The 2024 Quail Motorcycle Gathering, held May 4 in Carmel, California, was one for the record books. But this wasn’t due to the spectator turnout, the bikes, or other historic factors we’ve become accustomed to seeing at the annual springtime event. It was purely and simply the weather.
After a long and soggy winter, spring delivered an unexpected wet slap on the face to The Quail, arguably America’s best motorcycle show. If one had followed the forecast, they’d have been amazed that a spring squall would arrive exactly at the beginning of the event and depart right after. Nature’s perfect spoiler.

The aggregate result was attendance of just over 1,000 and a more modest field of bikes (both for understandable reasons), with many machines shielded by either covers or E-Z UP style tents. However, while gray skies predominated, there was a bright side to the day – at least philosophically. Indeed, the weather proved that the classic motorcycle scene and its enthusiasts are immensely durable.
Defining the 2024 event, the focus was on 10Â traditional classes (e.g., antique, American, European, competition, custom, etc.), and four featured classes honoring the 30th anniversary of the Ducati 916, the 25th anniversary of Suzuki’s Hayabusa, the 100th anniversary of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), and Italy’s iconic Vespa scooter. Supercross champion Ricky Johnson was honored as a Legend of the Sport.

Down from the usual show turnout, approximately 200 motorcycles rolled onto the lawn at The Quail Golf Club, the machines spanning some 100 years, from early vintage to modern, survivors and restored bikes, restorations and ground-up builds. Among the entries, bikes represented 16 marques from six countries including Japan, Italy, the USA, Sweden, Germany, and England (Italy was best represented by brand volume, with Aprilia, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and MV Agusta, plus Vespa scooters).
Beholding Honda History
An immensely important bike won Best of Show, the 1968 Honda CB750 prototype of Vic World, a global authority on early CB750s. This hand-crafted Honda literally changed motorcycling. It predates the highly celebrated few pre-production 1969 “sand-cast” models and was also reportedly the first CB750 to arrive in the US. The prototype underwent a highly painstaking restoration since hundreds of its components – well, all of them, since it’s a prototype – were unique. Bleak conditions or not, World brought it to The Quail, showed it, and took home first place.

Witnessing it all, snug in a jacket and under an umbrella, was enthusiast Doug McKenzie. Given that his 1913 Flying Merkel won Best of Show at The Quail five years earlier, he knew just how World probably felt once the award ceremony – moved up an hour in deference to the weather – commenced. “It was a highlight hearing from the world authority on sandcast CB750s, and it was very interesting learning about the prototype bike,” he said. “Every part was handmade – kind of cool.”

Likely mirroring many would-be attendees, McKenzie admitted it was hit-or-miss whether he would attend. “I was in the area anyway, so I decided to cut over to Monterey,” he admitted. A general admission ticket cost $75. “It was sprinkling when the show opened at 10, then got heavy around noon,” he noted. “There were good things about it though. I enjoyed that since there wasn’t a mass of people attending, you had more of an opportunity to chat with the bike owners, people who were diehard purists. I honestly and sincerely had a good time; I would like to have seen more motorcycles, but where else would I have found out that Aquaman actor Jason Momoa has two Brough Superiors, or get to see a $100,000 Henderson Four covered in rain?”
A “Resto-mod” Vespa
An IT consultant and restorer of vintage motorcycles and hi-fi audio systems, Wendy Newton worked for two years resto-modding a 1963 Vespa 90, which she displayed in the special “Vespa – Decades of Scooter Fun!” class. “It’s a small-frame Vespa, but I put a 125 ET3 engine in it with electronic ignition,” she explained. “It was a fun project because I got to acquire a MIG/TIG welder, plasma cutter and panel tools. I also made a buddy seat from scratch, which took three vintage sewing machines.”

