Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio
Classic Scene
November/December 2007
By Joe Harrington
 |
Stephen Rosenstiel polishes his 1957 Sportster.
Joe Harrigan
|
From the track to the shows to the auction to the swap meet — and everywhere in between — Vintage Motorcycle Days is always a sight to see and enjoy for classic motorcycle enthusiasts, and this year was no different. With Harley-Davidson’s Sportster as the featured marque, and Willie G. Davidson and racer Jay Springsteen presiding as co-Grand Marshals of the event, the history of the orange and black was a welcome addition to VMD’s slate of attractions.
RELATED CONTENT
Classics will shine at the International Motorcycle Shows in California...
Although most people in the mid-1980s thought vintage bikes were just old junk, there were a few en...
Vintage motorcycle racing returns to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, for the 18t...
With an unbroken production run of 53 years, the overhead valve Harley-Davidson X-series Sportster ...
Restoring a 1959 Harley-Davdson XLH Sportster proves to be the perfect cure for one man's blues....
Though rain and gray skies were present more often than not, the drippy weather didn’t slow down the 40,000-plus attendees who swung through the gates of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, throughout the weekend.
Friday brought roadracing practice to the track, along with observed trials, dirt track racing and loads of people searching the swap meet for deals. Saturday brought the first round of roadraces for the weekend, along with vintage (pre-1975) motocross, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum’s American and European bike show, and the Motorcycle Classics Ride ‘em Don’t Hide ‘em Bike Show. As usual, the show was a hit and the weather held off long enough for an enjoyable 30-mile cruise through the hills of Ohio for the 70-some participants, with a lunch stop for root beer floats and Coneys. Sunday brought more roadracing, post-vintage motocross racing, and the Museum’s British and Japanese bike show.
Shown at right is Kevin Hays of Ft. Wayne, Ind., who rode his sweet cafe-racer-styled 2002 Honda CRF450R to second place in all four races he ran over the weekend. Talk about consistency! If you’d been there, you would have seen all this yourself, so make plans to come see the show in 2008!