The Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2015

Reader Contribution by Margie Siegal
Published on June 9, 2015
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BMW design cues are evident in Harley-Davidson’s XA.

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering is quite a show. Held at the upscale Quail Lodge golf resort in Carmel, California, the event features just about every type, year and nationality of classic motorcycle, all displayed on the putting green, with pavilions featuring everything from motorcycle gloves to upscale watches ringing the display area.

This year, in honor of Armed Forces Day, Quail hosted one of the largest displays of military motorcycles ever seen. Among them were three unusual World War II-era machines: Two Indian 841s and a Harley XA, both bikes unlike anything either Indian or Harley had built before — or since.

Before World War I, Indian was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the U.S. — and for some time, in the world. Harley-Davidson was at first too small for Indian to take notice, but by the time the guns of August 1914, started sounding in Europe, Harley had too much market share to ignore. The only other American motorcycle firm of note was Excelsior, which was then the third of America’s Big Three in motorcycling.

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