Newton acquired the scooter in 2022 and, inspired by a Lego toy celebrating 75 years of Vespa, painted it in the same classic 1960s Vespa blue and added whitewall tires. She also built the Lego model and included it with the Vespa’s display, protected by an acrylic case.
Entered for the Quail’s standard $275 fee, Newton’s Vespa competed against a half dozen other scooters, including the class winner, a rare first-year 1946 Vespa owned by Josh Rogers. “That first model didn’t have a stand, so to park them you just laid them over to the side,” she explained. “Anyway, during the day that poor bike was unattended. I watched as it was laid over as intended, but with water running into the engine compartment. It was sad, but it won anyway!”
Judging in the Rain
Performing the selfless tasks of a show judge despite the conditions was Bobby Weindorf, a former AMA Superbike factory mechanic and Moto Talbott Museum restoration manager. After asking to work the Italian class (his love and specialty) several times, he finally landed the role, with the class winner a 1979 Laverda Jota owned by Steven Lawrence.

“Regarding bikes sitting in the rain – it’s like they were being rechristened,” Weindorf mused. “Actually, some of them looked like they’ve never been in the wet. But they are motorcycles, so they are designed to be ridden that way – especially in Italy!” Credit where due, he also noted that some entrants rode their bikes in, rather than simply walking them in from trucks or trailers. “Some of the BMWs, though, they were way too restored,” he noted. As a veteran judge, Weindorf added, “As with any show, if you win, it increases the value of the bike down the road.”

Busy with scoring, Weindorf didn’t have much free time to walk around looking at the other entries this year. But several bikes caught his eye, including several nice toaster-tank BMWs. “There was also a trick 1980s Yamaha RZ500 with YZF-R6 bodywork, an R6 front end and swingarm,” he said. All in all, Weindorf found The Quail enjoyable. “Everyone knew what was coming, and so understandably the spectators were subdued,” he added. “But all things considered, it was still really good!”
Upward and Onward
“The enthusiasm for riding and unbridled passion within the motorcycling community never ceases to inspire, and it particularly shines through on a rainy day like we had this year,” said Gordon McCall, co-founder of The Quail Motorcycle Gathering. Classic motorcycle enthusiasts who attended – or missed attending – are no doubt already looking forward to the 15th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering in 2025. And they’ll do so with redoubled interest thanks to the defining challenges of the 2024 event – while praying for sunny skies! MC
— John L. Stein
2024 The Quail Motorcycle Gathering Top Award Winners
- Antique: 1930 Indian Big Chief, Mike Lynch
- American: 1979 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra Glide, John Ventura
- British: 1950 Triumph TR5 Square Barrel, Bob Ives
- Italian: 1979 Laverda Jota, Steven Lawrence
- Japanese: 1968 Honda CB750 Factory Prototype, Vic World
- Other European: 1976 BMW R90S, Kenneth Morris
- Competition On-Road: 1966 Bultaco Metralla Mk2 Road Racer, Robbie Cadwallader
- Competition Off-Road: 1992 Cagiva Prototype Dakar Racer, Cory Muensterman
- Chopper: 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, Richard Best
- Custom/Modified: 1920s Harley-Davidson Board Track Racer, Chris Ranuio
- 25th Anniversary of the Suzuki Hayabusa: 2006 Suzuki Hayabusa, Steve Wellman
- 30th Anniversary of the Ducati 916: 1995 Ducati 916, Michael Long
- Spirit Of The Quail: 1973 Norton 750 Seeley Custom, Barry Weiss
- Best of Show: 1968 Honda CB750 Factory Prototype, Vic World
- Arlen Ness Memorial: 1980 Harley-Davidson Sportster Custom, Richard Best
- Why We Ride: 1981 Honda ATC 200, Chris Funk
- Historic Vehicle Association (HVA): 1960 Parilla Grand Sport, Jon Jacobson
- AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Heritage: 1992 Cagiva Prototype Dakar Racer, Cory Muensterman
- Vespa – Decades of Scooter Fun!: 1946 Vespa, Josh Rogers
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering: Competition Tales
A few weeks before the May 4, 2024 Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel Valley, California, Scott Dunlavey, now a motorcycle dealer in Berkeley California, got a call from Ricky Johnson. “Do you still have that XR628 we raced in Baja? I’d like to show it at The Quail show.” Ricky had been asked to be The Quail’s Legend of the Sport for 2024. He was planning to appear with two motorcycles: his first championship bike, a 1984 YZ250 Yamaha, and the Baja-raced 1998 Honda XR628, racer. Scott rearranged his schedule and started cleaning up the XR628, making it show ready.
Many of the bikes at The Quail Motorcycle Gathering for 2024 were, like Ricky Johnson’s works Honda XR628, vintage race bikes. Unlike older road machines, which usually can be ridden around the owner’s neighborhood, if not further, most vintage competition motorcycles need a track or an off road venue to run. “Restoration to stock configuration” doesn’t apply to most racers, either: even production racers were usually built in small batches, with at least some customer choice in components. Instead, race bikes are usually modified to either comply with the regulations of the racing series the owner plans to contest, or to match how the bike looked at a significant competition event in its past; an aid in trips down memory lane.

