Mods and Rockers roll again in Colorado Springs

A BSA that was part of the Mods and Rockers gathering

Shades of the '60s, the Mods and the Rockers are at it again. Sort of.

Lovers of old British motorcycles and scooters on Saturday played off the theme of clashing British subcultures to bring together an all-good-time gathering. Mixed with an assortment of old British iron were a number of newer Triumphs and a few other marques.

Dripping oil testified to the authenticity of more than a couple of the older machines, lending them that traditional British flair.

The event was a joint effort of the Peak Scooter Club and the British Motorcycle Association of Colorado (BMAC). The gathering spot was the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame.

  Jake Alcorn on his Mod scooter

Looking very hard core in his period outfit and Stella scooter decked out with innumerable rearview mirrors, Jake Alcorn presented a convincing image of the Mod. From the mirrors to the lights, running board, and sissy bar, Jake described his scoot as a "genuine mod scooter."

Reportedly, the mirrors were a response to police insistence that the Mods' scooters have mirrors. In an act of contempt for the law, the Mods chose to deck their scooters with as many lights and mirrors as they could manage to load on.

Unlike some vintage bike gatherings, BMAC newsletter editor Jerry Pokorny noted, "Not all of these are show pieces. These guys actually ride them."

And every bike seemed to have a story.

Kent Clawley arrived on his 1972 BSA 650 Thunderbolt. Except that it was sporting a Triumph gas tank.

"The original tank was long and made of several pieces. They would just crack into pieces," he explained. Thus the Triumph tank.

Peter Allen's 1936 Vincent HRD Comet was found 10 years ago in a garden shed in Kent, England.

"You could stick your fingers through the top and bottom of the tank," he said.

Since restoring it Peter has put 11,000 miles on the bike.

"I ride it, and I ride it hard, too."

One bike of particular interest to BMAC members was a 1966 Sears Sabre, made by Puch. The Sabre had been raffled off at a BMAC meeting and the winning $1 ticket holder, Todd Wallis, brought the restored bike to show off. In two months Todd had taken the bike from basket case to a running machine. Todd's search for replacement parts even included tracking down a factory-new speedometer in storage in Cyprus.

The big-ticket items in the restoration, Todd said, were the spokes, which he had to have custom-made.

Please view the slideshow to see more vintage Brit iron.

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