AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days brings motorcyclists together in the nation’s heartland for three days of total indulgence in vintage bikes.

The 2018 event is July 6-8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

“This event offers something for everyone, from track racing to trials, from bike shows to North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet,” said Jeff Massey, AMA chief operations officer. “If you love motorcycles, no matter what your age or experience, this is the place to be in July.”

Proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The mission of the Hall of Fame, located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling’s legends and heroes.

Don’t miss the excitement, the entertainment, the competition and the sheer joy of vintage motorcycles and the people who love them.

Tickets are $45 for Friday or Saturday, $35 for Sunday. Weekend passes are $60.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is a family-friendly event. Children 12 and younger get in free with a ticketed adult. Free parking is available on site.

For tickets and more information, visit www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.

Racing

A major draw of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days every year is the competition events held on the grounds of Mid-Ohio and nearby Ashland County Fairgrounds.

There is a discipline and class for just about everyone with a vintage motorcycle and a desire to get involved or just enjoy the racing.

“Our program provides an opportunity for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts to enter their vintage machines in a variety of racing disciplines, as well as opportunities for youth to experience motorcycling history in a fun, family-oriented environment,” said Kevin Crowther, AMA director of racing. “So, drag that old dirt bike out of your garage, buy one off the Internet or even hit up the swap meet at the event.

“Line up and race or just find a spot to watch the incredible action,” he said. “You’ll no doubt make memories that will last a lifetime.”

Riders as young as age 4 may compete in motocross. And there is no upper age limit.

Class winners in the trials, hare scramble, motocross and road racing disciplines will be recognized as AMA National Champions in those vintage disciplines and will receive an AMA National No. 1 plate.

To see the complete schedule, visit www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com and click on “Racing.”

Pit Bikes

There also will be the Biltwell AMA Pit Bike Racing and the Biltwell Holeshot Challenge.

AMA Flat Track Racing

The flat track race, which is set to take place at the Ashland County Fairgrounds, is the sixth round of the AMA Vintage Flat Track Series.

Vintage Grand Championships

In addition, two outstanding riders will earn the AMA Off-Road Vintage Grand Championship and the AMA Senior Off-Road Vintage Grand Championship for excelling in expert-level eligible classes.

Seminars

Experts from several segments of the motorcycling community will be offering 13 free seminars at a tent in the infield at this year’s AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

A highlight will be three presentations by the Pine Barrens Adventure Camp Riding School that will help prepare riders to safely navigate challenging off-road routes.

The New Jersey-based school offers training for beginners and experienced riders.

At AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Pine Barrens will have live demonstrations outside the seminar tent. And instructors will cover GPS use and motorcycle ergonomics.

Other Seminars Include:

• Carl Parker, publisher of ADVMoto

• Brian Schaffran, Skidmark Garage owner—Saving the World: Community Garages

• Bear Haughton, owner of Old Bike Barn—Himalayan Heroes USA

• Mike Sayre, AMA government relations manager—Autonomous Vehicles: Will They Look Twice?

• A Women’s Traveling Panel—Breaking Barriers and a Moto Adventure through Pakistan

• Wendy Crockett, owner of The Cyclesmiths garage—Basic Motorcycle Maintenance; Endurance Riding at its Best

• Curtis Smith, AMA/FIM chief technical steward—Introduction to Land Speed Records

• Armand Ensanian—Carburetor and Fuel Injection workshop; History of the Japanese Motorcycle

Community Garage And Raffle Bike

Skidmark Garage, a Cleveland-based community garage for motorcyclists, is setting up a three-bay workspace in the Old Bike Barn Crossroads that attendees can use for just $5 an hour.

At its Cleveland base, Skidmark Garage offers motorcyclists memberships that include a bay, bike bench, tool bench and a large bin for parts. Membership also means members get to store their bikes at the garage.

The area at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will be a small version of that.

Owner Brian Schaffran said attendees “can expect to see a community of people offering to help and to teach any rider how to fix his or her ride.”

Part of Skidmark Garage’s involvement is the “Ran When Parked” Raffle Bike Challenge. A 1975 Yamaha DT100 enduro will be repaired to running condition by AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and Skidmark Garage members.

Only 5,000 tickets will be sold for the raffle. Tickets are available at www.motorcyclemuseum.org, or by calling (800) 262-5646.

Local Bands, Original Music

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days features some high-energy acts this year, including country, blues, rock and Americana artists.

The main stage at Old Bike Barn Crossroads offers people a chance to hear great music while enjoying some food and a cold beverage before heading back to enjoy all the other great attractions.

Four of the six acts this year hail from Ohio and will be playing original songs.

