The 2011 Salisbury Concours d'Elegance

Casey’s General Stores Presents...
The Art & Design of
The Vintage Motorcycles Class
By Randy Anderson, Class Chair
American architect Louis Sullivan in 1896 said, “Form follows Function”. In a
motorcycle, art, design and function are inseparable: you cannot change one without
considering the others. New developments in technology require new designs,
and changes in tastes and fashion often demand mechanical alterations.
In the early days, when motorcycles were more likely to be built in barns than factories,
a handful of mavericks designed spontaneously, using whatever tenuous
resources were available. Today engineering teams, bottom lines, and customer
surveys dictate aesthetic directions, but the ghosts of the early designers are still
visible in our modern machines.
As motorcycles grew in popularity, the pool of potential designers grew exponentially.
Perhaps it is the relatively manageable size of a motorcycle, or the desire to
push the envelope of the riding experience, that drives motorcycle owners to perpetually
tinker with them, sometimes with innovative success and sometimes for
the annals of oblivion.
By the time the motorcycle had become a permanent fixture on the American landscape,
it was serving many needs. Suspension had evolved to serve the commuter
and the racer alike The main objective could be long-distance comfort or hugging
the road for deal life.
Muddy rural roads helped riders flesh out the motorized bicycle with various fairings;
racers looking for every second of speed made these extensions aerodynamic
and graceful. Now it’s not uncommon to see not only permanent, integral fairing
on a touring bike, but also built in hard luggage.
Customers took great pleasure in stripping down modern motorcycles that had, in
their eyes, accumulated too many extraneous parts. They pushed some elements
to outrageous extremes-apehanger handlebars or super-raked choppers, for example,
proving that Darwinian practicality did not apply to all motorcycle design.
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Cruiser, sport bike, long-distance tourer, chopper, enduro: bikes today have
evolved into many species, each design belying the rider’s primary considerationcomfort,
speed, looks, practicality, personal statement. But function along can’t
appeal to the soul. At best it soothes the need for rational answers and effective
results. A well-functioning piece of machinery can be interesting, but if it is too
easily understood visually, the viewer quickly loses interest. However, a well functioning
piece of machinery that has many facets-unexpected twists and shadows,
proportions that defy physics and a gut-based appeal that border on the primordial
- is often elevated to a work of art.
It is this art, this mysterious marriage of design and function, that bears witness to
the human need for flight— physical, mental, and spiritual It holds beauty just
beyond our grasp, and each new design, each new aesthetically superior machine,
promises to take us just a little bit closer to that elusive state of grace.
Late breaking news from the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance:
Over 200 automobiles and only 18 select Italian motorcycles graced the 18th fairway
at the 61st Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Sunday, August 21. When motorcycles
were called to the stage for awards, machines from the National Motorcycle
Museum, Anamosa, Iowa, won 1st and 2nd places in the Italian Touring Motorcycles
competition. 1st place went to a 1957 Aermacchi Chimera, a striking blue
and yellow "streamlined" machine, and 2nd place went to a bright red 1956 Maserati
160 LM. Both of these lovely machines are a part of the Salisbury Concours.
Two years ago the producers of what is likely the world's most prestigious Concours
d'Elegance decided to add motorcycles to the competition. This year is the
first for the Salisbury Concours, with more to come.
"We feel extremely privileged to have been invited to attend, then take such a high
honor in the Concours world. To be among a group of such great motorcycles and
take a double win is certainly among my life's greatest experiences," said John
Parham, President of the Board of Directors of the National Motorcycle Museum.
The Maserati and Aermacchi are on loan to the Museum by John Parham, featured
in the lobby of the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. The Museum
contains over 300 motorcycles and thousands of pieces of art, memorabilia, even
rare bicycles and more from all corners of the motorcycling world. Go to
www.nationalmcmuseum.org for more information.