Ode to the Motorcycle Classics Calendar
Vintage motorcycles are like old girlfriends: stunning to behold, an absolute thrill to spend time with, but they demand respect and regular attention. Neglect them for even a few weeks, and they turn persnickety — sticky throttles, dead batteries that can ghost you mid-ride, or carbs weeping old gas in silent protest. My solution has been a simple wall calendar to log every outing so that my stable of bikes doesn’t descend into a jealous tangle of neglect. Keep them all freshly ridden, and no one feels left out. If left unchecked, favorites rack up miles while others stew in shadows, spirits dimming and fluids stagnating.
Last spring, I’d logged steady joyrides on my Honda CB900 — weekends tearing through Texas Hill Country, that smooth DOHC engine is a pure delight. The calendar showed three entries for her, zilch for the Norton Commando. Next time I wheeled the Norton out for a grocery run, she balked: half-hearted exhaust spits, then silence — drip-drip of ancient gas from Amal carbs. Battery flat, electrics dead. Flipping back through the calendar I saw the issue: six weeks idle. In vintage terms, that’s divorce. She wasn’t broken; she was bored stiff, fluids stagnant, soul starved. A quick charge and sympathy lap revived her, but it was a wake-up. I’d played favorites, paying for it in breakdowns.
I just got my 2026 Motorcycle Classics calendar to be ready for next year! At 14″ by 21″, it features stunning glamor shots of bikes each month, with oversized squares for dates, mileage, notes like “Norton: 42 mi, smooth — watch chain” or “Ducati: 28 mi, battery holding.” It will be my rotation gospel. Post-ride, Sharpie it down — who, when, how far, quirks. No bike sits idle for over three weeks — that’s the red line for sulkiness and gumming carbs. Low-tech genius beats glitchy apps any day. Logging rides reveals patterns: Ducati battery dips past 20 days; Norton carbs gum without heat cycles (drain post-ride!). Rotate the ride to dodge big bills and Saturday afternoons disassembling carbs.
If you go to the garage and can’t remember who’s had recent exercise, hang up a calendar. Log rides. Rotate faithfully. These vintage girls need fair throttle time — they’ll carry you farther than imagined.
—Mark Scott via email
Ear-piercing introduction
The first Gold Wing I saw was in Germany in 1977. I was 19 and serving in the Army. The German bike clubs had the habit of running open exhausts. No mufflers at all, even on the little two-strokes and Gold Wings. My first Wing was ear-piercing. But I knew exactly what it was.
Ray Womack, St. Louis, MOÂ
The Gold Wing was revolutionary in its time, but I am reminded of the stylish and sophisticated flat four K800 and K600 models from Zundapp, which appeared in 1933. Read more in our November/December 2016 issue in “Boxing Clever” by Alan Cathcart. — Ed.
The elusive V6
I am struck by curiosity about the topic of Harley-Davidson Project Nova. One thing I am curious about is did they ever build a 1200/1500 V6 prototype, and if so, where is it?
Brandon Mathias, Moorhead, MN
From what we have learned about Nova development, the V6 concept never moved beyond working drawings and the engine styling mock-up on display in the Harley-Davidson Museum. There were rideable V4 prototypes built, then limited funds called for focus on further development of the traditional V-twins. Think what might have been, considering this was about six years before Honda’s V4 Sabre, then Interceptor models. — Ed.
Tiny but mighty
In the “On The Radar” column “The Micro Multis of the 70s and 80s,” you state the ’72∔74 CB350F is “the smallest of the four-stroke inline four models Honda ever mass-produced.” Alas, this claim to Honda fame is actually held by the ’86-’96 CBR250RR. With a diminutive bore and stroke of only 48.5mm x 33.8mm, gear-driven cams, and a 19,000rpm redline (MC22 version), these little screamers are impressive even by today’s standards.
Tim O’Mahony, Port Orchard, WA
Tim is correct, but like so many great Japanese motorcycles of every brand, the ’86-’96 CBR250RR four-cylinder was never in America’s dealerships; it only made it to America as a gray market import. For 2025, that model designation is still in the Honda lineup, but it’s a parallel twin… and appears not to be available in North America’s Honda dealerships. — Ed.
Drag strip memories
I remember Barn Job at Indy Raceway Park in the late ’60s. I had just gotten a brand new Honda 305 Super Hawk. My friends and I rode out to the track, and $4.00 got us in for the day. I had never before seen pro motorcycle racing. The noise, smoke, and sheer presence of Barn Job will be in my brain forever!
Greg Smith, Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Seeing Arfons and his jet car and E.J. Potter with his Chevy V8 bike run at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio, gave me some memories. — Ed.
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