Earlier this year the Brit Bike community was buzzing over an auction which, among many other things, included 11 brand new, still in the crate, 1975 Norton Commandos, hoarded away long ago by a Belgian motorcycle dealer. The few photos accompanying the stories were amazing and really made one think about what you’d do if it were yours. Would you open it, display it as is, assemble it and ride it? I thought photos would be the closest I’d ever get to seeing such a treasure.
When I heard that Sonny Angel had one up for auction on Ebay and that the crate was on display in the shop, I headed down toNational Cityasap! Sonny has had his motorcycle shop since 1953 and is now in the process of selling some of his collection as he is looking forward to retirement. And guess what? It looked like a big brown box. Well, what did I expect? Yup, a big brown box filled with history and possibilities. Coolest big brown box I ever saw!
I asked Sonny why he never opened it and he told me it was because that bike made him mad! You see, Sonny was a Norton dealer and back in 1975 he already had 4 brand new Norton
Commandos sitting on the showroom floor when Norton made him purchase this one. To make it worse, his cost for this bike was as much as the prior year’s Commando retail price! Then Norton went out of business and no one was going to pay a reasonable price for an orphaned marquee. Now that Norton-in-a-box really made him mad so it was stored away. The crate was never really forgotten about, it just made him mad every time he looked at it and he wanted nothing to do with it!
What’s it worth? As I write this the auction ends in two days and it’s already at $17k. The 11 Commandos found in Belgium sold at auction for between $21,000 to $23,000.
I asked Sonny if he was sad about letting go of such an amazing piece of history and he said no, the thing still makes him mad when he looks at it! See this bike before the auction ends at ebay.com !
It was April 2010 and I was manning the BIASD booth at the Clubman’s All-British swap meet in San Jose when Eddie Mulder stopped by. Eddie mentioned that he had heard that AMA District 37 in the Los Angeles area had been working on a return of motorcycle racing to Catalina Island after 52 years. The very idea of the possibility of being a witness to such a historic event consumed me. For weeks I would comb the internet daily for any info I could find, with little result. Most people I would ask about it hadn’t heard a thing and thought the idea was probably just someone’s crazy cloud talk. By the time June rolled around I began to read forum posts confirming that there was talk of a race, but that was all, just talk. Finally in July, the event seemed like enough of a possibility that I booked hotel and boat tickets. If this race was going to happen, I was going to be there to witness it! And I meant witness it, not compete in it. After all, I was no racer.
The weeks and months went by, mostly with a great deal of skepticism by those who are close to Southern California off-road racing. There were just too many hurdles to overcome for such a race at such a place. Catalina Island had a reputation for being off-limits to anything other than quaint tourism, hiking and camping. Many believed the enviros owned the island and would never allow anything with a motor to ever set tire on Catalina beyond what was already there. But the poor economy had hit The Island too, and many locals saw an event like this as just what they needed and the date was set. December 4th & 5th, 2010.
When details began to come out, I saw that there was going to be a class specifically for Triumph Cubs and other similar vintage lightweights. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about it. I could see me and my 1964 Triumph Mountain Cub having a go at it. But there was another detail that appeared to make that unlikely. The proposed race would allow only intermediate and expert riders to compete, of which I was neither. Just for fun, I filled out the application anyway, completely honest about my experience and skill level. They must have really liked my Cub because in mid October, the list of riders was released and my name was on it.
For the next six weeks I scrambled to prepare myself and the Cub for something neither of us had ever done, compete off road. The completely original Cub would need a pair of decent rear shocks and a mandatory spark arrestor fitted. Everything else would remain stock except for a set of motocross bars and more off-road friendly hand controls. TrophyMotorcycles helped out with parts, Rob North did a great job fitting a spark arrestor, and Bruce Barker dialed in my new hand controls donated by Trophy. With some nice motocross gear from Jeff W., the rest was up to me. By the time the Cub was ready, I had only one day to spend at the motocross track to tie everything together. By the end of that day, I had done just about all I could to prepare. Soon, the Cub and I would be on The Island.
We took a ferry from Dana Point to Avalon Bay and checked in to the Hotel Atwater, an old hotel right in the middle of Downtown Avalon. Next on the list was to check in for the race. Check-in was taking place at the Catalina Grand Prix headquarters, the Hotel Metropole. There was a pretty good line of racers, about two hours shorter than the three hour line rumored in the morning. While waiting, race organizer Vinnie Mandzak paraded the original 1958 Catalina Grand Prix trophy along with former winner Homer Knapp to the head of the registration line. Homer would be competing again in 2010. At the registration desk, everyone received a cool tee-shirt, a commemorative racing bib, pin and the little box that would be the official timing and scoring, the transponder.
