2015 Quail Motorcycle Gathering

After seven years, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, held May 15-16 at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California, has not just remained faithful to its vows—it has withstood the test of time. Boldly hatched during the great economic downturn of 2008, the Motorcycle Gathering has maintained a consistently top-quality participant experience, particularly defined by quality and service. Its welcoming nature to not just classic bikes, but to the greater compass of motorcycling, is unique.

Where else will you find a 1912 Pope and a 2015 Kawasaki Ninja H2R sharing the same green? Where else will you hear 15-year-old Delaney Ann strumming and singing for an audience of Dockers-wearing Boomers and hip nuevo-beatniks? Where else will you find racers Gene Romero and Mert Lawwill bench racing like they were chilling in the pits during the filming of On Any Sunday?

Nowhere.

“I didn’t know what to expect but what I saw there was unbelievable,” Romero said. “It was like you went to motorcycle heaven. I met old friends and I saw motorcycles I had never seen before. I can’t stress enough how nice all the people were.”

And that’s exactly the mission and the point of The Quail Motorcycle Gathering. Driven by Gordon McCall and supported by the Quail Lodge & Golf Club, the event is now deservingly a staple of the West Coast bike year. Only the Southeast’s growing Barber Vintage Festival rivals it, and they’re not altogether the same thing anyway.

There are several components to The Quail. Friday started with a 100-bike, 100-mile Monterey County back roads tour, which included a few parade laps around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and a barbeque lunch, followed by a formal dinner and an evening program ($295, including a show ticket).

Saturday morning brought the second-annual Cycle World Tour and the start of the main event, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering. The CW ride, which attracted 70 riders and coddled them with breakfast (and riding with staffers like Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer—on a 1975 Honda Gold Wing!) cost $50. You could also pre-enter your bike in the main show for $140, or simply stroll through the gate for $75 (cheaper for military/college, teens and kids). Total attendance was pegged at over 2,500, a new record.

This year, 366 motorcycles were on the field, grouped in private collections as well as judged categories such as Antique, American, German, and Japanese. For 2015, organizers added A Tribute to Military Motorcycles where we got to see the bikes our dads or granddads used in the fight for freedom, a Formula 750 Group (think Yamaha TZ750), and even—scroungy, heathen choppers! The Cycle World Tour Award went to a Japanese bike, the nicely modded six-cylinder 1980 Honda CBX of Dean F. Ruston. A lovely 1951 Mondial 125 Bialbero GP racer won Best of Show.

With the exquisite Carmel location, typically outstanding barbeque, and future-facing elements like Hagerty’s new Young Judge Quail Youth Award (won by James Shafer’s 1956 Ariel Square Four) for kids 5-13, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering really nailed it. Again.

Look for more coverage in Cycle World's August issue.

The 2015 Quail Motorcycle Gathering award winners include:

Best of Show – 1951 Mondial 125 Bialbero Gran Prix of Museo Moto Italia, LLC

Spirit of The Quail Award – 1965 BMW R69S of Robert Talbott

Formula 750 Group – 1976 Yamaha TZ750 of Jeff Palhegyi

A Tribute to Military Motorcycles – 1942 BMW R75 Wehrmachtsgespann of Ziggy & Lisa Dee

Chopper – 1966 Harley-Davidson FLH of Dave Shaw

Industry Award – 1997 Revival Ducati Revival Full Custom “J63” of Revival Cycles

» Check out the rest of the winners

Check out the entire photo gallery:

Innovation Award – 2005 Molnar G2 of Dezso Molnar

Design and Style Award – 1936 Harley-Davidson of William Buckingham

FIVA Preservation – 1912 Pope H of George & Annabelle Pope

The Cycle World Tour Award – 1980 Honda CBX of Dean F. Ruston

Significance in Racing Award – 1979 Yamaha TZ750 of Jeff Palhegyi

Why We Ride Award – 1971 Honda SL70 Street of Paul Sampognaro

Scooter Award – 1958 Lambretta TV175 of Eric Lussier

Antique 1st Place – 1912 Pope H of George & Annabelle Pope

Antique 2nd Place – 1929 Henderson of KJ-4 Cylinder Chris Carter

American 1st Place – 1936 Harley-Davidson of EL Dr. J. Craig Venter

American 2nd Place – 1949 Indian Arrow of Jason Hartje

British 1st Place – 1950 Vincent Black Shadow of Danny Sullivan

British 2nd Place – 1936 BSA Q7 of Brent Lenehan

German 1st Place – 1969 Munch Mammoth TTS of Mitch Talcove

German 2nd Place – 1968 BMW R69 US Eugene of Garcin & Mary Wong

**Italian 1st Place – 1947 Gilera Saturno San Remo of Jeff Palhegyi

Italian 2nd Place – 1962 Demm Sport of Vincent Schardt

Japanese 1st Place – 1972 Honda CB500 K1 of Herb Meyer

Japanese 2nd Place – 1975 Honda Gold Wing GL1000 of Mike Kuykendall

Other European 1st Place – 1975 Bultaco Frontera 250 of Chris Miller

Other European 2nd Place – 1974 Bultaco Metralla MK2 250cc of Robbie Cadwallader

Custom/Modified 1st Place – 1949 Indian Scout of Tony Prust/Analog Motorcycles

Custom/Modified 2nd Place – 1950 Norton Dominator of The Gasbox

Competition Off Road 1st Place – 1968 Suzuki RH67/TM250 of Chris Carter

Competition On Road 1st Place – 1951 Mondial 125 Bialbero Gran Prix of Museo Moto Italia, LLC