Road America + AHRMA + Rockerbox = ?

Admittedly, I'm a fairly harsh critic of vintage motorcycle events, but I feel the responsibility to give a proper review of the events that I attend. Surely there will be some other posts online about the 2014 marriage of the AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Races and the acclaimed Rockerbox street fest that previously happened in downtown Milwaukee, but this is my account of things. First off, the ticket price was steep, at $30 per person for the day. Last year it was half that price for the AHRMA event, and the Rockerbox event, was always free. So, right off the bat, I was pissed off and expecting a lot for my money. Cutting right to the chase, the swap meet was crap, but every year it's crap, so no big change there. The races and the paddock are always a good time, and I enjoy being able to get up close to the race bikes and talk with some of my favorite riders. The AHRMA portion of the event, was exactly as expected. Which in my opinion, is generally a good thing, as long as I don't have any expectations of finding any useful parts, and simply keep an open mind to enjoy the racing. It's gotten a little stale over the years, and it's basically the same crowd of racers, and the same bikes. I still have no idea why modern sport bikes race in this event. The AMA event was the previous weekend, so I beg for the organizer to look at excluding the sport bikes. It simply makes no sense to me at all. The Thruxton class, while modern, at least makes sense as a contemporary version of what the old bikes were. As for the Rockerbox portion of the event, it was a complete flop. A small parking lot section for the "bike show", and absolutely no feel of what Rockerbox is known for. No street festival vibe, no Fuel Cafe, and honestly, I don't think many people wanted to ride the hour or so from Milwaukee to Elkhart Lake. So it was a mere fraction of what the show used to be. And while I understand why it happened this way, I just feel like it was a complete failure. Lastly, I'm going to make a plea to all bike show organizers, to PLEASE stop hosting a "rat bike" class in the bike show. Nobody wants to see some cobbled together, rusty piece of junk with a tractor seat. It disgusting, pathetic and lazy.

As for everything else, I'll just share my photos with you. I only shot what was interesting, which honestly wasn't much. Hopefully you enjoy the photos more than I enjoyed driving 3 hours, paying $30 and feeling ripped off.

The McKeever's tent is alway my favorite. This year, they hung this great old Norton banner, with some very cool signatures

Larry Poons races this original Seeley framed Matchless G50 and a Ducati. This guy is doing it right, and it's always a pleasure to see him out there with some genuine machines.

This hand formed aluminum tank was quite cool.

John Thorndike officially apologizes to his petrol tank, for a crash that it suffered last season.

The owner wasn't around, but I believe this is a Summerfield 93mm bore Manx replica. Francis Beart paint job, and some very cool detailed bits throughout.

A nice Ducati single rolling chassis for sale

This Vincent and it's owner are from the Chicago area, and he puts a lot of miles on it. He restored it years ago and brought it back to life from very rough condition.

A nice Gliera in the Rockerbox show.

Harley Davidson CRTT racer, with original magnesium Oldani brakes

I've seen this Atlas special at the Rockerbox show. It's a bit of an odd set up and choice of parts, but the Evan Wilcox tanks are stunning.

 Hadn't seen this one before

Very cool BSA Goldstar racer with Norton Commando 2LS front brake and scoop extension.

Kenny Cummings was out in force with 3 Minnovation bikes. A Commando powered Seeley and 2 G50 powered Seeley's. I've shot tons of photos of his bikes, so this year, I wanted to have a look at just the swingarm adjusters. I'm working on a very special project of my own, and wanted a reference photo of the adjuster set up.

Framecrafters Triumph

Gas Cap detail of a Ducati Brio scooter that was for sale.

I have no use for a BSA tank, but this swap meet treasure looked great sitting there. Someone needed it, as I saw a guy walking around with it under his arm later in the day.

John Player Norton Commando

If you've followed along with the blog, it's pretty obvious that I'm a Norton guy, so I've saved the best for last. This 1957 featherbed International, is about as good as it gets when it comes to Norton roadsters. A special order bike that wasn't listed in the catalog that year, and still wearing all it's original bits, with the exception of the higher handlebars. I'll let that detail slide, since the rest of the machine is amazing!

This Norton was owned by Jerry Ficklin for several decades, and was recently purchased by a very fine gentleman, who was kind enough to let me talk his ear off for a good half hour. Jerry is a well known racer, and long time Norton enthusiast. I know he's gotten a bit older and has sold a few things over the past year, and while I'm sorry to see him part with it, It was also very nice to see someone new getting to enjoy it. 

I can't remember the guy's name, as I was so blown away at seeing the Norton and all it's glorious details, so if you're out there and happen to read this, please email me at works.moto@gmail.com

I'm sure that the event organizers will claim the weekend to be a huge success, and post an increase in the attendance, but I believe that's a misguided conclusion, and I truly hope that Rockerbox goes back to it's roots. I enjoyed the 2 events for different reasons, when they stood on their own. Put them together, and it all just comes up short.