If you are into vintage bikes, then the Annual Rally of the Canadian Vintage Motorcycle Group (CVMG) is a must-see event. The CVMG, formed about forty years ago, is the largest vintage motorcycle enthusiasts club in Canada, and has numerous active chapters around the country. These chapters work together with other bike owners clubs to make the Paris Rally a real vintage happening.

This years event, the 35th such gathering, was held at the Municipal Fairgrounds in Paris, Ontario, on June 15-17th. Great weather with clear skies and temperatures in the 80’s was just what was needed to attract a large biker crowd from Ontario, Quebec and bordering states.

The CVMG rally includes a variety of events and activities to entertain vintage bike enthusiasts. These include competition riding demonstrations, motorcycle games, daily road rides, seminars and talks by guest speakers, a judged vintage concourse and a large swap meet with well over a hundred vendors. Most of the activities this year took place on Friday and Saturday.

Reasons for attending Paris vary, but for many it’s the opportunity to see older bikes that they have read about, but have never seen. Enthusiasts of British made bikes were treated to an exceptionally good variety of machines on display this year. There was a special exhibit of girder forked Brit bikes, a display of classic Vincents, plus a BSA corral that included Beeza singles and twins from the 1950’s and 60’s, and much more.

Included in the British bikes on display were numerous Triumphs, Nortons and Ariels, as well as rare examples of Brough Superior, Sunbeam, Velocette, AJS, Royal Enfield, Rudge, James and Dot. There was even an example of a Matchless V-twin powered Morgan three-wheeler, what the Brits used to call a ‘dog-killer’. This nickname came from the conventional car-type two front wheel steering layout combined with a central trailing rear wheel. If the front two missed the pooch, the odds were that the rear wheel wouldn’t. Gruesome, I know, but there you have it.

One of the things that motorcycle enthusiasts can learn from studying vintage bikes is that many of the engine and design features that we consider to be modern era actually have their roots very much in the past. Rudge, for example, were building 4-valve per cylinder motors many years before they became common on Japanese bikes. Similarly, firms of many different nationalities have built various configurations of four-cylinder motorcycle engines over the past century, including in-line 4s, square 4s and V-4s with both chain and shaft final drive.

Among the Brit bikes exhibited this year was a yellow British AA (Automobile Association) emergency road service motorcycle and sidecar outfit owned by Kenneth Askey. These units were powered by a 600 cc side-valve BSA M21 single, the last side valvers to be built in England in 1963. Fitted with an Avon fairing and fully equipped fiberglass sidecar, these machines were ridden around by AA road staff to provide roadside assistance to any AA members that ran into difficulty. The sidecars carried spare car batteries, water, oil, gasoline, assorted spare parts and various tools needed to render assistance. We are talking about a time in Britain when it was not unknown for AA members to be saluted by AA staff as they motored by in their cars. That was a different time and a different world!

Other Brit machines present that were of particular interest to this writer included an early 1950’s 500 cc Sunbeam S7 Deluxe powered by an inline OHC twin-cylinder engine and using shaft drive. Another was a very clean example of a Velocette LE (Light Engine), a water-cooled horizontally-opposed 200 cc side-valve twin that in its day was widely used by motorcycle police in the UK.

Among other notable later Brit bikes on display was a 1969 blue and black Norton 650 Mercury, one of only 700 such machines built. Restored for Scott McHardy by his father, these bikes were assembled by Norton using the last of the parts available for pre-Commando twins.

Enthusiasts of American bikes also had some very interesting machinery to look at. There were quite a few vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian machines on display, including numerous that were for sale. Among the more spectacular of these was a mint burgundy-coloured, 1918, 1,000 cc Indian V-twin board track racer, complete with 28 x 3 inch rims and shod with period white racing tires. Another striking bike was a 1928 H-D Model J hand-shift 1,000 cc twin that was also being sold by the owner of the Indian board track racer.

The H-D provided one of two unusual events that, due to the Saturday afternoon’s high temperature, startled quite a few people at the swap meet. First the Harley’s front inner tube exploded while it was parked on display and blew the front tire off of the rim scaring the daylights out of people standing close by.

The second incident was the sudden appearance of a very strong dust-devil in the swap meet area that uprooted one vendor’s blue canopy and lifted it over a hundred feet in the air, steel frame and all. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, nor were any bikes hit when the tangled remains returned to earth.

Another eye-catching American bike that was displayed at Paris was a blue 1949 Indian Super Scout. The Scouts were vertical twins that Indian was inspired to build after watching the successes that postwar Triumph twins were having in race competition in the US. Unfortunately, the Indian twins were no match for either the Triumphs or the side-valve Harley-Davidson V-twins of the day, and so did little to prevent Indian’s demise.

The most rare and least known American bike on display this year was a 1934 Koslow V-twin. This model was a racer based on a flathead Harley-Davidson, but converted by Koslow in Chicago to run with overhead valves, plus other engine modifications. Only three are known to still exist, and no more than half a dozen were ever built.

Among the various northern European vintage bikes on display were a number of very nicely maintained BMW boxer twins, plus a mint red 4-cylinder Nimbus. Among the notable southern European vintage bikes was a lovely 1954 125 cc Rumi Sport, a 2-stroke horizontally-opposed twin. There was also a rare Spanish single, a 1969 Derbi 74 cc Gran Sport, one of only two known to be running in North America. Other Italian bikes present included a number of mint Ducati bevel-gear twins, plus a very rare 1959 200 cc SS single.

The little Duke single had been restored to ‘as new’ condition by its owner Henry Hogben, a noted Ducati single specialist. The project took more than three years to complete, but Hogben says that the effort was well worthwhile. Quite a few 200 cc Elite model Ducatis were brought into North America, but the competition-oriented SS was largely a European market-only model. When fitted with the standard 27 mm remote float Dell’Orto carb and a sports cam, the 200 SS is good for close to 100 mph top speed. That would be a good turn of speed for a modern 200 single, let alone for one designed and built close to fifty years ago.

The number of Japanese bikes exhibited and offered for sale at the swap meet was relatively small, but included a number of very impressive sports models. One proud owner displayed two excellent café Yamahas, one a highly modified SR500 single and the other an XS650 vertical twin. The SR was extensively modified and upgraded, but the work was done so well that it looked like a production product straight from the Yamaha factory. There were also a number of in-line four cylinder machines for sale, including an extensively-modified CB1100 Honda that was a real eye-catcher.

The swap meet was well attended and there were plenty of parts, incomplete bikes, original running bikes and show quality concourse machines to bid on. The price haggling was generally good natured with plenty of items changing hands. Also available for sale were a wide range of motorcycle books, shop manuals, leathers, boots, gloves and helmets. Coming away from vintage swap meets like the one at Paris without buying something is next to impossible for most vintage bike fans. The temptation and prices are just too good to pass up.

If you are interested in buying an older bike or are looking to restore one, then there is much to be gained by attending an event like the Paris Rally. The atmosphere is very friendly and enthusiasm for vintage bikes abounds. You can get a good idea of what is available, find out what bikes and parts typically sell for, plus tap into the expertise of a really well-informed crowd.

Vintage bikers are usually more than willing to share their experience and insights about various makes and models, and often have decades of experience riding and maintaining them. These experienced enthusiasts can warn you off of troublesome models, point out weaknesses of particular bikes, and make you aware of items that are difficult or costly to fix or replace. All you have to do is walk up to them, introduce yourself, tell them what you have in mind or are curious about, and start asking questions.