AMA Vintage Days 2012

Sunday morning under nearly perfect skies, my son Jonathan and I began our ride to the AMA Vintage Daysheld at the world class race track at Mid Ohio. The track is located in the Amish country of Morrow County, where riding in the rolling countryside makes getting there half the fun.

Sign along SR314

The 2012 AMA Vintage Days is known as the premier celebration of vintage motorcycles and the people who love them. This year's event highlighted the café racer motorcycle and the Italian metal bodied scooters which were made popular in England in the 1960's by the self described Mods and Rockers. One writer described the opposing groups like this; _‟_High-profile characters in one of motorcycling's most colorful bits of history, Rockers sported pompadours, wore leather jackets festooned with pins, and rode Triumph, Norton, BSA and other Brit-bikes chopped into café racers. The Rockers stood in stark contrast to the Mods of the same era -- dapper-dressed riders who prized the glorious cosmetic and performance enhancements of Italian metal- body scooters like Vespas and Lambrettas. For a Mod, the more shiny-chrome rear-view mirrors mounted on the front legshields, the better.”

Although Sunday's attendance was visibly lower than I have seen in years past, the event sponsors and vendors I spoke with seemed thrilled at the overall results. At the Cafe Racer tent, I ran into Mike Seate, owner of Café Racer Magazine and host of the ever popular Café Racer television show. Mike was unable to curb his enthusiasm as we talked about the eighty plus cafe entries for Saturday's bike show. He said he was pleased with the quantity and the quality of the competition.

He went on to say; "We've had a significant presence at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days for several years now, and we love the crowds, the energy, the fun and the very cool vibe you get there," Seate said. "We're glad to be at the forefront of the modern resurgence of the café racer motorcycle, and taking that enthusiasm to the next level by being front-and-center at this event has been awesome."

Rick and Mike Seate of Cafe Racer

Grant Salter and Jesse Greening, of Café Fabrications, whose entry took home the Best in Show, and the People's Choice awards, said they were thrilled and humbled by their win.

Cafe Fabrications wins Best in Show, People's Choice Award

We spent our early afternoon dodging the mini bikes as we meandered through the maze of tents and trailers in the swap meet area. This is where you find the most interesting of characters as they expand on already tall tales and sell every motorcycle part imaginable (not only is it a great to buy that hard to find part, it is also a fantastic place to people watch).

As the afternoon came to a close and the contestants and venders began packing to go home I was pleased to have had another opportunity to be around the bikes of the past and the people who are passionate about them and to share that experience with my son. I hope you will plan to attend next year's AMA Vintage Days.

Pictures of the day

Plenty to eat.

Announcer interviews rider prior to race.

Taking notes and enjoying a smoke.