Destinations: The Lone Star Motorcycle Museum, Vanderpool, Texas

destinations Indian-Collegiate-1
Vintage iron on display at the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum in Vanderpool, Texas: Check out this 1938 Indian Collegiate Four.
Article Tools
Bookmark and Share

Folks in Texas know the Hill Country has the best riding roads in the state. And in the western reaches nestled in the rolling hills near Lost Maples State Park — the “Swiss Alps of Texas” — is a gem of a motorcycle collection. Housed at the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum in Vanderpool, a town so small it isn't on many maps, the museum is a pearl of Texas.

RELATED CONTENT

Operated by expat Aussie Alan Johncock, the museum contains all manner of delectable vintage motos. Of the 50-some bikes on hand, most are of English origin, with a smattering of other Euro and Japanese machines and some early American iron.

The museum basically started by accident, the result of 20 years of collecting classic bikes. Before moving to Vanderpool Johncock lived in Houston, where he started his collection.

But once he moved to the Hill Country, the museum seemed like a natural direction to run. “We started building in 1999 and finished in 2003,” Johncock says. “We didn’t have a master plan, we just opened it.”

Johncock didn’t have any idea whether his museum would attract anyone, but even though the museum’s basically in the middle of nowhere it’s become a destination for thousands of classic bike fans, with upwards of 400 walking through on a busy weekend.

“It’s become a bit of a monster, actually,” Johncock says.

Also housed in the Museum and opened in 2005 is the Ace Café, serving up Aussie meat pies (the national fast food of Australia), burgers and extras. “Bikers get mean if they’re hungry,” Johncock notes. We’d suggest coming hungry to dine in the showroom among the vintage bikes.

Johncock restores the machines on site and shares his back workshop space with his wife, Debbie, who runs the café. We should all be so lucky. Besides doing his own restoration work, Johncock campaigns a pair of G50 Matchless — one in a Seeley chassis — in American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association road race events.

Page: 1 | 2 | Next >>


Save $5 when you subscribe today!
First Name: *
Last Name: *
Address: *
City: *
State/Province: *
Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
 
The sound and the fury: celebrate the machines that changed the world! Subscribe to Motorcycle Classics today!

Motorcycle Classics is America's premier magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, dreamers and restorers, newcomers and life long motorheads who love the sound and the beauty of classic bikes. Every issue  delivers exciting and evocative articles and photographs of the most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever made!

Save Even More Money with our RALLY-RATE plan!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our RALLY-RATE automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Motorcycle Classics for only $24.95 (USA only).

Or, Bill Me Later and I'll pay just $29.95 for a one year subscription!