Chicago

Classic European and vintage Japanese motorcycles line the curbs of North Lincoln Avenue in downtown Chicago along with a sprinkling of streetfighters, choppers, bobbers and modern bikes. There’s also a strong contingent of old and new scooters mixed into the Mods vs Rockers event hosted by Ton Up Club of Chicago. While it’s a wonderful bike show, it’s great for people-watching as well.

Vintage motorcycles and scooters are sometimes best experienced with the phone number of an honest mechanic handy. Some motorcyclists don’t mind twisting off bolt-heads and chasing finicky carbs for weeks and there are always those guys who say, “I work on my own stuff.” For us, we can understand trying to save a few bucks on some fixes, but a mechanic whose life’s work is decoding the varying innards of aging European motorbikes? That’s a priceless contact.