I took a snowy day off today and headed west to Becket, MA to visit vintage bike expert Peter Talabach at his Mohawk Garage. I was dropping off a bike for fettling, but really went there to spend a day being around Peter. His gentle grace and willingness to share his knowledge are humbling. I was also lucky to meet new friends Carleton Palmer and Vic Olsen, who had dropped in from Vermont to drop off an old Norton single. They also know vintage machines as few do and were generous with their time, knowledge and friendship. Add in my friend John Clark and Peter’s amazing machinist Andy, both of whom are (along with Peter and Carleton) accomplished Vincent roadracers, and it was a wonderful wonderful day.
I also picked up from Peter this ‘69 450 Scrambler while I was there It runs great with a throaty bark. Also just the right amount of rust everywhere and right side shift to boot. Who says you can’t buy cool?