The live performance schedule includes:

July 6

1-3 p.m. Beau Braswell
Country

4-6 p.m. The Spikedrivers
Bluesy, upbeat, country-fried rock

July 7

9-10 a.m. Lauren Lever
Traditional and Appalachian style music

11a.m.-1p.m. Ramey
Americana inspired by the Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams, Hank Williams

2-3:30 p.m. School of Rock Dublin
Translating students’ lessons to performing on stage

4:30-6:30p.m. The Patrick McLaughlin Band
Blues

July 8

10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Keith Jones and the Makeshifts
High energy 1950s rock and roll

Bike Shows

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Show, presented by Old Bike Barn, will feature restored or original vintage motorcycles outside the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame tent.

Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, with professional judging starting at 1 p.m.

Registration is a $10 donation.

The show features American, British, European and Japanese models from the early 1900s through 1989.

Awards will be at 3:30 p.m.

In addition, Motorcycle Classics Magazine is sponsoring the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Ride and Show on Friday. The classic bikes in this show are built for riding as well as showing.

Classes, registration and entry information is available at www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.

Artists At Work

Makoto Endo is a New York artist who travels to motorcycle shows and rallies, where he takes part in live solo painting performances.

His unique technique involves flinging India ink onto the canvas using chopsticks.

With his focus solely on motorcycles, Endo said his main goal is to “paint the sound of the engine.”

Endo is seeking a patron to commission a work of art to be completed during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days this year. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Also on hand this year is Atomic Dice Studio Arts, an Ohio company that offers fine art, garage art, illustrations, logo design and lettering.

Ashland Dinner Ride, Vintage Flat Track

On Saturday, event participants have the chance to be part of an organized ride from Mid-Ohio to the Ashland County Fairgrounds, where they will have dinner and watch a round of the AMA Vintage Flat Track National Championship Series.

The Ashland Dinner Ride stages at 4 p.m. Saturday, taking the group through scenic Ohio farmland for about 90 minutes before arriving at the fairgrounds.

A catered barbeque dinner will be provided at the track.

Tickets are $45 and include the ride, dinner, admission to the race and special parking at the fairgrounds. Proceeds benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Exhibitions, Demos

Rider from Xtreme Trials will demonstrate to spectators the extraordinary balance, patience and control needed for this gravity-defying type of competition during exhibitions at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

The riders will maneuver bicycles and motorcycles over challenging obstacles to the delight and amazement of spectators.

Nine-time NATC Trials champion Pat Smage will join the Xtreme Trials line-up this year.

And a new obstacle, a 12-foot tall triangle called the “Triangle of Death,” has been added to the show, as well.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days attendees also will be able to take demo rides on an array of new motorcycles from KTM and GasGas.

Custom Builders

• Analog Motorcycles, Chicago—Small accessory installations to full custom bike builds

• Federal Moto, Chicago—One-of-a-kind motorcycles for the adventurer

• Loaded Gun Customs, Selbyville, Del.—Custom builds by Kevin Dunworth

• Flying Tiger Moto, Maplewood, Mo.—Products designed and handmade in-house

• Moto-Fied Cycles, Milwaukee—Custom bikes that are affordable and built to ride everyday

• Jesse Spade, Atlanta—Custom motorcycles, with a focus on naked sport bikes

• Krossover Customs, Lancaster, Ky.—Custom paint and fabrication

Photo By Lanakila MacNaughton

Lap For History

The Lap for History is one lap around the road racing track at Mid-Ohio and is open to all attending at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

Make a $10 donation to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and sign up on the False Grid for a lap around the track on your motorcycle.

Laps are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. July 6 and at 11:30 a.m. on July 7-8.

Wall Of Death

Motorcycle daredevils will be thrilling crowds every hour, riding vintage bikes on a vertical wall inside the American Motor Drome Wall of Death.

Always a crowd favorite, the show features a motor drome—a silo-shaped wooden cylinder 30 feet across—and motorcycle riders performing tricks and acrobatic riding along its vertical wall. Spectators stand at the top of the 14-foot wall and look down as the riders speed around the cylinder, passing within inches of the crowd.

Swap Meet

The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Swap Meet, brought to you by Federal Motorcycle Transport, packs more than 800 vendors into 35 acres and attracts vintage motorcycle collectors, restorers, racers and enthusiasts from across the country.

Tickets

Tickets are $45 for Friday or Saturday, $35 for Sunday. Weekend passes are $60.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is a family-friendly event. Children 12 and younger get in free with a ticketed adult. Free parking is available on site.

For tickets and more information, visit www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.

Gate And Event Hours

Thursday, July 5

7 a.m. Open to swap meet vendors

9 a.m. Open to season pass holders

Noon Open to racers
(off-road competitors enter through Ross Road, road racers enter at Gate 3)

5 p.m. Open to campers/weekend pass holders

Friday and Saturday

8 a.m. – 7 p.m. – General admission

Sunday

8 a.m. – 3 p.m. – General admission