Back in 1968, San Francisco was celebrating the Summer of Love, Easy Rider was in final production, Woodstock was a year away, and a bunch of bikers at their old ladys’ insistence had cleaned out their garages and sheds and loaded up their excess junk, take-offs and other parts, and were on their way to the dump when one of them had a idea. Let’s have a swap meet and see if we can get beer money and we’ll junk what we don’t sell. So, for better or worse, the die was cast and the motorcycle used parts business was born in Central California.

Let’s jump to today. Forty-three-year-old bikes are considered vintage. So this is a real vintage event for vintage bikes and parts. Even some of the participants are vintage, yours truly included. This swap and show at the Kings County Fairground in Hanford, California, has been home to this swap for many moons. Vendors checked in and were placed with some screaming and hollering as usual and finally everybody was setting up. Starting at 6:30AM the show bikes were checked in and spotted where they belonged and at 8AM the public was let in after paying the small $10 price of admission to see a great bike show and visit close to some 200 vendors. Boy, did they come. I don’t know the count but the parking lots were jammed with cars and motorcycles. I personally have never seen crowds like this at any motorcycle swap I’ve attended.

The crowd appeared to be genuine enthusiast types rather than the show your ta-tas types. And it was a nice change from the lawyers, insurance peddlers, and T-shirt vendors. The bike show was pretty neat with some real nice rides from Ariel to Yamaha. No Zündapps, however. Otherwise it would have been from A to Z. When was the last time you saw a perfect Matchless 500 single or a Velocette? Unbelievable show bikes. The parts guys had some unusual stuff: When was the last time you saw an actual Ariel Square Four along with a head?

I talked to a Harley rider who had everyone guessing if he is a enthusiast or plain nuts or both. Here is the deal: He has a house, wife, kids in Pismo Beach and he works for a utility company in a office 120 miles away over two-lane roads; that’s 240 miles round trip daily at a cost of $26 for gas. Now answer the question, nuts or enthusiast? My answer is both. At least there is no snow.

Thanks to Marshal, Al and Teach for easing the way. All in all it was a great show.