With check-in and registration complete, I met up with my fellow Trophy Motorcycles teammate, #190 Dave Miller, to walk the track and get our bikes fueled. As we reached the “Field of Dreams”, the empty field turned motorcycle impound, the sight of nearly 700 motorcycles was amazing. Each one carefully arranged in rows according to one of twelve races. Our bikes were in the first race section, the largest of them all. I was happy to see my Cub just as I had loaded it into a container in Long Beach four days before. It had only been four days but for nearly twenty straight days before that, I had hands on that bike every day. Now all it needed was fuel. But with the line hours-long for the six-dollar-per-gallon pump gas, I was in no hurry to join the wait and we decided to walk the track and deal with hopefully shorter gas line later.
The first section of track we found was the starting line. It was a huge area of freshly turned soil with virtually nothing marking the course we would take after the green flag dropped. There wee a few jumps and berms graded out, but nothing obvious connecting them. Wandering over a crest I found another enormous field of fresh soil, again with a bunch of unconnected bumps and banks still being formed by a dozer. It really looked like there was a ton of work yet to be done, more than what seemed possible in just over twelve hours. With little sense to be made of the motocross section other than there was going to be a lot of it, we slid ourselves down a very steep, single-track path. The though of how crazy it was going to be trying to ride down this with a pack of faster bikes nipping at my back tire only worried for a minute. That was when I saw the nearly eighty-foot climb that followed, then I became really worried. I had never taken on a hill like this one with the cub and I didn’t think blasting up steeps were going to be its’ strength either. Marveling at the challenge ahead of me, a golf cart with a couple of the track preppers whizzed by us laughing and shouted “…wait till you see the upper sections of the course!”
It wasn’t long until we began to see the day-glow ribbons ties to sticks that would mark the course. Black arrows on a day-glow square of cardboard pointing downward warned of a sharp corner, steep drop or some other blind hazard ahead. The more arrows, the more serious the hazard. Extreme danger was marked with skull & crossbones, and they meant it. The course wound around the golf course where the original Grand Prix of Catalina once crossed, then a long paved straight before climbing into the hills. The hills that the golf cart mounted course workers taunted us about. The course up the hill was a nice fire road that seemed innocent enough. Then we began to see the skull & crossbones markers and the danger became clear. The steep rocky cliffs became steeper as we climbed higher. Tangled barbed wire and cactus would greet any rider sliding over the edge. This section didn’t worry me though. I wouldn’t be going nearly fast enough to drift even close to the edge. It was the really fast riders, especially the ones having no chance to walk the course ahead of their race charging blindly through the first lap that needed to worry. The skull & crossbones were no joke. The views were incredible. Sometimes you could see Avalon straight down the valley all the way to the Casino. Giant Red Bull flags that could be seen from the lower motocross section waved in the breeze along side the day-glow course markers. By the time we had walked around the entire three miles or so of mountain section, we could spot the start finish below and the course wound its’ way down. Start to finish, the entire course was nearly seven miles.
Daylight was coming to an end so we decided it was time to get fuel for our bikes. A single line was formed for 91 octane pump gas. It was in this line that you crawled along with your bike until reaching the chaotic fueling area. The line hadn’t gotten any shorter in the three hours we took to walk the course. Being in the first race didn’t give us any time to get gas on Saturday so we jumped in line. To make a very long process short, hours later, we had our gas.
It’s Saturday morning and I arrived at my bike, dressed and ready at 7:15. For the riders of the first race of the weekend, there would be a parade lap through the streets of Avalon as part of the opening ceremony. A great collection of bikes and riders made up the first race. Nearly 100 bikes ranging from an early Harley JD to early 80’s monoshock bikes, six classes divided into intermediates and experts, all in one race. The grid of old bikes began to weave though the streets of Avalon lined with locals, fans and racers. It was an incredible feeling being among the first such motorcycles to grace these roads since 1958. Flashes fired, cameras rolled and crowds cheered. The excitement of the parade lap helped relieve me of some of the pre-race jitters that I had felt for the last two weeks. I took in the scene, stretching this amazing moment out for as long as I could.
