Meets and Road Runs - Perkiomen Chapter AMCA National Meet in Oley, PA

Three Wheels are better than Two!

Revisiting the 2008 Perkiomen Chapter AMCA National Meet in Oley, PA by Steve Barber

Every year around the end of April, the sleepy little town of Oley, PA awakens with the sounds and smells of old motorcycles buzzing and barking through the streets and country roads surrounding this town. The Oley Fairgrounds and Firehouse is home to all of us for one weekend a year and as always, it was a great time. This year’s theme for Oley was three wheels and they were everywhere. Servi-Car’s, dispatch tow’s, sidecar rigs and other inventions were chugging around the meet all weekend.

[[ This 1955 Hollywood Green Panhead was on display courtesy of Dale Walksler. ]]

[[ A 1958 HD Servi-Car and a 1942 Indian Dispatch Tow on display. ]]

Thursday brought in the early birds in search of the best deals, parts and anything else they could find. Others were setting up their booths, chatting with customers and catching up with old friends. For a lot of folks in the northeast this is the first opportunity of the year to ride or go to a meet and not many people passed up on the opportunity to enjoy this one. The weather was as good as you could ask for and many were riding their old iron to the meet. When I arrived in the mid-afternoon on Thursday the fairgrounds were full of life, smiles and motorcycles. Many vendors raved about the flood of people looking for parts and the contacts they made. Before I could even park there were people surrounding me asking to buy the stuff on the back of my truck. Who says the market is slow!?! If you need it, you buy it. With the amount of people building bikes and working on long-term projects it was business as usual. The real hunters know that the best way to find what you need is to come to the meet and talk and prospect with those who share the same interest as you. As many of you in the business know it’s not always how much money a part or bike sells for, but it’s who you sell it to. If you want those hard to find parts you’ve got to pound the ground and talk with the vendors. Pretty soon you’ll find the right guy with the part you need who feels you’re the right person to sell his stuff to. You can’t always do that on the internet. Get out to the meets and join the hunt with the rest of us.

[[ Chris Attwood’s beautiful 1937 HD UL Flathead that he rode over 200 miles to the meet. ]]

[[ Hollywood brought out some real cool Knuckleheads as always. Burnouts on this barn fresh 1946 Knucklehead were a common sight at Oley this year. ]]

Friday bought in another great day as vendors were busy and buyers were hustling. Many more bikes and riders showed up Friday to show off their winter projects and others took the opportunity to show off their rare birds that hardly see the public’s eye. My hat goes off to guys like Frank Westfall and his amazing 1952 Enterprise, Dave Monahan with his one of a kind original paint 1949 HD FL with original springer front-end and Joe Gardella with his wild, period modified dual-carb 1948 Panhead. Shane Ellis and Chris Attwood also made their annual trip to Oley over 200 miles on their old bikes. Shane recently celebrated his 69th birthday and is still riding his trusty 1950 HD EL wherever he goes! Go Shane, go! Tim Tallure and Dan Henke were manning the Rhinebeck National Info Booth as tons of people came to show their support, get info and sign up to help in all the work that is soon to come.

[[ 1st pic - Dave Monahan’s amazing 1949 HD Panhead with the factory equipped springer front-end. When was the last time you saw one of those? ]]

[[ 2nd pic – Frank Westfall seated on his running 1952 Enterprise. This is the only known up and running Enterprise in the world. This easily won “Most Unique” at Oley this year. ]]

[[3rd pic – Joe Gardella’s 1948 dual carb panhead on display Sunday at the judging field. ]]

Friday Night was the busiest of nights at the Oley Firehouse and what a great time I had. Some of that fun was at the expense of others but that’s all in good fun. Firehouse regulars like Steve Ciccalone, John Pierce, Randy Zorn, Bob Provencher and Bucky Buchanan provided me with a sore throat the next morning from all the laughing we had that night. The bartenders and waitresses take such good care of us all that it makes us feel like home. The food is always amazing and the service is great. A big thanks goes out to all of those who deal with us so kindly while we’re in town. Thanks Oley!!!!

