An estimated 1,500 motorcycle enthusiasts made the wise decision to attend the fourth annual The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, luxuriating in the heady glow of 250 special bikes spread out for viewing at the Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel, Calif., on May 5, 2012. More than a show, the Gathering celebrates the machines and the people surrounding them. People like the indomitable Marty Dickerson and his record-holding 1948 Vincent Rapide, “The Blue Bike.” People like Giovanni Magni and the BSA-powered Magni Rocket 3, and Gene Brown with his 1-mile 1961 BSA Gold Star.
Crowd favorites included Shinya Kimura’s custom 1974 MV Agusta 750S and the very rare 1914 Feilbach Limited. The complementary lunch was excellent and probably worth almost half the $65 entry fee, and the espresso at the Ducati tent was perfectly brewed and served in real demitasse cups. Elegance has its place.
The 2013 Quail Motorcycle Gathering will be scheduled soon and should fall in the same general time frame, which would be May 4, 2013. Whenever it is, don’t miss it. It’s fabulous. More info at the Quail Lodge Golf Club.