Synopses & Reviews
Driving down a country road, a flash of chrome catches your eye as you pass an old farmstead. Next time you roll by, you slow down and focus on a shed behind the house. Could that be? Good lord, it is! Hard on the brakes, quick reverse, and pull in the drive. Yep, it’s a vintage Triumph Bonneville peering forlornly from beneath a tattered cover. You’ve just begun the journey that fuels the dreams of every motorcycle collector: the long-forgotten machine, re-discovered.
The Harley in the Barn offers 40-plus tales of lost Nortons, hidden Hondas, dormant Indians, and busted BSAs, all squirreled away from prying eyes but found by lucky collectors just like you. Author Tom Cotter is not only a barn-find master, he’s also master of discovering the collectors with the best stories and the most outlandish finds.
If you can’t pass a padlocked garage without wondering if there’s a great old bike stashed inside, this is your book. Hell, this is your life.
Synopsis
The Harley in the Barn offers 40-plus tales of lost Nortons, hidden Hondas, and busted BSAs, all squirreled away but found by lucky collectors. Author Tom Cotter is not only a barn-find master, he’s also master of discovering the collectors with the best stories and the most outlandish finds.
About the Author
The title on Tom Cotter's business card reads: "Certified Car Geek." For the past 30 years, Cotter has worked on nearly every end of the car business: mechanic, car sales, automotive public relations and marketing executive, auto racing authority, historian, racer, collector, restorer, journalist, and author. He has authored 10 automotive books, including most of the popular In the Barn series for Motorbooks. He has written for the New York Times and Road and Track magazine. Whenever he sits down at his keyboard to write another book, you can be sure that he has grease under his fingernails. Official Website: www.cobrainthebarn.comTom Cotter (Davidson, NC) writes regularly for Road and Track and other magazines and has a deep-seated love for motorcycle and automotive rescue. He has written four books on the lure of collector vehicle archaeology, the award-winning The Cobra in the Barn, The Hemi in the Barn, The Corvette in the Barn, and The Vincent in the Barn. Cotter most recently authored the biography of drag racing legend Tommy Ivo.
Table of Contents
Contents Foreword by Pat SimmonsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction
Chapter One - The Thrill of the ChaseA Motorcycle Greater than the Sum of its PartsPatience and Perseverance are his Secret WeaponsRock and Roll Barn-FinderBorn a Rambling ManKnucklehead DayBike in the BarnThe Beamer and the Chief
Chapter Two - Strange Places She Sells Seashells by the SeashoreHow Many Vincents Does it Take to Hold Up a Fence?Just Give It a KickThe Thor in the Maple TreeWord of MouthOne TZ SummerBike in the Basement
Chapter Three - Real CharacterSouthern HospitalityThe Free Kiwi TriumphKeating’s Keating and Other Tales of DiscoveryTriumph Over NatureThe Vintage Cycle MasterLicense and Registration Please…The Heffron TriumphMy First Antique HarleysThe Barn-Find Bultaco
Chapter Four - The Long HaulAnother Black Beast Returns to the RoadEclectic CollectorMotorpoloist SurvivorFour Little Indians Pulled From a ShedThe Crapaholics are at it Again!The Two Rules of Motorcycle Barn-Finding
Chapter Five - Rare Finds and One-of-a-KindsGoddess of the Hunt20th Century CycleFollow the NumbersThe Collapsed Barn FindThe World’s Fastest IndianUltra Classic CurseThe Consolation PrizeThe Mystery of the Hidden HarleyThe Paper Discovery
Index