A couple hours down the road from Austin, Texas is Luckenbach. It's not even a real place, not exactly. There's a little road that loops off the main road and goes past a few old buildings. It is the sort of place that has more past then future and that's mostly what it's got to sell. But once a year a perfect storm decends on Luckenbach and 3,000-plus motorcyclists pull onto that little loop road for an event known as the The Harvest Classic European & Vintage Motorcycle Rally. The result is just about the perfect laid-back, pure fun Euro-themed weekend. I loved it and I think you will as well. Our first bike (above) is a lovely 1949 AJS 18S that was on display Saturday as a part of the bike show.

This Cezeta scooter with a matching trailer was a crowd favorite.

An exceptionally rare bike, this Miller Balsamo was made in Milano, Italy by the importers of Ariel and Excelsior.

There's plenty of room to bring your tent and camp during the show. The giant oak trees make for a great camping spot.

Believe it or not, this longhorn is a "rider." The guy that owns him rides him right thru the crowd, with the steer dipping and turning his head to keep the horns clear of people. These are just a few highlights of the show. For more photos, visit Ducati.net here.- Vicki Smith 

 
Lovely first year 1972 Suzuki GT750 "Water Buffalo" at the 2010 Stafford Show 

A glorious autumn day greeted my brother and I on our 140-mile drive up to The Stafford Country Show Ground in Staffordshire, England, for the 17th Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show. This show is based mainly around 1970s motorbikes, although some earlier models are shown, as well. 

As ever it was incredibly well attended on the Saturday, the exhibition halls being very busy and the auto jumble outside packed with bargain hunters. 

 
Nicely restored 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 Z1R on display. 

This show is a particular favorite, well run with a cracking atmosphere and some fabulous bikes on show. This year’s special guest was one of my heroes, Eddie Lawson. Also in attendance were Jim Redman and another real hero of mine and a real gentleman Peter Williams, who was there promoting his book Designed to Race. I have to say this book is a good read for race fans and engineering fans alike, as Peter was and is brilliant at both. He invented the cast alloy wheel back in the 1960s and fitted them to his Arter Matchless, much to the amusement of his competitors at the time. However as we all know he was proved right. He has done much, much more than this but I could not begin to do him justice in this brief write up.  

I’m starting his book this week. I ordered from him directly and he rang me up at home and asked if I wanted him to sign it  for me with a dedication. We had a chat for five or so minutes about bikes and work; he talks to you like he’s known you for years, yet it was the first time we had communicated. It takes a special someone to do that. 

 
Tim Claridge (right) chats with ex-Norton racer and engineer Peter Williams! 

There were some brilliantly restored motorcycles on display. I have attached a few pictures of some of the highlights, including a beautiful GT750 Suzuki; the picture does not do it credit, it is stunning. 

Another interesting bike was a Rickman Metisse-framed Triumph T160 engined special; it was so narrow and was almost a work of art. Amazing stuff! – Tim Claridge