ABOVE AND BEYOND
The Modern Vintage Bike Enthusiast.
02.09.2009
Passion in life is a great thing. In the vintage-bike world, passion usually runs pretty deep, but one of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable old-bike lovers I know is Paul d'Orleans. He's a globe-trotting, bike-researching, book-reading and vintage-bike trading maniac with an awesome blog page.
Paul (shown on a Velocette KTT) was a multiple offender on our Infineon Raceway (nee Sears Point) Rolling Concours event, always "rolling" out something racy and exotic and, best of all, really old, like his 1928 Sunbeam TT90 racer that won Best Vintage. But he shows up just about anywhere there is motorcycle stuff going on, from auctions to the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours to the annual Velocette Club rally.
The fundamental motto in all his vintage-bike dealings is "Ride them as the maker intended," which is noble, indeed. It is easy to get lost on his blog site, with entries that range from the clothes old-time riders wore to racing histories to tire technology to modern electric "motor" cycles. Totally worth checking out, but don't forget to come back to cycleworld.com!
Paul (shown on a Velocette KTT) was a multiple offender on our Infineon Raceway (nee Sears Point) Rolling Concours event, always "rolling" out something racy and exotic and, best of all, really old, like his 1928 Sunbeam TT90 racer that won Best Vintage. But he shows up just about anywhere there is motorcycle stuff going on, from auctions to the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours to the annual Velocette Club rally.
The fundamental motto in all his vintage-bike dealings is "Ride them as the maker intended," which is noble, indeed. It is easy to get lost on his blog site, with entries that range from the clothes old-time riders wore to racing histories to tire technology to modern electric "motor" cycles. Totally worth checking out, but don't forget to come back to cycleworld.com!
—Mark Hoyer
Mark Hoyer - a man with access to any and all new motorcycles - is secretly a Vintagent, and a Velocette enthusiast, having twice attended the Annual V.O.C. North America summer week-long rally. We've spent a bit of time together sorting out our bikes by the side of the road....