AMA’s Vintage Days proves that old bike culture Is still alive and well

The old saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” certainly rang true at this year’s edition of the American Motorcyclist Association’s Vintage Motorcycle Days, held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 10-12.

We saw several models of bikes we thought were long gone or maybe in a museum somewhere. Many of them, such as old Pentons or Bultaco’s, passed us in the paddock area as we made our way through the endless maze of one of the most amazing swap meets we have ever witnessed.

We saw an old Cushman scooter that we thought was for sale. Turns out, the owner had just sold an old Honda and enough parts to purchase the scooter from another vendor. This sort of horse trading is quite common in the swap meet area, which, with all the rain, looked like a muddy wasteland in parts. Everywhere we turned there was a dirt bike or some other pit vehicle about to run us over (yeah, we were on foot this time).

It was a good couple of days that made us remember why we’re in the industry in the first place. We found a lot of “gold” that didn’t get to make the journey home this year, but we hope to change our luck next year!