Mike Udolph of Ashland, Ohio, slowly walked through the acres of motorcycle parts spread out in the Swapmeet, sponsored by Motorcyclist Retro magazine, at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Friday, July 25, on a mission: to find parts for his 1972 Kawasaki H1 Mach III.
And with more than 700 vendors at what is billed as the largest motorcycle swap meet in North America, there's a good chance that he and his son, Steve, will find what they're looking for at the annual event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
"I need a steering damper for my H1 Kawasaki, a new seat and air intake rubber," Udolph says. "The air intake rubber is really hard to find."
But it's only noon, and Udolph has hope. Even if he doesn't find the parts he needs, though, he says he enjoys Vintage Motorcycle Days because he likes old motorcycles. And that's what Vintage Motorcycle Days is all about.
The swap meet this year had a large number of original, almost pristine, motorcycles including Honda CL350s, Yamaha RD350s, Nortons, Triumphs, BSAs and even the odd Ducati. The price tags on the machines match their condition, ranging from $1,100 to $5,000 or more.
Dirt bikes at the swap meet are a better deal, at least lower in price, but they're also usually in beat-up condition. Just about anything you can imagine can be found here, from old Yamaha YZs to Suzuki RMs to Bultacos and Hodakas. Again, pristine examples go for high prices.
Christy Witherington of Raleigh, North Carolina, comes to Vintage Motorcycle Days to each year to take advantage of the demo rides offered by Triumph, Kawasaki, KTM and other manufacturers. But she says she also walks through the massive swap meet, and likes to check out the vendors selling new goods in the infield of the race track.
"It's so good to be in a community with other bikers," Witherington said. "It takes more than a day to do Vintage Motorcycle Days. The variety of things to do is amazing."
The variety of parts in the swap meet is amazing, too. Where else can you find boxes and boxes of carburetors, mirrors, levers, new-old-stock pistons, bodywork and more. Need parts for a Harley-Davidson from the 1950s? You can find them at this vendor over here. Want some bits for your early 1970s Yamaha enduro? Just head over to that vendor over there.
And in the far corner is a vendor selling all sorts of parts for old Kawasakis, including maybe, just maybe, air intake rubber for a 1972 Kawasaki H1. If not, there's always next year.