The 2009 Quail Motorcycle Gathering

Motorcycle Stars, Vintage and Rare Machines and the Bonhams & Butterfields Auction.

By Mark Hoyer | Photos by Robert Stokstad & Michael Troutman/DMT Imaging

May 2009

Slideshow: The 2009 Quail Motorcycle Gathering >>

A gearhead's dream it was. Spread out before us at the first-ever Quail Motorcycle Gathering were some of the coolest bikes ever made. From 1900s-era pioneer machines to a Ducati Desmosedici, the gently rolling, finely manicured lawn had something for every motorcycle lover. Yes, the fairway in front of the Quail Lodge's golf clubhouse, bathed in warm Carmel, California, sunshine, was an absolutely magnificent setting to take in this fine collection of hardware.

Some 115 bikes were on display, plus the 70 or so that rolled through the Bonhams & Butterfields auction on Saturday afternoon, held in the ballroom of the clubhouse overlooking the show field. Your $65 ticket got you into the event, including a fine "American BBQ" lunch, as well as admission to the auction. A better deal was to display a bike in the show for $95, netting two admission tickets. There also was the Quail Motorcycle Tour, a Friday-morning group run down the coast to Big Sur on scenic and twisty Highway 1. The $250 ride fee included breakfast, lunch and a plate at the auction-preview dinner, plus admission to the show the next day.

Although the event helped fill the void left by the postponement of the 2009 Legend of the Motorcycle Concours (looks like Torrey Pines, California, next May), the Gathering was not a judged concours, although a Best of Show was chosen by the Quail Motorsports Council. Further, some special awards were given, such as the Competition Sport Award delivered by racing great and On Any Sunday star Mert Lawwill and the Innovation Award chosen by Craig Vetter, not to mention the "Elegance in Action" Cycle World Trophy for our favorite bike that completed the Friday ride. The latter honor went to Tim Stafford, noted San Diego-area BMW restorer, who brought a stunning, just-finished black 1961 R60/2 to ride, show and then sell in the auction, all of which he completed successfully.

If you weren't interested in the riding tour, there also was golfing available on Friday. Kenny Roberts was seen wandering around with a set of clubs, in a bag sporting the KR logo, of course. Bubba Shobert was whacking away in the King's foursome, as well. Wayne Rainey and family spent an afternoon cruising the show lawn on Saturday, stopping to admire a gorgeous BSA Gold Star flat-tracker on display in front of master metalsmith Evan Wilcox's booth. The BSA, of course, had one of Wilcox's lovely hand-hammered alloy tanks.

There were about 1500 show attendees, on par with the first year of the similar Motorsports Gathering the Quail does in conjunction with Monterey Historics vintage car weekend every August. "The Motorcycle Gathering was truly a labor of passion for us, and for a first-time effort we did very well," said Axel Binneboese, the Quail's director of operations and a motorcycle rider himself. "A lot of people were really pleased with how the event came out, and now we have a full year to promote and plan. We'd like in the future potentially to do something with Laguna Seca, maybe a vintage motorcycle race. But we're also looking to increase industry participation, perhaps get some manufacturers to do demo rides, maybe have a trials riding exhibition. Like with the Motorsports Gathering, we will grow this event."

The recession apparently hasn't hit the buyers of collectible motorcycles, as the auction had some pretty big action. Bonhams CEO Malcolm Barber manned the gavel and ran the show with entertaining style, grace and humor. End result was nearly $1 million in sales, highlighted by a pair of Steve McQueen items that seriously dropped jaws. First was McQueen's 1964 FIM international racing license issued for the Six Days Trial, which went for $42,700 including buyer's premium! Also, nearly doubling its estimate, was McQueen's 1963 Triumph Bonneville desert sled, built by Bud Ekins and painted by Von Dutch, a triumvirate of cache that boosted the price to an incredible $84,240 with fees. Other notable items run through were a 1950 Vincent Series C White Shadow (one of 15 made with bare-metal engine cases) that brought $111,150, and the Kenny Dreer-built Ducati 904SS custom featured as an "American Flyer" in the April, 2000, issue of Cycle World, the blue-and-yellow Duc a bargain at $23,400.

Plans are full speed ahead for a repeat in 2010. For more info call 831/620-8887 or (toll-free) 877/734-4628, or log on to www.quaillodgeevents.com.