750 class. Easily the least desirable section of the show.
Due to this being a Norton Owners Club show, you'd think there would be more Nortons in attendance. But that just wasn't the case. In the 850 Commando class, I think there were 4 bikes, 2 bikes in the 750 Commando class, and 2 in the "other Nortons" class.
Here's a really nice early 1950's ES2. I really like these old thumpers. If this one would have been in a featherbed frame, it'd easily have been Best in Show.
1966 Norton Atlas in cafe racer trim.
Inside the dealership, they had a few vintage machines on display. Which was a nice surprise. This one a small displacement MV Augusta.
And the extremely cool Italjet 50cc road racer.
Back out in the lot, amongst the BSA's, I found this one to be the gem of the bunch. I don't know a ton about BSA's, and I despise the unit motor lump, but the styling of the cycle parts on this one, made it classic and very attractive.
You don't see many Royal Enfield twin cylinder machines. A nice looking restoration, and top quality RK Leighton seat.
The other Bultaco that wished it was a TSS.
Bultaco cockpit.
Single cylinder AJS, another rarity.
750 Commando stood along in it's class after being rolled off a trailer. Not long after, it was joined by another yellow 750 Commando which found it's way to the show on a trailer.
I wished I would have taken more photos, but as is often the case, I get busy trying to have a good time and enjoy the show. Being a part time internet motorcycle blog nerd simply comes second to actually enjoying the bikes, the people and the show in general.
The selection of Vincents at the show was impressive. One of which had some serious fading paint to it's primary cover. It was a really nice bike, and looked to be ridden frequently. When the owner fired it up at the end of the show, the float bowl on the rear cylinder dumped enough gas onto the painted primary to tell the tale as to why the paint loss. Another indication that it sees some serious time being ridden. I'm a big proponent of actually riding these bikes. That's what they were made for. I'll concede that I understand why some choose not to ride them, but I feel that those people really miss out on the other half of what owning a vintage motorcycle is all about. I enjoy wrenching and restoring just as much as the next guy, but until you get to send it down the road, it's just not complete.
There were a ton of nice motorcycles and scooters at the show, and unfortunately, I didn't photograph nearly as many as I should have. Hopefully next time I'll do a better job, or better yet, hopefully anyone out there that's reading this, will come out to the show themselves and enjoy it in person.
The Norton Owners Club put on a nice event, and even gave out some cool trophies for each class. I really hate to prop myself up, but my Norton won 1st in class. Don't pat me on the back too much though, there were only 2 bikes in the class, so I had a 50 / 50 chance at it. Either way, it's nice that other people enjoyed the bike. I'm sure I got some extra points for actually riding it there.
And last, but certainly not least, one of the highlights in my opinion, was the fact that the club had T.C. Christenson out to the show, and signing autographs. For those that don't know, T.C. Christenson rode a twin engined Norton drag bike, named the Hogslayer. The bike was designed and built by T.C., and John Gregory of Sunset Motors, and together, they absolutely dominated the drag race world for a long stretch of time. You can look it up online, and even purchase a DVD documenting the entire thing.
It's always really cool to sit and talk with a living legend. Thanks for the autographed photo T.C., I truly appreciate it.
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