At the Sixth Annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering

As summer is upon us, avid motorcycle fans all across the country are gearing up for some of the hottest events of the season, the Isle of Man TT, World Superbikes, and Speed Week are some of the first that come to mind.

With so many high profile events taking place during the summer season it is often easy to overlook great opportunities that may be going on right in your own backyard, such as the Quail Lodge Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, California.

After pulling into the Quail Lodge Golf Club, there was a distinct tone of class in the air, although that may have been due to the machinery that littered the parking greens, a Jaguar E-Type, Ferrari 355 Spyder, and Porsche 911 GT2 just to name a few.

Upon entrance to the show, it was apparent that this was not just another motorcycle show, and that I was in for a treat as one of the first motorcycles to greet me was an early Simplex Servi-Cycle.

Presented by Tudor, the show is in its sixth consecutive year, and truly does not disappoint with something for everyone, ranging from some of the rarest, most elusive bikes ever made like the 1950 Rumi Turismo to entries that were on the forefront of cutting edge technology such as the Lightning Motorcycles LS-218.

With so many amazing motorcycles and such a rich two-wheeled history all in one place, it was a bit overwhelming trying to figure which gems deserved more photographic attention than others, but there were a handful that really stood out.

Two of the rarest examples in attendance were the stunning 1909 and 1910 Winchester motorcycles, manufactured by the Edwin F. Merry Company right here in San Francisco – they are the only known examples still in existence.

While the rare classics were indeed a highlight of the show, the “100 years of Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats” display, with their carbon fiber bodied Triumph Castrol Rocket and Gyronaut X-1, provided some stiff competition with a collection of the fastest motorcycles in the world.

In the center of the Bonneville collection sat the fastest motorcycle in the world, a red rocket called the BUB 7 Streamliner, which according to Michael Wozniak, is sporting two turbocharged Hayabusa engines.

Indian, Norton, Triumph, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, and MV Agusta classics were all on hand, as well as some very early Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha examples.

Apparently the event organizers decided it was not enough to have some of the rarest bikes on the planet in attendance, so they decided they needed top racing legends on hand to speak to the crowd, including four-time Grand Prix World Champion Eddie Lawson and three-time 500cc World Championship holder Wayne Rainey.

Whether you’re into vintage, café racers, or completely custom builds, the Quail Lodge Motorcycle Gathering has something for everyone and is an event that we recommend to everyone who has a passion for motorcycles should experience. Enjoy the photos below.