Loudon-New Hampshire Vintage

I've been going to the ~New Hampshire Vintage Celebration~ for years, first as a fan and for the last few years as an entrant (in my Sprite).

But as well as cars (and a very old airplane) I also have some bikes. My street bike is a Honda Ascot 500 thumper and I am an earned Life Member in the AMA. Anyway, I always enjoy the bikes at the NHMA event as much as the cars.

Here is something you'll hardly see anywhere else (below): a Vincent sidecar outfit!

You have to see the sidecar outfits to believe them! Especially the "monkeys"! Who needs the Isle of Man when you have New Hampshire. I am also a big fan of the 50 cc "tiddler" class road racing bikes. Gotta love 20,000+ RPM with 10+ gears! The pictures below were taken this year and last year.

More sidecars and old bikes.

spun out on track-push starting

our "pit-bike / sidecar outfit"

The appropriate time to have posted about this was BEFORE IT HAPPENED so I could have gone too :(. Seriously, if I had any idea this existed I would have been there.

BTW, what is the deal with the Jeep on the rollers?

Josh wrote: BTW, what is the deal with the Jeep on the rollers?

I am guessing it is used to start race bikes. I am pretty sure most of those old race bikes cannot be kick started, they must be push started. If you look at the pictures, the race bikes that you can see the rights side of don't even have kick starters.

Josh wrote: The appropriate time to have posted about this was BEFORE IT HAPPENED so I could have gone too :(. Seriously, if I had any idea this existed I would have been there. BTW, what is the deal with the Jeep on the rollers?

Yeah, they've only been doing the NH VIntage for 19 years now.

Anyway, it's always around late May. Scratch it in your PalmPilot for 2010.....you won't be sorry you came.

aircooled is correct....it's a roller-starter. You see them a lot at vintage car races too....especially for the Bugattis.

Here's a self-contaimed roller-starter (below).

Awesome pics! Thanks. It's duly noted for next year.The 50cc road racers are fantastic to hear. You have to see them to believe them.

Know anything about #888?

Great pics!

Though I don't know a whole lot about bikes, I love to see those old racers. Going to a similar event on Sunday, actually.

fastEddie wrote: Know anything about #888?

That's a Bridgestone 175cc 2-stroke twin.

They had rotary valves (instead of reeds) so made great power for a smaller engine.

I'm not sure if that's one of their street bikes converted for racing or what: they made a dedicated 175 road racing bike but it's pretty rare.

Yup, even my yet-to-be-completed Bridgestone 90 uses the rotary valve. I've got a Bridgestone manual that even gives race mods for the various models, and a big part of making power is modifying the opening on the rotary disc.

Chris H.

Wow, Chris, that thing is WAY to nice looking to fit in at a vintage event. You better at least have a set of 20 year old Bates or Vanson leathers that clash with the blue and white paint on your bike.