Posted October 9, 2006

Gary Chitwood and the 1966 Triumph Thunderbird that won the Jim Davis Best in Show trophy.

The rare, the beautiful and the fastest of all time were on display at the Fifth Annual Concours d'Elegance

Some of the finest restored — and unrestored — motorcycles in America, as well as the fastest bike on the planet, were on display at the Concours d'Elegance at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum October 7 in Pickerington, Ohio.

Under a perfectly sunny autumn sky, spectators admired such rare machines as a 1913 Flying Merkel, 1929 Harley-Davidson JDH, 1936 Harley-Davidson EL Bobber, 1938 Brough Superior, and 1947 Indian Chief.

More recent eras were also well represented, with machines such as a 1954 Zundapp KS601, 1969 Bultaco TSS, 1974 Ducati Supersport, and 1978 Triumph Bonneville.

The big draw of the show was Denis Manning's BUB Enterprises streamliner, which set an FIM motorcycle land speed record of 350.884 mph just a month before being on display at the concours. Manning, inducted into the Museum's Hall of Fame later that evening, stood by the machine and explained the record-breaking effort at the Bonneville Salt Flats, as well as the inner workings of the streamliner. Multi-time AMA Flat Track Champion Chris Carr, who piloted the Manning machine, stood nearby and chatted with fans.

Someone asked whether the streamliner will go faster than 350 mph.

"We're limited by tires," answered Manning (right). "We have to come up with a tire. We tell the tire guys we did 350 on the tire that they said would do 300 mph and they shudder."

Then he added: "I think our next step is 375."

The concours is part of the weekend festivities surrounding the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The names of nine individuals who have made major contributions to the world of motorcycling were added to the wall in the Hall of Fame this year..

Participants in the by-invitation-only concours vie for top prize in various categories, including American to 1953, American 1954-1975, British to 1964, and Competition.

Roger Smith of Clarkston, Michigan, displayed his immaculate 1966 Suzuki TC-250 Scrambler, which he called "the rarest of all Suzuki Hustlers." the bike was made with high pipes specifically for the U.S. market.

Smith bought the bike at the AMA Antique and Classic Auction by J. Wood & Co. at the Stetson Center during Daytona Bike Week in 2005, and then restored it from the frame up.

"In 1966, I had a black one, but it wasn't a scrambler," said Smith (left). "So over 40 years I've had a lot of bikes, but I never forgot that Suzuki." And then when he had the opportunity to buy one, at Daytona, he did.

Nearby, Kevin Graulty of Huntsville, Texas, stood next to his 1966 BMW R60/2. The 600cc machine is special not only because it has a sidecar, but also because it has 162,000 miles on it. For many years it was Graulty's daily runner.

"I bought it in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1977 as a substitute for a car," Graulty explains. "I was trying to live cheap. The idea behind the sidecar was it handled in the snow better. I ran it and ran it, and it got pretty ratty."

Ryan Bisset of Hanson, Massachusetts, and Gary Chitwood of Bessemer, Alabama (right), brought a couple bikes owned by Bobby Sullivan to the show. Bisset and Chitwood, who work for Sullivan, helped restore a 1965 Triumph T120C, while Chitwood did most of the work on a 1966 Triumph Thunderbird.

When the judging was over at the Museum's Fifth Annual Concours d'Elegance, it was Sullivan's Thunderbird that won the Jim Davis Best of Show Award.

"It's a big hobby for us," Chitwood said of Sullivan, Bisset and himself and their passion for restoring motorcycles. Sullivan is owner of a company that distributes accessories to motorcycle dealers. He traded 50 helmets to a Florida motorcycle dealer for the Thunderbird about eight years ago.

"He wanted the helmets more than he wanted the bike," Chitwood laughed.

We bet the helmets never won a trophy.

© 2006, Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum