Four Classic Clubs Showcase Variety At AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

From custom café racers to beautifully restored Bridgestone motorcycles, a full range of motorcycling interests will be represented at BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, July 11-13 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Classic Clubs that will be located on Championship Row include the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, Louisville Vintage Motorworks, Café Racer magazine and Bridgestone Motorcycle Club. The Club Corral, across from Championship Row, will include the Indian 4 Cylinder Club, the Kawasaki ZL Owners Association and the Cincinnati Classic British Motorcycle Owners.

“This will be our sixth year at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and it is the biggest café racer bike show that we do in the country,” said Café Racer’s Mike Seate. “This show is a chance for our readers to see the new trends in custom bike building and the emerging styles of bikes. We should have 50 to 60 bikes in six classes, which are listed on our website at www.caferacermag.com.

The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club will have a large number of bikes from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, such as Honda CBs and Dreams, Yamaha XSes and XJs, Kawasaki H1s and H2s and Suzuki GSes and GTs.

“The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club of North America is excited to return to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days with more than 30 bikes from all the major Japanese makes,” said the VJMC’s Sean Carrigan. “There are some real gems from the ’60s and ’70s coming this year, including show-level bikes and regular riders. When people see the ’67 red-and-silver Honda 305 Super Hawk or the S90 or the Suzuki Rotary or the XS650 Yamahas, they’re taken back in time.”

Randy Gibbon, president of the Bridgestone Motorcycle Club, says his group is excited to educate riders on a lesser-known Japanese brand: Bridgestone.

“Before they made just tires, Bridgestone made motorcycles,” Gibbon said. “We’re going to have one of every model of Bridgestone that was imported between 1963 and 1971. We’re also going to have some factory racers on hand, both a 100cc and a 175cc model. These bikes were well ahead of their time. They were rotary valve two-strokes. The 175s were very fast and dependable.

“We have guys coming from all over the state of Ohio and the southern United States, and we’re really looking forward to showing off our Bridgestone motorcycles,” Gibbon said.

A more recent participant at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is Louisville Vintage Motorworks. The group has been growing back home at Louisville, Ky., and their tent was a popular destination at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days last year.

“Louisville Vintage Motorworks is stoked to be back at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and we have a bunch of fun stuff planned this year,” said the group’s Jason Price. “Our seminars are going to be quite unique, where we’ll talk about everything from fasteners to fabrication to how to create cool videos. We also like to remember that we’re a group of people, not just motorcycles, so we’re planning a story slam where each person will have 10 to 12 minutes to tell their best motorcycle story. We’ll have an emcee introducing each story, and we’re hoping it becomes a real popular attraction at our tent on Saturday.”

With proceeds supporting the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, is the country’s premier celebration of vintage motorcycles and motorcycling heritage.

For 2014, the event is shining the spotlight on the famed Indian Wrecking Crew, which in the early 1950s made an indelible mark on the history books and solidified the reputation of Indian Motocycles, as the company was then known, as one of the 20th Century’s greatest marques. Bobby Hill and Bill Tuman, the surviving members of the Indian Wrecking Crew, which also included the late Ernie Beckman, will serve as grand marshals of BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle.

For more on BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, see www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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