Rhinebeck Swap Meet & Woodstock - June 15

Woodstock, June 15th

Riding out of NYC early in order to get to the swap meet works fine, for the first 10 miles. Then I get lost, and spend way to much time following bad advice from locals on how to get to the Tecto Parkway. A 3 hour ride becomes a 5 1/2 hour ride, during which I see - amongst other roadkill - a very dead mashed-up deer on the shoulder. Somewhat more dramatic than the many raccoons, turtles, armadillos and whatever had the bad luck of having to cross the road.

But I make it to Rhinebeck, find the guys who will take the MZ with them, and start answering questions about the bike. This is a tough crowd if you want to bring something nobody has seen, and most haven't a clue about MZs. A few do, and one of them says he had five TS models somewhere along the way. He sold them to Cubans in Florida, where there are also a few around. Then he calls a friend in nearby Woodstock (of concert fame), who seems to be chairman of the local MZ club, and we agree to meet. It's only half an hour from the swap meet, if I don't get lost.

Levon Helm from The Band was but one of many musicians and artists moving to this area.

German 'Progress' was the Cadillac of scooters, Ed says. This one has a Honda engine, though.

Todays' large scooter, a Suzuki Burghman, which has been painted in US Army colours.

I don't get seriously lost, and Ed Allyn, looking like a slightly shorter version of John Cleese, comes out to greet me. In addition to an eclectic collection of bikes, three cats and a house from the 1800s, he also has an odd three-wheeler where the back half is a motorcycle minus it's front end. It once was powered by a crappy 250 cc Chinese motorcycle, now by a Suzuki Tempter 650 cc twin, and soon by a four cylinder, watercooled Kawasaki Ninja sportsbike. So far it has cost him all of $4,000.

We go for a ride to Woodstock town centre in the contraption, me noticing how they really milk the legendary event of 1968. Lots of peace signs, typefaces used back then etc. etc., but it does seem like a nice town. Then we kick some more tyres back at his chaotic place, before riding back for a beer and some music, the latter courtesy of a John Lennon look-a-like and his band.

Adding The Blues Brothers to the 'peace, love & understanding' theme may be going a bit too far.

Ed used to be a science teacher, so in unison we lament the sorry state of US education, later check out interesting MZs on the computer screen, and he tells of how the import of them in the US never really caught on. He had 18 of the things, 15 of which were bought in their shipping crates. Now he only has a 'Scorpion', one of the newer fourstroke types.