The Honda XR628 now looks like it did at the starting line for the Baja 1000 in 1998. What happened after the flag was an exercise in true grit.
“I can still picture that in my mind – We could see La Paz.” – Ricky Johnson
In 1998, West Coast racing icon Eddie Mulder, and Scott Dunlavey, then an off road racer and engine builder, were racing Pikes Peak when they met up with Ricky Johnson, seven time AMA National Champion and winner of several four-wheeled offroad championships. At the time, Ricky had retired from motocross after an injury and was racing off-road trucks. He proposed that the trio race the Baja 1000 on a motorcycle in the over thirty age class. Eddie was then in his fifties, but enthusiastically joined in the plot.
Scott was to build the engine of the XR628 Honda and employ his performance modifications. Bruce Ogilvie, then one of the race team coordinators for American Honda, helped enormously with parts and advice. Once the XR was done, the plan was for Eddie and Scott to contest the two events leading up to the Baja 1000 – the Baja 250 and the Baja 500. Ricky would join in for the last race in the series, the Baja 1000.

The Baja 1000 was even tougher than normal that year. Rain had led to deeper streams, extra washouts and new hazards. Team Johnson was well ahead, partly due to Ricky Johnson blasting through the few paved sections at 100 mph, when the transmission broke. Tools came out and the trio were able to get third gear working. Off they went.
After racing all night, the sun was up and Scott was on top of the summit looking down on La Paz, the last stretch before the finish line – when the transmission finally and completely gave up and died. Ricky Johnson called the race officials, who told him the team had two and a half hours to get to the finish line and claim the championship. They had to manually push the bike the last two miles. Team Johnson got to the two-mile mark by a combination of coasting and pushing with another motorcycle, and then it was two miles of pushing under the hot Baja sun. Mulder, Dunlavey and Johnson made it, finished the race and won the class championship.
After the race, the XR stayed at Eddie Mulder’s for several years before Scott picked it up and repaired the transmission. He rode it in a memorial event for Bruce Ogilvie in 2009. Since then, it mostly has sat until it appeared on display this year at The Quail, along with Johnson’s championship-winning 1984Â YZ250 motocrosser.
Unlike the Honda XR, the 1954 BMW RS54 Rennsport on display was merely taking a break between roadraces. When owner Scott Williams started the RS54, the booming exhaust brought spectators from all corners of the event. Williams has been racing the bike in vintage events in Europe and has just brought it Stateside. “It flew Virgin Express two weeks ago.”

