Best in Show winner 1974 MV Agusta 750S of Simon Graham; a show-winner, ridden regularly.  This is the second time a 'ridden not hidden' bike has won Best in Show at the Quail.

In its fourth year on the grass of Quail Lodge's golf course, the Quail M/C Gathering felt qualitatively different this year, as if it had been holding its breath, watching and waiting, and this year decided to exhale.  The mood was relaxed and friendly, everyone was happy to be there, the day was perfect as usual, enthusiasts and collectors traveled long distances to participate, and the quality of machinery was simply excellent, with an increasingly broad selection of ogle-able bikes. 

A few MV production racers at the Gary Kohs MV-only display

The big features - an Indian display, Gary Koh's 32-MV collection, the débuts of the new Crocker and Magni-Triumph, Marty Dickerson with his 'Blue Bike' - were impressive, and worth a bit of hype.  When Michael Schacht revved up his 84hp/80cu" Crocker, everyone noticed, and appreciated the deep throaty rasp of this hand-built machine.  Giovanni Magni was a quiet presence, visiting the US for the first time (with his daughter) to see the unveiling of the first-ever British-engined Magni, with a pumped up BSA triple racing engine powering the typically Italianate rosso chassis.

Unveiling the Magni-BSA special, with TripleTec 930cc racing engine

Interviewing Marty Dickerson as part of my emcee duties was the highlight of my day; I've been reading about his exploits aboard Vincents since I started riding at 15; sitting beside his 'Blue Bike', now owned by Herb Harris, it took little prodding to hear his reminiscences about this legendary machine, which really helped establish the HRD-Vincent name in the US.  Dickerson was employed by the American importer of Vincents to ride his perfectly standard 1947 Series B Rapide around the small towns of the US, to give riders a chance to see the bikes up close.

Marty Dickerson

The legend of the Vincent preceded him, and in most towns, the fastest local bike would challenge him to a race, which he won every time but one, in around 50 illegal street speed contests; he related 'the first time I rode into Arizona, in some tiny town, all the local riders begged me to race a guy with a hotrodded Ford, who had beaten them all.  I was Shanghai'd into the contest, which had already been set up for 10pm that night on a pitch black rural road - if everyone had left, I would have been completely lost!  The riders lined both sides of the road, and at the end of the distance had headlight beams crossing the road.  The car guy said 'rolling start from 50mph', so we rode out a ways, and paralleled each other.  That was the ride I learned the 'Poor Man's Tuneup'; when I shifted into 3rd gear at around 90mph, I wasn't getting enough power, and he was pulling ahead, so I dropped into 2nd gear, which cleared the plug, the engine surged, and I beat him by a wheel'.  

Marty Dickerson's legendary 'Blue Bike'

Pulling double duty as emcee and a judge of the Concours meant less time to take photos and closely examine the entries, but the numbers tell their own tale; more entries, more bikes on the field, more spectators than the previous year.  The Quail is growing, gaining international attention, and is bound to attract an even wider range of machines in the coming years.  The Quail Lodge has been closed for the duration of this event, meaning participants need to find lodging elsewhere in the Carmel/Monterey area, but it looks like the hotel may re-open by next May, which means a lot more 'parking lot' encounters and casual chat time as trucks roll up on Thursday afternoon...the stuff which strengthens connections between collectors, builders, riders, and fans.  Fingers crossed.

East Side Moto Babes Ana and Stacie

Barn find BMW R69S for sale in the Corral...

The outrageous twin-engined BUB streamliner; Dennis Manning was allowed to skip the podium ramp-ride when it won a prize in the Competition category...

She stood all day by Robbie Cadwallader's 1966 Rickman-Bultaco, and it won a prize in the Off-Road category.  Coincidence?

Rainbow bungees on a big Indian Chief

The ones who make it happen...the Quail staff is incredible, and always friendly

At the end of the day, trying out the new Crocker...a full road test will follow this summer

Beautiful '48 Indian Chief with sidecar; behind is my Production Manager, Debbie MacDonald (formerly of Thunder Press), with husband Neil on the left, and moto-photo-journalist Clem Salvadori

The post-Quail-Ride banquet; video clips of Mert Lawill in action in 'On Any Sunday', during a tribute to the man himself.

