From Nortons to Ninjas

Sir Benedict's Tavern on the Lake is the place to be on the last Tuesday of every month in the summer if you are a motorcycle fan. Rare and unusual bikes that usually remain hidden away are brought out for a sort of open air motorcycle museum. There is no club and nobody really organizes the event, those with esoteric machines learn of it by word of mouth and just show up.

Other places that advertise Bike Nights generally get a large showing of the Harley and Honda crowd, with a smattering of others filling out the parking lot. The machines that arrive at Sir Ben's seem to begin at the small end of the list. Harleys and Hondas are rare, unless they are rare models to those marques.

You're likely to see anything from Aprilias to Zündapps. European bikes tend to take up the majority of spaces, but there are plenty of interesting machines from the Far East as well. Here are a few of the machines that were on display on the last Tuesday of July.

[Photos by the author. Click on image below for larger photo.]

A Norton and a (Kawasaki) Ninja. An astute viewer may recognize an orange Vespa just behind them.
A meticulously kept Honda CBX. This 1979 vintage machine displaces just over 1000cc, and the unique purr of the six cylinder engine is worth hearing.

The Mach III 500 was Kawasaki's super bike in 1969. The three-cylinder, two-stroke drew plenty of attention and questions.
One of the newest, and best looking, bikes on the market is this Moto Guzzi Griso.

An ultra attractive Buell is deserving of a closer look.
Bob Brody aboard his new 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000. He had picked it up only a few hours earlier. The nubs hadn't even worn off the tires yet.