Gregg and I took a ride to Delta to check out the Old Bastards Vintage Motorcycle Club's 2009 Rally. Beautiful weather, and a bunch of beautiful bikes. An hour-and-a-half's ride away. Is there any better way to spend a Saturday?
As we were arriving, just a few hundred yards from the campground where the event was taking place, Gregg spotted someone he knew whose bike had broken down. The guy was riding a beautifully and meticulously restored 1952? Vincent Comet. After shutting off the engine for a moment at the local general store, it refused to start again. We, stopped to help and looked on as the owner fiddled with it for 2 hours. It would run, but it wouldn't do anything more than idle roughly. In the parking lot the carb was taken apart and nothing obvious was found. Finally, he walked back to the campground to get his van and trailer to pick it up. It may possibly have been just a tank of bad gas (he had topped up the tank minutes before).
We then went over to the main event for a look. Here is a sampling of what we saw:
Russian bike with side-car (Ural, I think)
Beautiful Matchless. Looked like it just rolled out of the factory.
A real work of art: Indian Roadliner. ... the real deal.
Ariel Fourster / Square Four (4 cylinders, 2x2) incredible museum quality condition.
the Ariel, again
50's Triumph
BSA with Jawa side car
BMW with side car
Honda CB750Four 'K' seriesOK, maybe not 'vintage' but it was in great condition.
1930's Royal Enfield 225 c.c. two-stroke
Royal Enfield running
Royal Enfield
Velocette
Norton 850 Commando
BMW
BMW
BMW
Red Panther (late 1930's, model 20, I think)
Identical to the 1981 Yamaha RD350 I rode for a decade.
This one was in terrific shape.