On the starting grid, I was centered in the last row with several other lightweights and a rigid-frame BMW. There were six or seven rows ahead of me, most with 15-20 bikes in each. With all engines silent, race official made their last minute announcements and pleas for caution, especially on the upper sections of the course. What probably worried race officials the most were the steep, cactus-covered cliffs stroked the fire roads. There was nothing to save a rabid rider going just a little too fast or sliding a bit too wide from a long tumble. Then a bit of last minute good news…recognizing that the long, steep hill-climb I had been concerned about might be a struggle for the lightweights and rigid bikes, officials announced a detour around the grade for these riders. That was a detour I would be happy to take. Again they stressed the skull & crossbones signs, and then it was time to race. The race would start with engines running and left hand behind your back. Each row was released after the previous row completed the first few turns. Some bikes would stall on the starting line so it could be almost a minute before the next wave was off.
In the moments before my row was released, I tried to remember some of the advice given to me by friends and supporters…eyes forward, elbows up, hug the tank, hold your line. I launched from the starting line and headed up the first slope. It sure felt like I was going a lot slower than those faster rows ahead of me, but a glance to my left and right put things in perspective, everyone else was as slow as me. I weaved around a downed rider in the first turn and settled in. The Cub felt more and more familiar to me with each passing yard…I was doing it and having a blast! It wasn’t long before faster stragglers and late starters were beginning to catch up to me, bumping and grinding their way past me on some very narrow sections. I just held my line and gave room where I could. The course was peppered with downed riders trying to bite off more than they could chew. Not me though, I was upright, relaxed and staying focused. Across the golf course, up into the hills, the Cub was running great. As I rolled through the upper elevations, I noticed the views of Avalon were obscured by the morning clouds. Everything else was just as I had remembered from Friday’s track walk. A walk I was now very happy I had taken. As I descended the mountain, I could see the timing gate marking a complete lap. A full lap complete and no problems felt good. Now into my second lap, I carefully made my way down the steep trail that led to the steep hill-climb. As I reached the bottom, I looked for the detour chute and flagmen directing riders too it. The flagmen and the shortcut appeared to be overrun by spectators. I guessed that perhaps the detour was only available for the first lap and glanced up the giant hill to my left. From a crawl I twisted the throttle and gave it my best shot.
At this point I should explain that my Cub wasn’t perfect. In the days before the race I had found that when revved high in first gear, there was a tendency for the Cub to shift itself into second gear. With time too short to correct the problem, I determined that this shouldn’t be much of a problem as I would likely be on my way to second gear anyways, where I would remain a lot of the time. This mostly worked out fine…mostly.
Back at the hill-climb, I was giving the Cub all I could…in first gear. About a third of the way up, with the engine revving, an unwanted shift into second gear shed all of my momentum. The bike slowed, came to a halt and began to roll backwards down the hill. The Cub and I both tumbled down close to the bottom. I immediately rolled off the course to avoid being run over, jumped up and picked up the stalled bike. I prepared to restart when I discovered the front brake lever assembly flopping from the handlebars. I immediately knew that this spelled the end of my race. I was pretty bummed, but grateful I was uninjured, but pretty bummed. It’s something you see all the time in racing, but when it happens to you, it can leave you with a pretty sad feeling inside. All I could do was watch the other riders fly by and up that hill that gobbled me up. Turns out that this hill would be sore spot for a lot of riders throughout the weekend. Sometimes rejecting riders near the top and bowling them back down into the path of other riders struggling up this “hamburger” hill leading to at least one red flag.
At the end of the race, I made my way back to the impound yard with the Cub. I found Dave, my Trophy Motorcycles teammate had finished 1st in the Premier 500 class. Another Cub took 1st place in the Premier Lightweight class. I ended up being classified as 2nd ahead of two others in my class. Everyone had a story and a huge smile, including me. It was still early on Saturday morning and there was still a whole weekend of racing, family and friends to enjoy. The Island, the racers, the organizers and volunteers really put on an incredible event.
For me, finishing would have been great. But experiencing my first ever race at such a special place was amazing. Every moment from the day Eddie Mulder first told my about the efforts to revive this great race in April until stepping off of the ferry back in Dana Point was a moment I hope never to forget. I thank all my family and friends who came out to The Island to support me, as well as those on the mainland who couldn’t make it out but helped make my ride possible…Thank You!