Ducati, recently sold to Audi for $1.1Billion, could afford to bring girls as well as bikes...

Gene Brown's 1960 BSA DBD34 Gold Star, which has 4 miles from new!

Mark Hoyer awards Shinya Kimura the Cycle World 'Elegance in Action' trophy, for an exceptional bike which gets used a lot; Shinya's MV Agusta qualifies!

Original-condition Feilbach Limited of 1911

Falcon's Ian Barry and tuner/builder Paul Zell examine the AFT 'Sento', AMD world champion custom bike

Looking not a little NASCAR; the HD-engined Gurney Alligator

I spy a perfectly-sized rider for the mini-Indian

The MV 175cc racer with Earles forks and extended fuel/oil tanks...poetry

Twin gear-driven camshafts, elegantly housed in magnesium, aged to perfection.

Giovanni Magni, carrying on with his father's legendary chassis-building workshop in Italy, here débuting the BSA-Magni special.  Molto gentile!

American racing legend, and 'On Any Sunday' star, Mert Lawill, here with his daughter.  Hilarious conversational tidbit; 'do you think it would be ok if I asked Mert's daughter on a date, or will Mert kick my ass?'

The Gary Kohs MV-only parking lot...

Never put your MV in the laundry...

Interviewing Michael Schacht with his all-new Crocker motorcycle, the result of 11 years of struggle.  I wrote a brief piece for Cycle World after the interview, which you can read here.  A longer article will appear later...

Rare beast; a Royal Enfield Fury flat-track racer from the Ray Abrams collection.  Apparently this bike did very well in the 1960s

Lovely Royal Enfield 700cc Interceptor Mk2, built thus for the American market; one heavy desert sled!

At the Sale Corral; a trio of Vespas

How it looks from the podium at prize-giving time...

Chief Judge of the Quail Concours d'Elegance, Somer Hooker, here with John Stein's '72 Ducati 750SS

Woz!  I have no idea what this man does or sells, but he looks like victory to me.

Honda CB160 racing is not a new phenomenon; current CB-class racer Stacie B. London tries on a time-warp barn-find CB160, as last raced.

What American dirt-track racing was all about from the late 1920s thru the early 1950s; an Indian Scout racer

The genuine 'They don't pay me enough to ride this thing' Kenny Rogers TZ750 Yamaha dirt-tracker.  Madness.

Best in Show winner 1974 MV Agusta 750S of Simon Graham; a show-winner, ridden regularly.  This is the second time a 'ridden not hidden' bike has won Best in Show at the Quail.

In its fourth year on the grass of Quail Lodge's golf course, the Quail M/C Gathering felt qualitatively different this year, as if it had been holding its breath, watching and waiting, and this year decided to exhale.  The mood was relaxed and friendly, everyone was happy to be there, the day was perfect as usual, enthusiasts and collectors traveled long distances to participate, and the quality of machinery was simply excellent, with an increasingly broad selection of ogle-able bikes. 

A few MV production racers at the Gary Kohs MV-only display

The big features - an Indian display, Gary Koh's 32-MV collection, the débuts of the new Crocker and Magni-Triumph, Marty Dickerson with his 'Blue Bike' - were impressive, and worth a bit of hype.  When Michael Schacht revved up his 84hp/80cu" Crocker, everyone noticed, and appreciated the deep throaty rasp of this hand-built machine.  Giovanni Magni was a quiet presence, visiting the US for the first time (with his daughter) to see the unveiling of the first-ever British-engined Magni, with a pumped up BSA triple racing engine powering the typically Italianate rosso chassis.

Unveiling the Magni-BSA special, with TripleTec 930cc racing engine

Interviewing Marty Dickerson as part of my emcee duties was the highlight of my day; I've been reading about his exploits aboard Vincents since I started riding at 15; sitting beside his 'Blue Bike', now owned by Herb Harris, it took little prodding to hear his reminiscences about this legendary machine, which really helped establish the HRD-Vincent name in the US.  Dickerson was employed by the American importer of Vincents to ride his perfectly standard 1947 Series B Rapide around the small towns of the US, to give riders a chance to see the bikes up close.

