Vintage Days Report

[Emjayw]

 8)  Wow! What a weekend.  Perfect weather and just me and about 40,000 of my closest friends!  Got to meet Bob and his family in the swap meet and at the campground. Nice people!  Bob, it took awhile but we finally hooked up!!  I picked up a really nice '82 seat and a red right-side fairing lower (nos).  Paid $30 for the seat and $3.00 for the lower!
This is my first post using my registered name. I'm Mike Williams and I am the lucky owner of a nice '83.  I rode my '77 Yamaha XS650D in the Ride 'em don't hide 'em ride and show and had a lot of fun talking to other 650 folks. I missed the trials Sat. morning because of the ride, but I'll see it again next year!  This was my sixth VMD and we'll be there again next year.  Let me know if you were here and add your comments. MIke

[dtknox]

I arrived at Mid Ohio late on Friday and was able to locate Bob (QBS) early on Saturday morning.  After reading posting form Bob since 1999, it was good to meet him, his wife and daughter.  His 83 Vision is in good shape and running well.  

The VMS was great. There was every type of bike you could want to see. The track at Mid Ohio, roles and twist between the hills. You can sit on the hillside and have a great view of the racing.

QBS got an even better view of the track.  The AMA was accepted donations in exchange for a lap around the track, during the lunch break in racing. I saw QBS, riding his Vision, onto the track, so he may have some interesting comments. I tried to find him, to ask that it was like but could not locate him before I had to leave Saturday.

QBS told me that he was heading east to tour the Amish community and then north to South Bass inland, in Lake Erie, after the VMS.  Unfortunately, we have had record rainfalls, since Monday (it broke a record set over 100 years ago). I hope it has not spoiled his vacation.


Keep Riding

Dale

[QBS]

VMD !  What can I say?  When I snap shifted at red line from second to third headed down the back straight at Mid-Ohio, I cried.  It was like me and the bike had finally come home.  We were one.  I still get misty eyed recalling the moment.

VMD was like a huge open air museum.  Everywhere you looked were dream museum pieces of every imaginable brand.  Vincents, Vincents with side cars, a concours Vellocette, so many perfectly restored CB750 Honda as to be common, a racing team made up of 5 BMWs so old that the transmissions had seperate gear shift levers for reverse (they had to date from the 30's).  I estimate that there had to be at least 10,000 bikes in attendence.

The swap meet had to be walked to be believed.  I took a total of one day just to walk up and down all the rows of parts, assessories, bikes, parts of bikes, parts of parts of bikes, books, literature, you imagine it-it was there.  Many 60'-70' period Hondas and Yamahas.  Many pristine, some for parts, all for sale.  One vendor had 3 '54 Honda Dreams, two of which appeared to be runners!  CB450 Black Bombers, CB350s, Yamaha RD 350s and 400s, the list could go on and on.

The Brit bike representation was almost equal to the Japanese, as was the Harley.  The least representative were the Italian marques and even they had samples from virtually every brand.  Benellis' were common.  Saw three pristine Moto Guzzis' with their 30's and 40's style exposed chrome and red fly wheels, and girder design front ends.

I ended up buying a NOS '82 V right side cover for $20.00 and a NOS Shoei tail trunk for $60.00.  I passed on two xz550rj Yamaha shop manuals @$10.00 each because they aren't much different than my Haynes book.

There were so many high points to the weekend that they all run together.  Certainly high among them would be my first face to face meeting with a Forum Vnary.  Dale Knox and his beautiful '82 found me early Friday am.  We had a great but too short visit and didn't hook up again for the rest of the weekend.  My loss.  Later, I located Forum newbie Mike Williams (of XS 650 Society fame) and had several wonderful hours talking Vs', XSs', Ohio roads, et. al.  Mike had recently bought his '83 V from Vnary and XS person Russ.  Russ and his wife Theresa treated Kathy (aka The Wonderful Wife) and I like family.

We camped very near the Yamaha XS650 Society campsite and were treated like long time members, welcomed to their camp fire and fellowship every night.  It was almost enough to make me want an xs 650.  Learned all about that fabled old bike and its idiosynchresies.

All weekend long, wherever I rode the V, it received a lot of attention.  Several people thanked me for bringing it and encouraged me to keep it running.  On the last day one guy offered to buy it!  I thanked him for the complement and declined the offer.  I'm confident that the Vs' in attendence at this years VMD were among the most rare bikes there.


