Special Delivery - First Look

Our favorite long-hauler stopped by the CW offices last week bearing gifts. Actually, John van Dam, who shepherds collectible cars and bikes around the country in his 18-wheeler, only had one gift for me—but to get to it, he opened his trailer to reveal a Jag XK-E, a Ferrari and a baby-blue Muntz Jet, the oddball 1950s American sporty car sold by Earl "Madman" Muntz, which had to be started up and moved out of the truck before my cargo could be accessed. It was like a mini car show right there in our parking lot!Van Dam Truckingis my go-to bike-shipping outfit.

Not only is John a motorcycle and car nut, but his rig is always fun to look at. Back when Kenny Dreer was trying to resurrect Norton, van Dam was his official trucker and so the trailer was wrapped with big Commando 961 graphics.When Norton America ceased operations in 2006 and was sold back to the Brits last year, off came the signage. But van Dam like the attention his rolling billboard generated, so keeping with the Norton theme he contacted Colorado Norton Worksabout the opportunity. Vanson Leathersalso liked the idea, so now John's rig rolls along America's highways with a new Norton Girl, in Vanson jacket, astride one of CNW's café Commandos.

Oh, yeah, the reason for John's stop in Newport Beach? Well, when a CW reader saw my June "Bargain Boutique" column and found out I needed a Triumph Triple for my auction-bought Spondon streetfighter frame, he kindly offered up a 1996 Trophy 900 that had been cannibalized to make his similarly styled Trophy 1200 whole. A very nice offer (blog to follow) made that much nicer when I enquired about the price. Yours for the asking, he said, you'll just need to have it shipped from Georgia. Which, of course, is where John van Dam comes in.