The 2012 Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run was set to come through Anamosa (where I live) on Monday with the National Motorcycle Museum as a scheduled stop. I was all fired up to see the parade of bad ass old bikes come through, so I decided to take the day off.

I made my way down to the Museum about 10 a.m., where I learned there was a broken down bike on its way here and I was asked if I would help. I quickly said yes and headed up to the J&P shop to meet up with fellow J&P volunteer wrench Sean Salger. Shortly after, a sprinter van pulled up … Continue Reading

We’ve been debating for the last 12 months or so when is the right time to update our popular J&P Cycles’ Vintage Catalog. And the irony is that by now, our vintage book is vintage in and by itself.

But we’ve corrected that situation and, in fact, we promise to issue a new Vintage Catalog on an annual basis from here on out. Seriously. We promise — new year means new vintage catalog. You can bank on it.

Scheduled for release real soon, the J&P Cycles Vintage Catalog Volume No. 8 will be packed page to page with more than 13,500 individual part numbers. And a whopping 1,500 of those … Continue Reading

It’s over and done with and there’s no sense in trying to turn back the clock. If you missed it, you missed it, but the point is you don’t have to miss it again next Labor Day weekend.

And to entice you to do just that, we’re including a couple of videos with this blog post that show some of the highlights of this year’s Chief Blackhawk chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA) motorcycle parts swap meet and motorcycle races right here in nearby Davenport, Iowa.

We’re not really sure if it’s the biggest antique motorcycle meet on the planet, but until someone tells us different, that’s … Continue Reading

Eastern Iowa may not be at the top of anyone’s list for vacation spots, but if your enthusiasm leans toward moveable vehicles on two wheels, Anamosa, Iowa, is your Midwest Mecca.

Not only is Anamosa the home of J&P Cycles, it’s also just up the road apiece from the National Motorcycle Museum. And we celebrated the museum’s first-ever Vintage Rally event the first weekend of June, with more than 1,600 in attendance. And all those folks weren’t Eastern Iowa natives, either. We had people rolling in from all over the country, including Texas, South Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Sixty-six bikes were registered for Saturday’s Vintage Bike Show and awards … Continue Reading

It’s not too late to make plans to visit Anamosa, Iowa, the weekend after next– June 3 through 5 — to take part in the first-ever National Motorcycle Museum Vintage Rally. A swap meet, vintage bike show and dedication of the museum’s new Motorcycles at Work exhibit are just a few of the happenings on the informal agenda for this event. And since you’re going to be in the area anyway, you might as well check out progress on the 1930 gas station restoration project.

The Vintage Bike Show, sponsored by Motorcycle Classics magazine, will focus on bikes 1985 and older. Bring out your American, British, Japanese … Continue Reading

The National Motorcycle Museum is planning to kick start summer 2011 by hosting its first-ever Vintage Rally June 3 and 4 in Anamosa, Iowa. And headlining the event is Dan Haggerty who will talk about building the bikes for the 1969 cult classic film, Easy Rider.

Dan will also inspect and discuss the film’s only remaining movie bike — the Captain America chopper — on permanent display at the museum.

Bring your 1985 or earlier vintage bikes for the bike show. You can pick up some must-have goodies as you explore the swap meet, then relax and listen to a panel discussion on motorcycle collecting. Join in as we … Continue Reading