Marty Dickerson

The legend of the Vincent preceded him, and in most towns, the fastest local bike would challenge him to a race, which he won every time but one, in around 50 illegal street speed contests; he related 'the first time I rode into Arizona, in some tiny town, all the local riders begged me to race a guy with a hotrodded Ford, who had beaten them all.  I was Shanghai'd into the contest, which had already been set up for 10pm that night on a pitch black rural road - if everyone had left, I would have been completely lost!  The riders lined both sides of the road, and at the end of the distance had headlight beams crossing the road.  The car guy said 'rolling start from 50mph', so we rode out a ways, and paralleled each other.  That was the ride I learned the 'Poor Man's Tuneup'; when I shifted into 3rd gear at around 90mph, I wasn't getting enough power, and he was pulling ahead, so I dropped into 2nd gear, which cleared the plug, the engine surged, and I beat him by a wheel'.  

Marty Dickerson's legendary 'Blue Bike'

Pulling double duty as emcee and a judge of the Concours meant less time to take photos and closely examine the entries, but the numbers tell their own tale; more entries, more bikes on the field, more spectators than the previous year.  The Quail is growing, gaining international attention, and is bound to attract an even wider range of machines in the coming years.  The Quail Lodge has been closed for the duration of this event, meaning participants need to find lodging elsewhere in the Carmel/Monterey area, but it looks like the hotel may re-open by next May, which means a lot more 'parking lot' encounters and casual chat time as trucks roll up on Thursday afternoon...the stuff which strengthens connections between collectors, builders, riders, and fans.  Fingers crossed.

East Side Moto Babes Ana and Stacie

Barn find BMW R69S for sale in the Corral...

The outrageous twin-engined BUB streamliner; Dennis Manning was allowed to skip the podium ramp-ride when it won a prize in the Competition category...

She stood all day by Robbie Cadwallader's 1966 Rickman-Bultaco, and it won a prize in the Off-Road category.  Coincidence?

Rainbow bungees on a big Indian Chief

The ones who make it happen...the Quail staff is incredible, and always friendly

At the end of the day, trying out the new Crocker...a full road test will follow this summer

Beautiful '48 Indian Chief with sidecar; behind is my Production Manager, Debbie MacDonald (formerly of Thunder Press), with husband Neil on the left, and moto-photo-journalist Clem Salvadori

The post-Quail-Ride banquet; video clips of Mert Lawill in action in 'On Any Sunday', during a tribute to the man himself.

Ducati, recently sold to Audi for $1.1Billion, could afford to bring girls as well as bikes...

Gene Brown's 1960 BSA DBD34 Gold Star, which has 4 miles from new!

Mark Hoyer awards Shinya Kimura the Cycle World 'Elegance in Action' trophy, for an exceptional bike which gets used a lot; Shinya's MV Agusta qualifies!

Original-condition Feilbach Limited of 1911

Falcon's Ian Barry and tuner/builder Paul Zell examine the AFT 'Sento', AMD world champion custom bike

Looking not a little NASCAR; the HD-engined Gurney Alligator

I spy a perfectly-sized rider for the mini-Indian

The MV 175cc racer with Earles forks and extended fuel/oil tanks...poetry

Twin gear-driven camshafts, elegantly housed in magnesium, aged to perfection.

Giovanni Magni, carrying on with his father's legendary chassis-building workshop in Italy, here débuting the BSA-Magni special.  Molto gentile!

American racing legend, and 'On Any Sunday' star, Mert Lawill, here with his daughter.  Hilarious conversational tidbit; 'do you think it would be ok if I asked Mert's daughter on a date, or will Mert kick my ass?'

The Gary Kohs MV-only parking lot...

Never put your MV in the laundry...

Interviewing Michael Schacht with his all-new Crocker motorcycle, the result of 11 years of struggle.  I wrote a brief piece for Cycle World after the interview, which you can read here.  A longer article will appear later...

Rare beast; a Royal Enfield Fury flat-track racer from the Ray Abrams collection.  Apparently this bike did very well in the 1960s

Lovely Royal Enfield 700cc Interceptor Mk2, built thus for the American market; one heavy desert sled!

At the Sale Corral; a trio of Vespas

How it looks from the podium at prize-giving time...

