“Every Tuesday…”

vintage motorcycles

Every Tuesday: Stacy’s Garage

Every Tuesday. It’s a clearly understood reality. Every Tuesday evening Stacy Clark will walk the 100 feet or so to his garage behind his house, and be there. Not just sometimes—every Tuesday. In fact, Stacy does not eat supper on Tuesday evenings; he goes right to the garage, because that’s where he must be. Stacy must be in Stacy’s Garage on Tuesdays…period.

Stacy had enjoyed motorcycles for just about forever—and especially since that cathartic moment many years ago when he came in from deer hunting on an especially rainy and cold day to get warm, and started playing with an old motorcycle in his parents’ garage. And stayed, not returning to look for deer. Working on a bike (or anything else) was clearly more enjoyable than being wet and cold in the woods, and he never really hunted, since that day. Several years later, married and settled, he began to build a real garage that would accommodate his interests. With his brother’s help, he erected what’s known around here as a “pole barn”—essentially a roof, suspended by steel girders and then enclosed by sheet metal. Stacy went further, utilizing his construction skills (he’s an electrician) to insulate the building, bring in water and electric, and install heating and air-conditioning. Looking around, you’ll see a sand-blasting cabinet, industrial lathe, machinist-grade hardwood workbenches, and any other asset a great working garage should have.

Being someone who can’t resist a beautiful old motorcycle for the right price (as many of us, also, would admit), Stacy had the foresight to tailor his garage to not only being a good place to work on old bikes, but also to display old bikes. Besides ample floor space, inside the building are well-supported barn beams, about 8 feet high and capable of holding a row of small motorcycles. Of course, old bikes (and parts of old bikes, and old stuff in general) are everywhere, but it is the suspension of the motorcycles high above one’s head, on ancient Pennsylvania barn beams, that sets Stacy’s garage apart from other “dream garages.”

And now, enjoy a short photo tour of one of the most interesting private work spaces—not owned by a multi-millionaire, either—that I’ve ever seen.

dirty KTM
To the left of the entry door is cold storage for riding machines and future restorations. Stacy is an avid enduro rider – hence late-model, very dirty, KTM.

 

vintage motorcycle projects
Enough projects here to last well into retirement: BSA, Honda, Yamaha, Maico, Puch…

 

Bultaco Montesa
…Bultaco, SWM, Montesa… Old industrial storage shelves are relatively inexpensive, sturdy and save room.

 

vintage motorcycles
Stacy Clark and a visitor watch a recent motocross race on the big screen. Note the motorcycles on recycled barn beams, above. Many of the motorcycles in Stacy’s permanent collection are displayed in this way. A common theme in the collection is small engines, foreign manufacture, and “I never heard of that!”

 

A rare circa-1977 Hercules 7-speed enduro machine (by Sachs of Australia). Stacy is an accomplished mechanic and prefers all his motorcycles to be in runing condition. He is also an eclectic collector – note the maps on the wall, under the typical period illuminated signs.

 

Yamaha Fox Airshox
Unusual, small-bore Yamaha with protected headlight and Fox Airshox. Very unusual – and very Stacy

 

Italian made Indian mini-cycle
Unorthodox display mounting of another typical Stacy Clark collectible: Italian-made Indian mini-cycle. The cash register? Stacy is attracted to anything interesting!

 

vintage motorcycle forks
One never knows when a vintage fender – or set of forks – will be needed.

 

vintage motorcycles
Vintage gas tanks hang from the ceiling – more as decoration than as a means of storage. In the foreground is a hand-built, snowmobile – engined trike. Not visible, to the right, are vintage Triumphs, a Norton Commando, a MotoMorini, a Moto Guzzi, and others.

 

Hodaka Dirt Squirt
Local bike enthusiast and two-time Pennsylvania Blues Society President, George Bressler, drops his guitar to examine an early 1970s Hodaka “Dirt Squirt (being prepared for sale at Vintage Motorcycle Days).

 

1972 CZ 175cc Trail
Circa-1972 CZ 175cc Trail, in original condition, running, and pending sale. The CZ “Trail” line was more workaday than its famous motocross cousins, and was based on Iron Curtain commuter bikes. (The shift lever doubles as the kick-starter).

 

Visiting guard dog Moxy (best friend to George Bressler) ensures the vintage coke machine – actually dispensing beer – is kept safe from motorcycle-hating marauding gangs. Note custom table (on left) constructed from Maico wheel and fork leg.

 

We hope this article has been enjoyable, and always welcome your comments and suggestions! Click HERE to view previous articles by the Vintage Motor Company.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

*