The 31st annual San Diego British Car Day was held amongst the historic architecture of Liberty Station on the site of the old Naval Training Center in Point Loma. What does a car show have to do with motorcycles you ask? Well for the second year in a row The British Iron Association of San Diego has joined up with the cars, and the spectators have really enjoyed it. After all, few people were ever able to afford an XKE (fewer now!) but it seems like everyone that visited our display had a story about owning a Brit bike or knew someone that had.
We had about 15 motorcycles on display, with a really good range of models. In addition to the usual ‘60s Triumphs, Beezers, and ‘70s Commandos, there was a minty fresh 1947 Triumph T100R, a Matchless twin, and a pair of nicely custom cafe’d Nortons. I scrambled the week before the event and got my ’68 Triumph TR6R project about 95% finished, close enough to show, but everyone that saw it asked me where the missing speedo and tach were!
Gray skies kept the temps down and gave a fittingly British setting to the event. The new venue was great with lots of space for displays, situated next to the water, and surrounded by historic architecture. Rows and rows of beautifully restored British cars lined the grass and you could easily have spent hours taking it all in.
The San Diego British Car Council took good care of us, providing and awarding first, second and third place trophies for the bikes. Geoff P. took first place with his beautiful 1947 Triumph T100R, I took second with my ’68 TR6R, and Isaac H. of Trophy Motorcycles took third with his shiny café Norton featuring a Commando motor in a featherbed frame. Big thanks to Erik A. for setting the event up for us and to everyone that brought bikes out.
Normally a ride to Potrero in the middle of summer would be a miserable endeavor, the kind of thing only a crazy person would do. Crazy people do other crazy things too, like ride 40+ year old motorcycles through the desert. Well we may be crazy about bikes but mild temperatures made the August 1st ride to Potrero a really great idea.
Eight bikes showed up at Starbucks, a ’66 BSA, 2 Commandos, and the rest Triumphs consisting of near identical twin ’73 Tigers, a ’62 Trophy, ’71 500 twin and a late ‘60s TR6. We headed east and didn’t get very far when we had our first mechanical issue, Geoff’ P.’s ’62 Trophy came to a dead stop just as we got to the end of Jamul Dr. No amount of kicking and swearing would coax life back into it so the rest of us headed on to the Lyons Valley store to wait while Jamul local Jeff W. got his trailer and rescued Geoff’s old girl. Geoff P. later found the magneto pinion gear had shed some teeth.
It didn’t take long for Jeff and Geoff to catch up with us, Geoff now riding Jeff’s very nice T140. We looped back down south on Honey Springs, then eastward out 94. Traffic was surprisingly light and Bill set a nice pace that was fun yet kept the group together.
The Mexican food stop was great as usual. The burritos were huge and the waitress threatened to make us wash dishes if we didn’t eat it all!
Traffic was light on the way back too and things were going well until the T140 Geoff was riding came to a stop. It started back up and a few of us wondered if it was a gas tank venting problem.
Once we got to the 7-11 at Steele Canyon we all headed our separate ways. I found out later that the T140’s motor seized up solid right after that. Geoff had killed 2 Triumph in one day!
An autopsy is currently underway on the T140, stay tuned for the results. Despite the carnage, it was a great ride!
For the 15th consecutive year, the 2010 Corsa Moto Classica at Willow Springs Raceway combined some of the worlds rarest vintage racing motorcycles with the closest thing to a classic 1970’s racing weekend you are likely to find these days. The AHRMA together with The Garage Company strike perfect balance between the rules-riddled requirements of the 21st Century with the free-spirit of yesterday. From the trackside camping with bonfires to helmet-free riding on the sprawling desertscape that is home to the “Fastest Road in the West”, spectators seem to be free to enjoy the weekend in just about any way they choose.
Take our very own JoJo H. for instance. Where else can you wake up in the morning and answer a call over the loudspeaker for “sidecar drivers seeking monkeys – no experience required” and be suited up and turning laps before lunch? That’s exactly what JoJo did! In no time, she went from the sleeping bag to the sidecar chair hanging out just about everything she’s got to keep the BMW powered sidecar on the winding 2.5 mile road course. Despite never have even been on sidecar, she did her job well, not allowing the rig to leave the track even once. “I liked when we were behind another sidecar the best so I could watch the passenger in front of me and know when to move” she said. Her thrill ride didn’t come without a few souvenir bruises, aches and pains, enough for her to turn down a second day on the Beemer, leaving the driver again without a partner…but more about that later.