All in all, sensory overload is the best way to describe VMD.  By Sunday PM I was wore out and almost (but not quite!)sick of motorcycles.  The route home to Houston was initially planned to include a visit to Lake Erie, but time constraints dictated a revision.  Having heard about a fabulous road in southeast Ohio numbered 555, we decided to go a little out of the our way and drive its beginning outside Zanesville Ohio all the way to its end at the Appalation Highway.  It's a good ride indeed and one that I will one day make on the V.  I think one would be hard pressed or insane to average over 35 mph for its entire length.

All of the above is only about Mid-Ohio VMD.  The day I spent at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Dayton Ohio was equally mind blowing.  Remind me to tell ya'll about the time I touched an F-117 Stealth Fighter and an SR-71 Black Bird (Los Angeles to Washington D. C. in 68 minutes).  Cheers.

[QBS]

VMD !  What can I say?  When I snap shifted at red line from second to third headed down the back straight at Mid-Ohio, I cried.  It was like me and the bike had finally come home.  We were one.  I still get misty eyed recalling the moment.

VMD was like a huge open air museum.  Everywhere you looked were dream museum pieces of every imaginable brand.  Vincents, Vincents with side cars, a concours Vellocette, so many perfectly restored CB750 Honda as to be common, a racing team made up of 5 BMWs so old that the transmissions had seperate gear shift levers for reverse (they had to date from the 30's).  I estimate that there had to be at least 10,000 bikes in attendence.

The swap meet had to be walked to be believed.  I took a total of one day just to walk up and down all the rows of parts, assessories, bikes, parts of bikes, parts of parts of bikes, books, literature, you imagine it-it was there.  Many 60'-70' period Hondas and Yamahas.  Many pristine, some for parts, all for sale.  One vendor had 3 '54 Honda Dreams, two of which appeared to be runners!  CB450 Black Bombers, CB350s, Yamaha RD 350s and 400s, the list could go on and on.

The Brit bike representation was almost equal to the Japanese, as was the Harley.  The least representative were the Italian marques and even they had samples from virtually every brand.  Benellis' were common.  Saw three pristine Moto Guzzis' with their 30's and 40's style exposed chrome and red fly wheels, and girder design front ends.

I ended up buying a NOS '82 V right side cover for $20.00 and a NOS Shoei tail trunk for $60.00.  I passed on two xz550rj Yamaha shop manuals @$10.00 each because they aren't much different than my Haynes book.

There were so many high points to the weekend that they all run together.  Certainly high among them would be my first face to face meeting with a Forum Vnary.  Dale Knox and his beautiful '82 found me early Friday am.  We had a great but too short visit and didn't hook up again for the rest of the weekend.  My loss.  Later, I located Forum newbie Mike Williams (of XS 650 Society fame) and several wonderful hours talking Vs', XSs', Ohio roads, et. al.  Mike had recently bought his '83 V from Vnary and XS person Russ.  Russ and his wife Theresa treated Kathy (aka The Wonderful Wife) and I like family.

We camped very near the Yamaha XS650 Society campsite and were treated like long time members, welcomed to their camp fire and fellowship every night.  It was almost enough to make me want an xs 650.  Learned all about that fabled old bike and its idiosynchresies.

All weekend long, wherever I rode the V, it received a lot of attention.  Several people thanked me for bringing it and encouraged me to keep it running.  On the last day one guy offered to buy it!  I thanked him for the complement and declined the offer.  I'm confident that the Vs' in attendence at this years VMD were among the most rare bikes there.


All in all, sensory overload is the best way to describe VMD.  By Sunday PM I was wore out and almost (but not quite!)sick of motorcycles.  The route home to Houston was initially planned to include a visit to Lake Erie, but time constraints dictated a revision.  Having heard about a fabulous road in southeast Ohio numbered 555, we decided to go a little out of the our way and drive its beginning outside Zanesville Ohio all the way to its end at the Appalation Highway.  It's a good ride indeed and one that I will one day make on the V.  I think one would be hard pressed or insane to average over 35 mph for its entire length.

All of the above is only about Mid-Ohio VMD.  The day I spent at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Dayton Ohio was equally mind blowing.  Remind me to tell ya'll about the time I touched an F-117 Stealth Fighter and an SR-71 Black Bird (Los Angeles to Washington D. C. in 68 minutes).  Cheers.

[sdinino]

Quite a story, thanks for the report. I really enjoyed reading it.

When your fingers cool off :-) I'd love to hear about the Blackbird (all time favorite military plane).

Thanks!

[Emjayw]

Bob's not pulling your leg about VMD.  It is THAT good!  Bob, next time you're up north, let me know and we'll take our '83's for a little spin. (555 is good, and I know others almost as good in the area.)  Southeastern Ohio has to be ridden to be believed. Your report was top-notch Bob.  By the way, the AF museum is one of my favorite places too!  Mike