Chief Judge of the Quail Concours d'Elegance, Somer Hooker, here with John Stein's '72 Ducati 750SS

Woz!  I have no idea what this man does or sells, but he looks like victory to me.

Honda CB160 racing is not a new phenomenon; current CB-class racer Stacie B. London tries on a time-warp barn-find CB160, as last raced.

What American dirt-track racing was all about from the late 1920s thru the early 1950s; an Indian Scout racer

The genuine 'They don't pay me enough to ride this thing' Kenny Rogers TZ750 Yamaha dirt-tracker.  Madness.

The plan is simple, and not; to use my 'chase van' as a darkroom during my Cannonball ride across the USA this September (6-23, NY to SF), and shoot portraits of riders and their machines as we cross the country, using terribly obsolescent 1850s technology, 'wet plate' collodion on tin and/or glass.  I've just started experimenting with the medium this week, and here are a few of the results. 

As the summer progresses, I'll post more photos taken using the medium, which isn't spontaneous in the least!  All must be planned ahead, the light measured, the glass plate cleaned and coated with liquid collodion, then charged with silver nitrate, and exposed for a few seconds (depending on the light, could be as little as 2 seconds, as much as a few minutes, but portraits need to be under a minute, or the subject is blurry). 

Collodion is a fussy medium, and is sensitive to an invisible, ultraviolet end of the light spectrum, so gives unexpected results on skin tones, plants, etc.  It erases tattoos, but darkens melanin in skin, and lightens blue eyes to white, so is basically irreproducible in an iphone 'app'...part of the reason I like the process, and the unique images produced.

Tim Stafford on his immaculate BMW R69S

The weather gods laughed a little, and what started as a typical Cali-coast morning overcast shortly became mist, then a very cold drizzle.  Nothing by English standards, but for riders expecting (never listen to the weatherman...) a warm sunny day, thin leather and a t-shirt proved inadequate, and the gathering of 90+ riders were shivering by the time we stopped atop our viewpoint hill at the 50-mile mark.

John Stein is cold!  Aboard his original-paint Ducati 750SS

48degreesF and wet; lousy for humans, perfect for the 1965 Triumph T120 SR (sports roadster, a rare variant) I'd picked up en route to Carmel Valley, from San Francisco.  For whatever reason, I've been Triumph-lucky this year, and the Bonneville was the latest; with 32 miles since a complete Jim Hiddleston restoration (it had been purchased at Las Vegas in '06, and not ridden since), the Triumph was a complete unknown, yet a 120-mile blast through the gorgeous hills around Carmel and Salinas seemed as good a break-in ride as any.

Craig Vetter's school of silver fish; his High-Mileage Challenge team, which compete for the best fuel economy

Before the ride began, it was clear that, again, the variety of machines bordered on circus-like, with single-cylinder diesel streamliners mixing with priceless exotics like 70s MV-4s and Ducati SuperSports, with a lot of immaculate soon-to-be-on-showbikes mixed in.  The ride pre-sold out, and more; while the parade permit said '75 Motorcycles', a math error (!) meant an actual 90ish bikes were herded by CHP motorcyclists, in two groups.   Technically the 'parade' supervised by the CHP; the uniformed gents kept to the posted speed limits...which on a twisty mountain road, is really 'hauling ass'; these guys ride all day long, most days, and have extensive track and evasive maneuvering training, and are far better/faster riders than most motorcyclist realize.  'Supervision' meant 'rear-view vision' of the two or three riders who could keep up!  Which of course, left the remaining pack free to choose their own pace, as appropriate to their riding and engine capacity.

Not always someone you want to see while riding, but an excellent tour guide...

Wet roads and years-old, new tires meant I pussy-footed the first 10 miles, but no side-slip (that 'whoops' feeling we love so much) indicated the tires were fine, so I upped the pace, looking to catch up to our escort.  Even when damp, the green valleys and overhanging oak trees in Carmel Valley make a spectacular ride, and my passenger was suitably enthralled, having been in the area many times, but never on two wheels.  The landscape smells better on a bike.

Team 'Gator; auto-racing legend Dan Gurney builds these feet-forward machines...