JoJo wasn’t the only BIASD Associate to turn laps at Willow. One of our newest Associates, Gardner M. brought out the 500cc Triumph that we are getting used to seeing on our rides, in race trim. On Friday, the AHRMA folks held a rookie orientation day at the track for those who want a shot at competing and Gardner was there. The focus is clearly on safety at rookie orientation where prospective riders are shown the art of safety wire, bike prep and getting around the track. By the end of the day, Gardner and his fellow rookies were race ready for the weekend. Competing against BSA’s and Honda’s in the Sportsman 500 class, he held his own on the track scoring two days of thrills only found on a professional road course.
That may have been all the excitement Gardner could stand for one weekend if it hadn’t been for a BMW sidecar outfit left without a passenger after JoJo’s retirement. We couldn’t leave that poor driver without a monkey on Sunday so once again, a BIASD Associate answered the call of the sidehack and saddled up on the BMW for Sunday’s events. Gardner was the perfect replacement for JoJo. After all, he at least had his own helmet and leathers! The BMW put up a great fight on Sunday. Despite being forced off the track only once, the pair finished an admirable 6th place!
There was just so much to see at the Corsa MotoClassica, from Rob North Triples to Eddie Mulder flat trackers to LeMans-style starts and vintage bikes from every corner of the globe, we are truly blessed to have this great event so close to home. With the 16th Annual Corsa less than a year away, it’s not too late to race-prep your tent or motorcycle for next years event!
When I mailed off the booth registration for The 28th Annual Clubmans All-British Show & Swap a day before the deadline, I had no idea that I would be lucky to get a spot. That describes the nearly sold out vendor turnout for this years event. I saw only a couple of empty spots, no-shows I was told.
Maybe part of the reason for the limited vendor capacity was the number of motorcycles on display. Row after row of rare and coveted British motorcycles covered the indoor fairway including a whole bunch of Triples, the Honoree of this years show. I even saw two of my favourite BSA’s…a ’60 Gold Star Catalina Scrambler and her Twin sister, the Spitfire Scrambler. Both impeccable examples owned by one lucky person!
Despite getting a less-than-prime spot, The British Iron Association of San Diego was proudly represented by The Banner flanked by my ’62 Trophy and ’64 Mountain Cub. The lovely and talented Katy helped by sitting in to top off a pretty busy booth…flattrack great Eddie Mulder even stopped by with some great things to say. A few of our own San Diego locals made it and stopped by the booth to leave newly bought parts or just to take a break. Lars came along just in time to cut me loose to check out the bikes and swapmeet. It paid off for me after I was able to find some TLS brake parts in the form of a complete front wheel for twenty bucks. There was a great assortment of new and used parts vendors along with tee-shirts, photos and organizations sprinkled in between.
It really was a great show. The BSA Owners Club of Northern California have succeeded in producing the best British show in the West. It is well organized with friendly hosts at a very reasonable five dollar ticket. If that’s not enough for you, this year featured a vintage American motorcycle show and swap, as well as a European and Japaneese show…PLUS indoor short track racing! Each show is indepenently run in seperate buldings but it all seems to work out with pleanty of parking at the site of the once famous San Jose Mile.
After 23 years, this event shows no sign of slowing down. It takes place at a great time of year and the drive (or ride), where everything is incredibly green, is easy and beautiful. Pencil this event onto you calendar for next year and find your way to San Jose. You won’t be disappointed!
The Second Annual BIASD Legends ride took place Saturday, March 20th with huge success. Even though there’s not much actual riding that takes place, this is quickly becoming a favorite ride with the group because of the amazing people we visit. The idea is to visit local legends of our hobby and get the E ticket tour of their shops…access that the average Joe just wouldn’t have.
With 12 vintage Brit bikes rolling, our first stop was Bruce Barker’s machine shop. Bruce was a Triumph factory trained mechanic and wrenched on the racing triples at Daytona. An amazing machinist that can make or fix anything, his small shop is packed with machinery. It is all very clean, neat and organized, not a stray metal chip in sight. Bruce and his wife Mary were very gracious hosts and laid out enough coffee, sodas and snacks for a small army!
