Often imitated but never duplicated.

When Saturday finally arrived and I was deciding whether to go by motorcycle or car the weather forecast decided for me. It was going to be a nice day for the 2021 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet being held at the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania. However, the vast area of travel between my home and the fairgrounds had high probabilities of pop up thunderstorms all day. So I put my stuff in the car and took off.

This was to be the first year at the new location of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet. So, with a new location and missing a year because of the pandemic it’s sort of a restart for them. I was curious to see how that affected the show. This is their 32nd year of the VJMS in total, but how many vendors would stick with them? How many people would attend?

When I walked up to the registration/entrance tent I was once again greeted warmly by Kim and Robin Markey, the owners of the event and also Bob’s Indian located in Etter’s, PA. Every time I’ve been able to attend the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet they’ve been excellent event hosts.

So, after some small talk I wandered off to visit the vendors and see the sights. I planned on renewing some acquaintances and making some new ones. I was not to be disappointed in either case. I quickly discovered many vendors had come to the new location. However, I had arrived about 2pm and the visitors were thinning out. The venders said the morning was good traffic wise because it was much cooler.

Every person I spoke to, either vender or visitor was upbeat, friendly and engaging. Everyone here is welcoming and ready to chat with a story about this bike or those parts and how they came to offer them. Some even offered me a water and a seat in the shade of their tent while we chatted. The sheer wealth of motorcycle knowledge on tap at this event was remarkable indeed. They are all real nice hospitable people.

But I digress. You get the feeling I’m sure. Yes, I was a bit like a kid at Christmas. Yes, if I’d brought my truck I’d have even more stuff to put away back at home and even less space in the garage. Yes I totally enjoyed the visit and you will too.
Here are some of the bikes I enjoyed looking over.

Which photos do you like best and why?
Stay tuned for more coverage of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet. We’ll have the show results and more!

Thanks for looking!


Mark McGhee (609)

I was born a century too late, or maybe too early.
I like to ride motorcycles and write about that.

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