At our 50-mile rest/view stop, riders were happy for a warm up, although the hill crest also signaled the end of coastal fog, and brilliant sun awaited us ahead. Our moody morning changed to a typically sunny California mid-coastal day, as we wound our way down to the Salinas valley vineyards and rural hinterlands.  A stop at the Talbott vineyard (for coffee, but I noted a few leather-clad wine-tasters in the pouring room!), made for a nice photo op amongst the barrels.

Happy with her new/old '65 Bonneville; Susan McLaughlin notes not a drop of oil on the concrete

Highlight of the day is of course a few laps of Laguna Seca raceway, which are also nominally 'parade' laps, led by the CHP.  As they're riding 150hp BMWs, there was no way my 45hp Triumph could keep up, hard as I tried, and I didn't see our lead bike after turn 3!  Only Cycle World's Mark Hoyer seemed able, on his Norton Commando, to keep pace, and in fact had the distinct pleasure of "legally passing a CHP at full speed.  Where else am I going to get the chance?"  I wonder if his track antics had anything to do with his grenaded alternator, two days later?

Chasing a tasty Triton on Laguna Seca

After Laguna Seca, the 10 mile ride over Laureles Grade summit was a quick hop to our lunch stop back the Quail, which was, as usual, excellent.

MVs everywhere...

Is there a better complement to a motorcycle Concours d'Elegance than a 120-mile ride of the show bikes through beautiful countryside?  The Quail ride is not only a good idea, a lot of fun, and a chance to see rare and beautiful motorcycles in action, its a pattern every motorcycle show should emulate.  The Quail isn't unique in having a ride attached to the next-day show, but they are sadly rare...too rare for what is best about motorcycles; riding them, and seeing/hearing them ridden.

The Best of Britain; BSA DBD34 Gold Star Clubman, Triumph Trophy, Triumph Bonneville

Bella Italia; round-case Ducati 750 Sport, ca.'72

When shot at, shoot back!

The inimitable Craig Vetter

Following fish, for a moment anyway...

The BSA Gold Star is a symphony of shapes, masses, and curves

Yes, Honda 4s are included, even trendy 'CB' customs!

True Brit; Johnny Green and Bonhams' Nick Smith

Showing off the Lewis Leathers boots he bought new in 1986

Through the oaks and grasses on unlined roads, bound for sunshine

Mrs. Ron Peck aboard a hot dirt-track style Yamaha XS650

The Sleeper; this machine has a 120hp 'new' MV F4 engine in a replica Magni chassis...it sounded fearsome through those Magni pipes

And the 'real deal'; MV 750 America, ca.'74

Ron Peck avoids his usual fuel-less stops via camping gas containers in his backpack

Shinya, MV, road.

'73 Triumph TR5a 'Trophy Trail' with BSA B50MX panels and seat; same chassis, different look.  This machine was fun to watch in a straight line -  modern Trials tires meant front and rear wheels rarely aligned, but he kept the plot going just fine on the race track

True 50s style Triumph Trophy 650

Laguna Seca's Turn One

Lots of shiny aluminum present; the lovely Crocetti Triumph, and TR5a

Triumph Tridents are rare on the road; this one with added parcel rack

Keeping good humor about the cold and damp...

The last of the 500cc Triumph twins...

Shinya Kimura amongst the wine barrels

I had several people on the ride ask about my helmet; Ruby helmets are still relatively unknown in the US, but an increasing presence here.  They're a sponsor of The Vintagent, and I dig their helmets!  My jacket is a vintage San Francisco/Castro district castoff; the former owner was a neighbor of mine, a closeted Southern Baptist church organist, who'd moved to SF to 'live the gay lifestyle', so to speak.  When he returned to Georgia to care for his elderly mother, he gave me the jacket, saying 'Nobuddy in Geowgea would unduhstand me wearin' leathah at church...'

As Michael Schacht (laughing, above) is at Quail (where I emcee today), it seemed a perfect time to interview him about the machine he's taken 11 years to create; a new  Crocker 'Big Tank'.  The test ride will have to wait until I'm next in Los Angeles...  I interviewed him at Quail, and wrote a short article, which can be found at Cycle World online; the longer one is coming...
Read the article in Cycle World here.