The 2nd Vintage Motorcycle Festival at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, Washington

75cc Ceccato racer
This little 75cc Ceccato racer won Best of Show—with the approval of The Meet’s organizer, Burt Richmond (kneeling).

On a beautiful blue-sky Saturday morning, some 300 pre-1980 motorcycles grace the several acres of grass outside LeMay—America’s Car Museum. If any reader thinks that being a judge at such a show is easy, forget it. We had nine judges to choose 1st, 2nd and 3rd in 17 classes, plus five specials, like Best of Show. Shining in the sunlight was everything from a ’38 Velocette MSS (1st in Vintage British) to a ’70 Honda CL350 (1st in Vintage Japanese). Rather unshiny was a 1913 Jefferson, a short-lived OHV V-twin built more than 20 years before the fabled Harley-Davidson E Model, which won best in the Unrestored Class.

Chairman of the event, Burt Richmond, who was the press-ganger, worked hard to keep it on schedule and entertain the masses, upwards of 5,000, with shows by the Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team, a beer garden and some 30 tents promoting clubs, marques and products. The Doodle Bugs, scooters out of the late 1940s, got a lot of attention.

Biggest discussion among the judges was for Best of Show. A number were in favor of a ’36 Triumph T80 Tiger single, a model rarely seen in this country, and very cleanly restored. Until one judge promoted a little Italian racer few of us had ever heard of, an OHC 75cc Ceccato, circa 1955. We all trooped out to inspect the two, and the Ceccato won.

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Burt got up on the stage to award the prizes, and lots of people went home quite happy. The third VMF is already on the calendar for August 22-24, 2014.

(This article The Meet was published in the June 2014 issue of Rider magazine. It ran as a sidebar with a touring article through the Cascades. Read that article HERE.)

Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team
The Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team is preparing to carry a lot of people on two elderly Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
The Meet
So many beautiful bikes, on such a beautiful day—the 3rd annual show will take place this August.

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