[[ Randy Zorn smiles for the camera as he gets a hug from “Uncle Buck” Buchanan. ]]

[[ “Smiling” Steve Ciccalone enjoys the Oley Firehouse. ]]

Saturday ushered in another day of perfect weather as we all took advantage of it. I took the time to walk around the meet, make some new friends and go riding with some others. The back country roads of the Oley Valley provided some great riding as several of us took our Panheads to the hills for about a 75 mile ride along some great country roads. John Garripo and I are seen here enjoying our 1948 Panheads in front of a local covered bridge.

[[ John Garripo and Steve Barber out for a ride on their 1948 Panheads. ]]

[[ Panheads galore out in front of The 74 Shop’s booth. ]]

On Saturday afternoon the grounds were beginning to thin out as vendors packed up to start the long journey home. By this time most of us had found what we were searching for and were longing for our own beds. For others it was another great night as the Firehouse bar was alive with laughter and Saturday evening featured a sold out Perkiomen Chapter banquet that everyone enjoyed. For those who stayed Saturday night at the fairgrounds you know it was wet but the rain let up by morning and everything was dry for judging.

[[ Larry Phillips with his Dad as cargo on his 1955 HD Servi-Car. ]]

[[ Randy Walker with a stunning Indian ready for Judging Sunday morning. ]]

[[ To me, Gene Shoff was the coolest guy at the meet. This 78 year old gent is riding the 1946 knucklehead that he purchased when he was 19 years old and the bike has remained unchanged from the day he bought it in 1950. Wow!! ]]

Sunday morning was a bit cold and overcast but that didn’t stop the judging. Nearly 100 bikes were on display and out on the field. Some rode theirs in Sunday morning while the trailer queens were rolled out. There were many judges on hand and everything went quick and smooth. A big thanks goes out to the judges and all the other people that donated their time and hard work to make this meet the success that it is every year.

Here’s the list of National award winners.

Most Unique: Frank Westfall and his 1952 Enterprise Young Rider 1: Luke Garripoli with his 1966 Allstate Young Rider 2: Larry Phillips with his 1955 HD Servi-Car Longest Distance 1: Greg Fox on a 1946 HD at 137 miles Longest Distance 2: Girard Fox on a 1946 Indian at 134 miles Longest Distance 3: Robert Geotz on a 1957 BMW at 105 miles Charles L Wolverton Memorial Award: Jim Garrett with his 1965 Sears scoring 99 ¾ pts. Oldest Motorcycle on Display: Bruce Linsday with his 1902 Sylvester & Jones Period Modified 1: Matt McManus with his 1947 HD Knucklehead bobber Period Modified 2: Ed Kerver with his 1956 FLH Panhead with all the trimmings Period Modified 3: Dan Drexel with his 1954 HD

[[ The judging field ready for action Sunday morning. ]]

[[ A team of judges goes over a restored 1958 HD Police Special Servi-Car. ]]

Overall, it was a great weekend that will not be forgotten. If you missed this year’s Oley National Meet there’s always next year and many more great AMCA events to enjoy during the course of the year. Next up on the event calendar is the Big Sandbar Chapter’s annual swap meet and show in Ridge, NY on Sunday June 1st. Not too far behind is the Hudson Valley Chapter’s National Road Run through the Catskill’s on June 8th through the 11th in Round Top, NY followed by the Rhinebeck National Meet June 13th through the 15th in Rhinebeck, NY. There’s still time to register for the road run and sign up for the 2nd Annual Motorcycle Timeline Exhibit at the Rhinebeck National. I hope to see you there!

Here are some more pictures of the event for you to enjoy. This is hopefully the first of many up to date articles covering the happenings of the AMCA as they happen here at www.antiquemotorcycle.org.

Steve Barber
AMCA #1093
The74Shop@yahoo.com

[[Ken McManus’s amazing Clipper Blue 1940 EL Knucklehead.]]