A Rare Treat!!!!

The motorcycle culture in Montana is odd to say the least.  You either ride an American product, a go fast foreign product or you have your vintage motorcycle of any blood hidden deep in a garage.  Since I became addicted to JAP engines I have tried to find some local support group of other vintage cyclist.

What I have found is generally insular, clubby and pretty standoffish. So when the Cannonball crew decided to ride near Montana on their 2012 sea to shinning sea trophy dash I had to go and soak up as much moving vintage porn as I could.  Despite my training and practice as a military photographer I was so thrilled by the machines and the kind and generous riders and mechanics and support crews I took fewer photos than I had planned.

Here are the photos I liked best for the reason that the people and the machines are some of my favorites for lots of reasons.

Paul d’Orleans and his 28/33 Velocette KSS/MkIV KTT hybrid. Yellowstone Lake, WY

Velocette race bike.

Shinya Kimura, Ayu and Niimie of Chabott Engineering, with their 1915 Indian.

Niimie

The Cannonball winner for two in a row 1913 Excelsior of Brad Wilmarth.

Paul, Shinya Kimura, Ayu and Niimie and Brad all were kind and gracious and had great patience for an intruding old wanker like me.  I was very much like a kid in a candy store not only meeting these very cool riders and crew but all the other riders that treated me with courtesy and evidently appreciated my overboard enthusiasm.  Plus a thank you to Jeff Decker for his willingness to give a minute to an art and motorcycle fan.