Now is the time to start planning summer rides to motorcycle events. A great one to attend is right in the middle of America, Vintage Rally at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa June 7-8, 2014. There’s a great all-brand bike show featuring dirt track race bikes and Indian motorcycles, 1988 and older. The swap meet is always good fun. And typically some racers and other Hall of Fame inductees attend ready to tell their stories and give you their autograph. Then you cap it all off with a Sunday morning ride through some of hilly eastern Iowa, artist Grant Wood country.
Hall of Famers Bobby Hill, Bill Tuman and Dick Klamfoth plan to attend Vintage Rally 2014.
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the National Motorcycle Museum is a really great place to visit, filled with things that will stimulate your motorcycling memory, even serve as a research tool. This is an expansive museum with over 400 motorcycles and tons of memorabilia on display, so plan to take it all in while you are at the Vintage Rally.
Especially good news is that the Museum staff will be expanding the Indian exhibition area, adding bikes, bringing in more stories of the history of this famous marque. And, if you haven’t seen the Allstate Motorcycle Dirt Track Heroes presented by J&P Cycles, this is a perfect time. Chat with expected guests, dirt track racers Bill Tuman, Dick Klamfoth, Mike Wilson, and Bobbie Hill, plus local Iowa champ John Tibben, all Hall of Famers. All this is waiting for you at the National Motorcycle Museum June 7 and 8 during Vintage Rally 2014.
Take note, Allstate Motorcycle Dirt Track Heroes contains almost 30 race-winning Harleys, Triumphs, Yamahas, BSAs, Indians, OSSAs, Hondas, Kawasakis and even a Matchless. Plus leathers, helmets, even a special exhibit featuring Ken Maely and his steel shoe making mastery. Author Greg Pearson curated this exhibit and wrote the bios on all 25 Grand National Champions, so while you have a good time looking over all the great bikes and leathers, you can learn about the champion riders, too.
Also recently added to the Museum displays is a scooter exhibit. Scooters from around the world are featured in the new exhibit entitled, SCOOTERS! Check out about 15 scooters, mini-bikes, too, reflecting designs from America, Italy, Germany, Japan and more. You’ll also be able to check out new additions to the National Motorcycle Museum’s international collection of motorcycles which is always changing and expanding.
The National Motorcycle Museum’s annual event showcasing new exhibits, motorcycling heroes, a great swap meet, a bike show and a vintage ride is the Vintage Rally. But it’s two days that will never be repeated, so mark your calendar, book a room and plan to attend. While the Museum in its new location holds over 400 great motorcycles from Ariel to Zundapp and thousands of great pieces of art and memorabilia, the bike shows at the fourth annual Vintage Rally weekend bring to you even more fine machines for review. All Vintage Rally 2014 details and registration forms for the Bike Show and Swap Meet are at www.nationalmcmuseum.org
Allstate Motorcycle Dirt Track Heroes exhibit features over 30 bikes, 20 sets of leathers and over 100 pieces of artwork.
Saturday Bike Show judging will result in nearly 40 awards for owners of the best machines, including best original unrestored bikes for the Hagerty Motorcycle Insurance Preservation Award. Enter your vintage bike, street, competition, custom, even mini, 1988 or earlier in the bike show; Dirt Track Racers and Indian motorcycles will be featured in the Bike Show. Bike show awards are sponsored by Motorcycle Classics magazine. Got a nice cafe racer? The Ace Cafe London will sponsor the special ACE Cafe Racer Award during the bike show.
Walk the swap meet and pick up parts for your projects or add to your memorabilia collection. Or reserve your own 20 x 20 Swap Meet space if you need to trim your collection. Swap Meet entry forms are downloadable on the Museum website. There you can also sign up for the Sunday morning Vintage Motorcycle Ride and lunch hosted by Motorcycle Classics magazine. All riders and their motorcycles of any age are invited.
Mark your calendar and plan to attend Vintage Rally, June 7 & 8, 2014. Watch the National Motorcycle Museum website, www.nationalmcmuseum.org for entry forms, further event details, the activities schedule and lodging information as they are finalized. If you need more information, call the National Motorcycle Museum at 319-462-3925.
