Spreading the Gospel of Grease: Moto Guild Chicago

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Steven Jackson giving a clinic on rebuilding Honda CB350s, with Ken, Craig and Andreas paying close attention.
Steven Jackson giving a clinic on rebuilding Honda CB350s, with Ken, Craig and Andreas paying close attention.
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Tony Riccardi giving instructions to Danny on tire mounting 101 for a Honda CB750.
Tony Riccardi giving instructions to Danny on tire mounting 101 for a Honda CB750.
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The gritty, yet charming home of Moto Guild Chicago.
The gritty, yet charming home of Moto Guild Chicago.
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Tony, Danny and Kenny and Tony’s Yamaha LS2.
Tony, Danny and Kenny and Tony’s Yamaha LS2.
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The impressive and diverse assortment of customer bikes and projects.
The impressive and diverse assortment of customer bikes and projects.
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Robert Gregory and his Kawasaki KZ650, wiring repair in progress.
Robert Gregory and his Kawasaki KZ650, wiring repair in progress.
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Motorcycles of all ages and types fill the space.
Motorcycles of all ages and types fill the space.
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Shop-goers Ken and Andreas working on a hot-rodded Vespa.
Shop-goers Ken and Andreas working on a hot-rodded Vespa.
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Fellow teacher and photographer Jim LĂĽning searches for tools.
Fellow teacher and photographer Jim LĂĽning searches for tools.

Sometimes, everything old is still just old. If it was new, it would run. What fun would that be? And therein lies the charm of vintage motorcycles. As a cure for the incomprehensibly complex world of rider aids, traction control and even fuel injection, old bikes offer that most elusive quality — simplicity.

Simplicity is just the thing for new riders, the gateway drug to the harder stuff. It’s easy to see why new riders are drawn to old bikes. To the uninitiated, a free basket case or a $200 project bike is just a weekend’s worth of work away from tearing down country roads or sparking motorcycle lifestyle photo shoots. All you need is gas, air, spark and elbow grease to hurtle you down lonesome highways. Right?

Most of us know the answer to that question as a punch line to a joke. But every one of us started our motorcycle love lives knowing nothing.

Hard-won wisdom from lengthy projects and restoration pitfalls isn’t cynicism, it’s tempered optimism. Newcomers just need a guiding hand and some invaluable resources to make naïve dreams a reality. Hipster-this or trendy-that, it doesn’t matter. The world is a better place with more hands resurrecting old bikes.

Enter Tony Riccardi. Sometimes necessity is the mother of all invention. And sometimes it’s just inconvenience. Tony explains: “I spent my adult life in Printer’s Row, in downtown Chicago, wrenching on my bike in a parking spot. I always wondered why there was nothing in Chicago to facilitate people working on motorcycles together?”

  • Published on Jun 13, 2017
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