Rockers & Mods! Share
Classic motorcycling sub-cultures to take center stage at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
Two of motorcycling's most iconic groups are the British café-racer motorcycles and Italian metal-bodied scooters made popular by the self-described Rockers and Mods of the early 1960s.
This July 20-22, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days -- the country's grandest celebration of old bikes and the people who love them -- will highlight the history, as well as the popular resurgence, of these two-wheeled subcultures.
High-profile characters in one of motorcycling's most colorful bits of history, Rockers sported pompadours, wore leather jackets festooned with pins, and rode Triumph, Norton, BSA and other Brit-bikes chopped into café racers. The Rockers stood in stark contrast to the Mods of the same era -- dapper-dressed riders who prized the glorious cosmetic and performance enhancements of Italian metal-body scooters like Vespas and Lambrettas. For a Mod, the more shiny-chrome rear-view mirrors mounted on the front legshields, the better.
Both groups -- and their machines -- will be honored as the 2012 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days "Marque of the Year." The Rockers and Mods showcase at Mid-Ohio will be most evident in bike and scooter shows focused on the two groups, and in a special tent devoted to the Mods and Rockers, with machines, memorabilia, history displays and live interviews and entertainment throughout the three days of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
Heading up the café contingent and coordinating bike shows and memorabilia displays is Mike Seate, motorcyclist, author, founder of Café Racer magazine (www.caferacermag.com) and star of the Café Racer TV show (www.caferacertv.com) on Velocity.
"We've had a significant presence at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days for several years now, and we love the crowds, the energy, the fun and the very cool vibe you get there," Seate said. "We're glad to be at the forefront of the modern resurgence of the café racer motorcycle, and taking that enthusiasm to the next level by being front-and-center at this event will be awesome."
Spearheading the Mods and their scooters will be Phil Waters of the Pride of Cleveland scooter shops (www.clevelandscooters.com), who is working with scooter clubs like the Columbus Cutters in Ohio, XYL in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh Vintage in Pennsylvania, to create one of the most unique opportunities for scooter enthusiasts to come together in years.
"This thing is just going to be great," Waters said. "Scooter riders -- all scooter riders but especially those who love vintage metal-bodied scooters -- will find plenty to love with everything we're pulling together for this event. We'll even have a special area for the scooter crowd to camp, and a few surprises that I don't want to give away yet but definitely involve field games. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and new ones from six states at this year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days."
All of this adds up to a three-day event like no other, and one that is sure to be memorable, said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
"We're confident this edition of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will be even a bigger success than the events in years past," Rust said. "The focus on Mods and Rockers will bring a ton of interest and fans to the facility, and we're thrilled to transform our grounds into a motorcycle mecca for three days this summer."
As with every year at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, the festivities aren't limited to one brand or theme. All types of riders, fans, motorcycles and scooters will be out in full force, whether that is to take in the bike shows, catch a high-demand seminar, peruse the massive swap meet or race some vintage motorcycles in the woods or on a track.
"While the focus at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is clearly on vintage and classic machines, we also welcome riders with today's interpretations of café-racer machinery and modern scooters, and all other motorcyclists as well," said AMA Communications and Marketing Director Grant Parsons. "Some of the bikes being built in the café style from vintage and modern Japanese bikes are out of this world. At the same time, modern scooteristi and every kind of scooter imaginable will receive a warm welcome at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days."