MOTORCYCLES: "Oley Rollers" at a national meet near Reading

Over the years, you've gotten used to reading about Tilda's adventures at equestrian events, posh fundraising galas, and concerts and lectures of all stripes, but I can guarantee you that this is a new one. Bright and early on Saturday morning my favorite traveling buddy and I headed to Oley, northeast of Reading, to an antique motorcycle show and flea market: formally, the Perkiomen Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America's national meet.

I know very little about motorcycles, but I enjoyed the day immensely anyway. There were dozens of wonderful vintage motorcycles on display, in all states of repair, starting with some Indian motorcycles from the early 20th century.

We rendezvous-ed with a friend who restores old motorcycle magnetos (talk about a sub-specialty!) and he showed us his very handsome 1952 Moto Guzzi Falcone. Another pal said en route to the meet he was getting nostalgic while driving past all the places where his bikes had broken down over the years.
 I enjoyed seeing the evolution of the "Harley-Davidson" logos over the years.

The vendors at the flea market offered up an amazing assortment of parts, from coveted "new old stock" nuts and bolts and cotter pins, to rows of carburetors, to a yellow gas tank with the Welsh dragon painted on it, to an old gas pump that dispensed in pints. As the end of the show approached, the prices dropped accordingly. We saw one vendor who was asking $45 for a chromed piece. "Will you take $20?" asked the hopeful customer. "Yeah, OK," replied the dealer.

My favorite bike was a delivery motorcycle from the 1920s, with the garage's name (Allen Auto Service) and phone number still legible on the back of the cart. The owner told me that a buddy of his, a plumber, found it while working in a woman's basement on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and when he expressed curiosity she kept bringing out more parts for it. On display at the meet the owner had an old black-and-white photograph of the garage, with a similar bike sitting out front.
I also liked a 1946 police motorcycle, complete with siren. It would be just the thing for newly promoted East Marlborough Township Chief Robert Clarke, don't you think?

 

 The judges carefully scrutinized every fraction of an inch on the bikes that were entered in the competition, looking for authenticity.

 

The people-watching was top-notch, too. Almost everyone was wearing black leather of some sort, many with heavy-duty motorcycle pants. I heard several people speaking what I think was German. Naturally enough, the "locals" in the Reading Motorcycle Club showed up in force.