and North America's largest motorcycle swap meet
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports that AMA
Vintage Motorcycle Days, the country's biggest celebration of motorcycling's history,
will provide one of this summer's best opportunities to get a first-hand look at
historically significant motorcycles from the sport's past, present and future.
By all accounts, this AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is poised to be one of the best
ever, with thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descending on the Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, this July 24-26.
In addition to activities that will celebrate the people and organizations important
to motorcycling's heritage, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days offers a number of activities
that celebrate the machinery enthusiasts have come to love. These attractions include
new motorcycle test rides, bike shows, the Vendor Midway, the AMA 85th Anniversary
parade, the Federal/Allied Used Bike Corral, the AMA TTXGP Introduction and North
America's largest motorcycle swap meet.
One of the highlights at every AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the swap meet. This
year, vendor participation is shaping up to be particularly strong.
"We have already filled more swap meet spaces for 2009 than we had at last year's
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and we expect even more vendors to sign up on location,"
said AMA Special Events Manager Tigra Tsujikawa. "This will be one of the biggest
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days swap meets in history, and certainly one of the best
opportunities to find that elusive part or project that you've been searching for
-- maybe even since last year's event."
Test rides of new bike models are always popular, and there will be a lot of choices
for those who want to take some for test rides at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. The
current lineup of manufacturers that will be on hand with their demo fleets is BMW,
Can-Am, Ducati, Kawasaki, Triumph, KTM, Kymco and Yamaha.
"Classic motorcycles are cool, but we don't want to take anything away from the
incredible machines available in dealer showrooms today," Tsujikawa said. "At AMA
Vintage Motorcycle Days, attendees will have numerous opportunities to sample some
of the latest two- and three-wheeled vehicles you can buy."
A new attraction this year that is expected to draw a lot of interest is the Federal/Allied
AMA Used Bike Corral, which will include primarily individual-owned, for-sale, running
motorcycles.
"The Federal/Allied AMA Used Bike Corral, which is available at no-charge for attendees
to display their machines, is our way to help organize the numerous used bikes that
are ridden to -- and often sold -- at this event," Tsujikawa said. "In addition
to the motorcycles you'll still find for sale in the swap meet, we hope the Federal/Allied
AMA Used Bike Corral will bring more buyers and sellers together.
"The rules are simple. All motorcycles parked in the Federal/Allied AMA Used Bike
Corral must be running, and contact and pricing information must be visible," she
said.
With this AMA Vintage Motorcycles Days commemorating the AMA's 85th anniversary,
it also provides the perfect opportunity to highlight the massive scope of motorcycling's
heritage with the AMA 85th Anniversary Parade. The parade will feature a procession
of bikes from the AMA's nine decades, beginning with a 1924 Harley-Davidson JDCA
and ending with a modern machine fresh off the assembly line. The motorcycles will
navigate the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before coming to rest along the front straight
where they will create a stunning display of motorcycling's historical diversity.
"To fully understand where two-wheeled technology is today, you need to understand
where it began and how it evolved," Tsujikawa said. "There will be no better place
to showcase this evolution than this living, breathing parade through time."
The AMA TTXGP Introduction, another unprecedented feature of this year's AMA Vintage
Motorcycle Days, will provide a tantalizing look into the future. The AMA TTXGP
Introduction will feature new-breed zero-emission racebikes circulating at speed
on the sinuous 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio track. The electric bikes will perform spirited
exhibition laps during breaks in the vintage road-race program that will run as
part of the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships. The Introduction marks the first
international gathering of high-tech electric road-race bikes in the U.S. in the
21st century.
"As the AMA celebrates its first 85 years, it seemed appropriate to glimpse into
what the next 85 years of motorcycling may bring," Tsujikawa said. "The AMA TTXGP
Introduction will display the cutting-edge technology that will drive one aspect
of motorcycle development for years to come."
Other popular attractions include the Vendor Midway, which is located on the Mid-Ohio
infield and features new products; bike shows featuring original and pristinely
restored classic bikes; and the popular Ride 'Em Don't Hide 'Em guided ride and
bike show from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to J.B.'s Drive-In in Lexington, Ohio,
and back.