Davenport

The boards sure are slow today. Everybody must be in Davenport. I wish I was.
Shoppin' all day with a break now and then at the Rusty Nail http://rustynailqca.com/.
Dinner at The Machine Shed http://www.machineshed.com/restaurants/davenport.asp .
Followed by a good nights sleep to get up and repeat it the next day.
Saturday a trip to The National motorcycle Museum in Anamosa http://www.nationalmcmuseum.org/
Sometimes I venture to Mount Pleasant, IA on Saturday for The Steam Threshers Reunion. I have found antique motorcycle parts at their swap meet and from the farmers who load trailers full of old stuff and sell it on the roadside outside the meet. http://www.oldthreshers.org/

[Pa]

TEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't make it either. The Ole Ladies 45" Solo electric starter system wasn't quite ready to show off there. Pa

Seemed this year at Davenport, everyone was out to make the big bucks. And when that didn't happen, everyone started packing up early.

I heard this verbatim at about 1:00 PM Saturday:

'Well, looks like all the high rollers have left, no use sticking around. I'm gonna pack up my stuff and get out of here.'

Had to run through the meet to catch everyone before they left. I'd say by the time I got to about the half way through point around the vendor's area, a good 30-40% of vendors were packed up already.

I guess I'll have to go Thursday next time to catch it all.

I did most of my selling Thursday morning. Things were a little slow this year but most of the vendors I spoke with had done alright. The meet was well run as always, but way to much late model stuff for sale. We had wonderful neighbors in the vending area and had a great time just hangin'.

Thursday is the deal day,
Friday is "citizens on parade",
Saturday is Club events,
and Sunday is saved for judging.

From what I overhear, it should be called the Annual Finger Pointing Festival:
"That's wrong,.... That's not right.... That's "later",.... That's supposed to be cad.... That's missing,........ That's repop,.... That wasn't polished.... That's too dark, That's too light,... That's the wrong color,....." ad nauseum.

....Cotten

From what I overhear, it should be called the Annual Finger Pointing Festival:
"That's wrong,.... That's not right.... That's "later",.... That's supposed to be cad.... That's missing,........ That's repop,.... That wasn't polished.... That's too dark, That's too light,... That's the wrong color,....." ad nauseum.

....Cotten

Glad it ain't just us Brits who suffer with "rivet counters" as we call them over here!

We tend to find that classic car types are by far the worst for this; amongst motorcycle brands Triumph and Vincent owners (note I did not say riders) seem to be the most persistent nit-pickers.

With all due respect, I have very long index fingers myself.
The pickyness is nauseating sometimes, but the ultimate value of our machines depends upon it.
(Even the rats and the "modifieds", as only an educated market can place value upon the truly unique.)

....Cotten

Just quit going to these events..

Eventually, the people that are bitching about not selling parts and a superinflated price will get the message.

But it will take the masses to not attend.

Think about it, what if for just ONE Year NOBODY showed up to these events/swap meets.

Boy howdy, I think that would get some attention.

Just quit going to these events..

Eventually, the people that are bitching about not selling parts and a superinflated price will get the message.

But it will take the masses to not attend.

Think about it, what if for just ONE Year NOBODY showed up to these events/swap meets.

Boy howdy, I think that would get some attention.

All ya have to do now is convince 10,000 people not to show up.

Just quit going to these events..

Eventually, the people that are bitching about not selling parts and a superinflated price will get the message.

But it will take the masses to not attend.

With all do respect, the swap meet isn't the only thing going on at Davenport, or in the area. The races are great, the bike show, both in the buildings and outside. The food, the people, and the sideshow are worth the ride. Actually the ride is worth going in itself. If you think the parts prices are too high, keep your wallet in your pocket, but don't kill the whole event because you don't like one aspect. Unfortunately we were unable to attend this year, the fun tickets were just not in abundance. Had too much fun at the local club event, though.
Somebody post some pix of Davenport 09

With all due respect, I have very long index fingers myself.
The pickyness is nauseating sometimes, but the ultimate value of our machines depends upon it.
(Even the rats and the "modifieds", as only an educated market can place value upon the truly unique.)

....Cotten

I confess that my tongue was slightly in my cheek Cotten!

If it were not for genuine experts such as yourself, Bruce Palmer and the other "wise men" on here, not only would us rat riders have no idea of our machines' potential ,but we'd still be sitting in the workshop thumbing through dog-eared copies of the 45 Army manual!

I love my old 'uns for what they are, and happily concede that I have neither the skill nor patience to make either of them into 100 pointers; furthermore I wouldn't really want to because I'd be frightened to use them. That does not in any way lessen my total respect and admiration for those who do strive for perfection.

I would say though that one thing that does irk me is the so-called "experts" who think that total concours restoration is the only way to go. Two wheels or four, I much prefer what we call the "oily rag" look, it tells a hundred stories of its own.

Keep on pickin' !!

Now I must object, as things finally went too far:
I am not an expert; I am a student.
If I do not learn something every day, my life lost a day.

Back on the subject,
Let us all remember that these machines that seem to be such worshipped icons are only toys, and each of us has the right to play with our toys any way we wish.
Some of us revere their history, while some attach personal history to them.
Some of us find great rewards in reconstructing them, and some of us take great glee in altering them.
Some of us are rabid speculators. Some of us are hapless victims.

There are many more varieties of antique motorcycle enthusiasts than just the handfull of ten thousand or so that drifted through this one meet. If any two of us holds exactly the same values, we are either both dead, or lobotomized.

So Hey!
Get with the program, or blaze your own trail.
I never could compete with collectors who had a real job. So I have a Pan with a sugar canister for an oiltank, a flour canister lid is the clutch cover, a coffee canister covers the motor sprocket drive. Stainless spoons form the front fender braces.
I beat out my own signature tank badges with a ball peen hammer.

None of that hardware would get more than a giggle at D-port.
But anyone care to guess what kind of parts Mr. W. G. Davidson collects?
He cannot afford mine.

....Cotten

Tom,
You are truly a master of the English language !