From there we rumbled over to the lunch stop, Fuddruckers. With our cholesterol counts sufficiently taken up a few notches, we headed to Sonny Angel motorcycles. Sonny has been in the same location since 1953 and has done it all, from road racing and running Vincent’s on the Salt Flats to wrenching and selling new Nortons. His shop is absolutely filled to the rafters with old bikes and parts. Everywhere you looked there was some motorcycle artifact to grab your attention.
Our last stop was Rob North Fabrications. It’s impossible to read any history of Triumph Motorcycles without the name Rob North popping up. As everyone knows, he designed and built the frames for the racing triples. Rob’s shop is the polar opposite of Bruce’s shop but I bet Rob knows exactly where everything is. As a special treat, Rob rolled out the 1971 Daytona winning BSA triple ridden by Dick Mann. After a few minutes of fettling he started it for us and an amazing howl bellowed out of the open megaphone! It’s not every day that you are deafened by such a great piece of racing history.
Everyone had a great time and it was nice to see 3 or 4 new faces. Hopefully we will see them and everyone else on our next club ride, which is the John Mulrean Memorial Lakes ride May 1st.
The inaugural BIASD North County Chili Ride was successfully held on
Sunday, with 7 riders participating: Will I on his BSA 650, Will II on
his Triumph, Lars on a primo 71 Trident, Frank S on his Commando,
Scott R (new member) on his like-new 74 red Commando, Phil L
on a speedy 51 Triumph 650 and I on my trusty 75 Commando.
6 of us rallied at the Park-N-Ride on the NW corner of I-15 and Deer
Springs, reviewed the ride map and plans, admired Scott’s shiny Commando
and Lars’ bargain-priced Trident, and departed about 10:35AM under
partly sunny skies and 60 degree temps. About 100 yards later, Phil
L joined the procession, having waited for us at the NE corner of
the same interchange. We set forth North on Champagne Boulevard then
took Circle R Drive to curvy West Lilac road, stopping on the very high
West Lilac Bridge overlooking I-15. From this vantage point riders broke
out the cameras and captured some video and photos while I checked with
everyone on pace for the ride.
BIASD North County Chili Ride
We proceeded at a quick pace along West Lilac to the intersection with
Camino Del Rey, then north on Olive Hill road. Generally we were in
horse property country and thoroughly enjoying the scenery and twisty
roads. Once we got to Sleeping Indian Road we proceeded South at a
leisurely pace safely behind a Ford Excursion. The Sunday drive speed
allowed everyone to drink in the views from this road into Camp
Pendleton and even the Pacific Ocean.
We returned to Bonsall along the River/Mission road, then picked up
Camino Del Rey back to Old Highway 395. We tested the speed limit a bit
here and there as conditions permitted. All the bikes were running
soundly. Phil’s Triumph, with its fine patina of flaking metal rust was
particularly impressive with its hot motor. Beware the wolf in beggar’s
clothing!
Our next leg was on Gopher Canyon and North Twin Oaks Valley road, then
a return to our start point. When we reached the Park-N-Ride, we
congratulated ourselves on a ride well done. I called the home front to
get the cornbread started, and we dashed the 4 miles down Jesmond Dene
to the entrance of my subdivision. The last 100 yards of this 50-mile
ride I had to coast along as the clutch cable on my steed parted at this
pretty opportune moment. The ride was finished and so was my bike.
We got to my house and soon dove into the chili and cornbread and
libations which was a welcome end to a somewhat chilly morning. As
usual we indulged in some bench-racing and lie-swapping until it was
time for Frank and Phil to head back and pick up bikes at Lakeside. So
the event came to an end with the promise that we will repeat this type
of ride on the club’s northern fringes and hope that we can entice more
riders with better scheduling and probably warmer weather.
The Association was well represented a the 2010 Lakeside Off-Road Days on Feb 20-21. With the focus of the event on off-road related activites, BIASD Associates mustered five bikes, all Triumphs to represent the British iron community. The stable of three high-pipe Tiger Cubs and two high-pipe T100′s.
Although the weather trimmed crowds down to a trickle, the vintage British bikes attracted alot of attention and generated quite a bit of interest in The Association.
Another big attraction affected by the weather was the lawnmower and motorcycle flat track racing. Thanks to the hard work of the events sponsors, San Diego Off-Road Coallition, some of the Sunday racing schedule was salvaged. There was no sign of any British lawn mowers but a couple of nice British bikes made the grid.
Thanks to Erik J, Phil L and Frank S for brining out their bikes!
Motorcycles
