The Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2014

By Brandes Elitch
Photos by Petya Elitch

“The world of motorcycles has all the ingredients of a good enriching drama: heroic deeds, political intrigue, design brilliance, cut-throat business practices, quirky characters, national tensions, cultural biases, eros, and thanatos.” – Paul d’Orleans

In previous columns, I’ve covered the Monterey Historics, the week long series of racing, shows, club events, and exhibitions culminating with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. I’ve covered an event called “The Legends of the Motorcycle,” held for 3 years at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay, CA. In May, I attended for the first time The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, the sixth iteration of this event, which seems to have stepped into the void when the Legends event was unfortunately discontinued. There are many concours events for the automobile, but to my knowledge this is the only world-class motorcycle event. Perhaps someday someone somewhere might try to duplicate it. However, it would be tough to beat the ambiance of the Monterey Peninsula, in this case a luxury resort with a championship golf course set on 850 acres in Carmel Valley.

The only dual-carb guitar in the world: accompanied by a 1981 CBX, both owned by Terry Ward.

The organizer, Gordon McCall, is well known for his kickoff event to the Historics. He has a keen eye for detail, and I would guess that a whole year’s worth of planning went into this show featuring, “inspiring and exceptional pieces of machinery.” And indeed they were.

The primary feature this year was “100 Years of Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats.” I’ve been at Bonneville in August to see my friend Richard Kreines run the “World’s Fastest Alfa.” One sight I will never forget is seeing a motorcycle streamliner lined up for the starting line (it is a long wait). The driver was encased in helmet and Nomex suit. Standing next to him were 2 assistants pulling 2 wagons, one with a generator, and one with an air conditioner pumping cool air directly into the driver’s suit. It was unbearably hot. The native Indians called it “the land the Devil himself made.” If this show did not have every significant bike to have ever raced at Bonneville, including the “world’s fastest Indian,” they couldn’t have missed too many.

Organizer Gordon McCall interviewing racer Steady Eddie Lawson in back of the main building at Quail Lodge.

Gordon interviewed racer “Steady Eddie” Lawson on the podium. Lawson won the 500 cc Grand Prix World Championship in 1984, 1986, and 1988. He is the only American to win this class 4 times. He is the only person to win major races at nearby Laguna Seca Raceway on both two and four wheels. As Gordon said, in those days “not only were the other riders trying to kill you, the bike was trying to kill you too!” And this perhaps explains the difference between a motorcycle show and a car show. It reminds me of the distinction made by a writer named Marshall McLuhan about the difference between “Hot” and “Cool” media. Hot media, like movies, requires complete involvement. It is high definition, and demands the viewer’s complete attention and enhances a single sense. Cool media, like TV, requires effort on the part of the viewer to determine meaning – the viewer is detached.

Cockpit of the 175 Ducati streamliner.

When you are riding a motorcycle, you are completely focused on the road ahead. You are planning braking, shifting, leaning, and finding the apex a hundred yards ahead of you, as well of keeping track of the “cagers” in cars who never watch their mirrors and have no idea that you are there. One mistake can be fatal, even something that would be innocuous in a car, such as going into a corner too fast. Motorcycles are hot media; cars are cool media. The people at this show have a very good understanding of this, which is why they are so passionate about seeing these bikes. This is not the same emotional plane as you would experience at a car show, unless you were looking at race cars, perhaps, and therein lies the difference, and it is a big difference.

Chassis is a 1959 Ducati 175, upon which is a special Grand Prix streamlined fairing of the type used in the 1956 Formula. My pick for most fabulous bike at the show.

There were about 200 bikes on display, and while it would be a fool’s errand to choose the most desirable, I found three that were compelling. My vote for the most interesting bike was a Ducati streamliner made by Evan Wilcox Hand Formed Metal right up the road from me in Ukiah, CA. Evan told me that he attended the Art Center School in Pasadena, majoring in photography. After graduation, he became a sign painter. One day he decided to see if he could fabricate a custom exhaust, and after that he thought he would try to create a gas tank. When you look at his work on the website, you will see what I mean. While I was talking to Evan, someone mentioned that there is a company in Salinas that restores P51 Mustang aircraft, and that “the aircraft guys are way ahead of the bike guys” when it comes to state of the art fabrication. Look at the picture of the Ducati streamliner, which he made completely from scratch (this formula was only used in 1956), it is about not just the craftsmanship but his imagination in creating this authentic period piece that never existed in the first place. Sleepy little Ukiah is becoming a hotbed of creativity; it is also home to Germain-Robin cognac, considered one of the best cognacs in the world!

A1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, owned by Steve Lalin, perhaps the most desirable postwar Guzzi.

My second choice is the custom bikes made by Richard Pollock at Mule (www.mulemotorcycles.net). Go to this site and you will see 3 videos interviews of Richard, as well as a copy of his must-read article, “12 Steps to Build a Café Racer.” Richard has built over a hundred bikes in the “Streettracker” style. As he says, “Bikes have been improving at an exponential rate for the last 30 years, but you’re committed to riding a seventies bike!” Richard is on the leading edge of this work, as you will see when you go through his website. When I talked to him at the show, he had just had a close call: the San Diego fires a few days before went right near his house, and in spite of all the bikes in his garage, he had to tell his wife, “Get the dogs, lock the house, and leave.” He had the presence of mind to put a sprinkler on the roof, and when he returned, his house was still standing, but a few nearby were not. Of course, this has to happen just when you are getting ready for a big show.

A Desmo Ducati, with the 'Why We Ride' display in the background. This movie is a documentary, told by the racers, riders, pioneers, and parents in the sport. This is a must-see 89 minute film that was made in 2013. Check it out at: whyweridefilm.com

The third choice was what at first appeared to be a vintage bike, but upon closer inspection, was not. It was the creation of Christopher Sidah, called the Sterling Autocycle. The idea is to use modern manufacturing techniques and a modern engine to build what appears to be a very authentic 1915 motorcycle! He has already had the first fifty made in Italy by Aprilia, and is now planning on moving production to California. He will offer a sidecar, including a wicker version, which ought to look pretty cool, and will not require a motorcycle endorsement either. This is not about going fast, but it is about experiencing the essence of motorcycling, without the worry of whether you will make it home or not.

The Sterling Autocycle, with Fabio Cardoni, the constructor.

Of course, there were many other lovely bikes, too many to mention here. Having restored a Velocette MAC, I was disappointed that there was only one Mellow Velo Fellow in attendance, and having a Moto Guzzi at home, I was also surprised that there were only 2 or 3 Guzzis there. But I was pleased to see a number of Honda CB 750’s, my other bike, some of them done very creatively, which gives me the inspiration to get cracking with mine. And, in conclusion, this is what this show is all about: inspiring people who love motorcycles to restore them and ride them. In this, it was quite successful, and I look forward to next year.

The Vintagent, in the flesh, and in the jacket too! Paul d'Orleans is one of the most knowledgeable people in motorcycling, and has published a book called 'The Ride' which is the #1 motorcycle book on Amazon, with 40,000 print copies. Good work, Paul.