Until the fairly recent debut of BMW’s S1000RR in modern American roadracing, most people in the US thought of the German marque as a manufacturer of touring machines. In reality, prior to WWII, the marque had built a strong racing reputation and garnered numerous land speed records. The factory resumed the racing efforts not long after the war.
The double overhead cam RS54 was an evolution of the pre-war Kompressor racebike, made famous on the Isle of Man with Schorsch Meier’s TT win in 1939. Originally intended as a works racer, in 1954 BMW made 25 of the machines available to select privateers. Top speed depends on the final drive ratio selected, but is in excess of 120 mph, revving to 8,000 rpm.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the name Liebmann was synonymous with BMW racing. Oscar Liebmann built the famous OL Special RS54 which was raced by his son Kurt Liebmann, a fixture at American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) races for over four decades. Several years ago, Scott Williams acquired the OL Special RS54 and all of the Rennsport parts from the Liebmann family, with the aim of keeping these special BMW racers on the track for future generations to enjoy.

While the Europeans flocked to roadracing, American race fans followed flat track. During the 1960s and 1970s, flat track was the most popular two wheeled sport in the U.S. Racing machinery rarely has a life of more than a few years, but Harley-Davidson’s “alloy” XR750 took its riders to the podium from its introduction in 1972 until 2008, making the Harley twin the winningest machine in AMA racing history. This 1992 bike, now owned by Steve Carter, was raced by Grand National contender Rich King in the 1990’s on West Coast tracks.
AHRMA has three separate series for motocross, one for cross country and one for trials. Spanish built Bultacos were very popular for these types of competition in the 1960s, and are enjoying a revival among vintage racing enthusiasts. Several new restorations showed up at The Quail, as clean as they will ever be, since most owners intend to race the bikes.
Observed trials, an off road competition in which riders negotiate an obstacle course, is a niche sport in the US, but in times past it was THE amateur event in England and Europe. Sammy Miller ruled over trials competition in the Fifties and Sixties. He continues to be a hero to many. In the 1960’s, Miller was both riding for Bultaco and doing development work for the company. Owner and vintage trials enthusiast Brett Botzong built up this 1966 machine in the livery of the 1966 Sammy Miller factory bike. He did the entire restoration – including the paint! With Sammy Miller as an inspiration, Brett intends to campaign this Bultaco in AHRMA trials events.
Bultaco built roadracers as well as trials and motocross machines. This converted for racing 370cc 1966 M-23 Metralla MK2 owned by Robbie Cadwallader, won the prize for Best Competition (On Road). The third Bultaco at The Quail was a 1964 Bultaco TSS production road racer. “I bought this Bultaco from an ex-racer in Chicago. It was in poor shape and the tank had 13 coats of paint,” said owner Chris Mazzola. He was at The Quail with restorer Mike Conway, who did a wheel up restoration, “I rode one for a friend when I was in college. It has a lot of sentimental value.”

Rare Japanese motorcycles often turn up at The Quail. This 1974 Yamaha TA125, a seldom seen production road racer, was being shown by both the original owner and the present owner, both all smiles. Dale Gurich bought this Yamaha race bike from a dealer in 1975. On the Fourth of July, despite the loud pipes, no headlight and race tires, he rode around his neighborhood “until the police came. Then the engine seized.” Dale put the bike away and left it as was for close to fifty years. Dale enjoys hiking and met Mike Wenstand, another motorcycle and hiking enthusiast on a trail. They started hiking together, and when Dale decided to move to a retirement community, Mike offered to buy the little racer. “I took a toothbrush and cleaned it up.” He also freed the engine and the Yamaha now runs – loudly.
“These are my show bikes,” said Marcus Howard of his Honda Elsinore and 1975 Yamaha “I have other bikes that I ride. I started racing in 1974 –Â did flat track and rough scrambles. Then I went to motocross.”
“My dad had 25 bikes delivered to his house. They sat outside for 25 years. One was this Elsinore. After I decided to restore it, the restoration took nine to ten months. The Yamaha over there took one year to restore. I got it from a friend, who had five bikes. I bought this bike and a parts bike and pieced the two together.”
“Marty Smith, Honda factory rider and motocross champion, was my inspiration to restore the Honda. I love these bikes. The sound and smell of a competition bike really does it for me.”
Most people at The Quail Motorcycle Gathering would agree.
— Margie Siegal