45 Days on a Gen3 Hayabusa - 2023 Pashnit Touring

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Board Track Racers - Fascinating slice of motorcycle racing history if you've ever read up on board track racing.

Robb had the actual original bikes from that era.

How many of these bikes have you personally raced, we asked our docent, Robb. More than half, he said. There were bikes everywhere! Let me show you my barn. We followed. A portion of the museum had a display constructed to look like an old barn. This is exactly how I found it; he said, pointing to an old Spanish Bultaco slathered in patina. He was even referring to the reconstructed barn surrounding the barn find bike.

 

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Robb explaining his trip around the United States on his GS, now in his museum exactly as he rode it around the States. The tank bag was still on the bike, the GPS was still in the holder, the paper map was still in the tank bag of the last leg of his journey. On the wall was a map of the 2003 ride spanning 4750 miles around the perimeter of the the United States.

The work shop

We'll never restore it Robb said, we're just going to leave it like this freshly crashed on the track. It had a vague resemblance to my old FJ1200.

 

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The barn find Bultaco, now living in a reconstructed 'barn', exactly as Robb found it

Everything is original, unrestored. Just like I found it, Robb said

 

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Would you like to come see my basement, Robb asked? It was crammed full of more bikes

Nearly every bike here was Robb's personal bike, These aren't auction trophies, each one he raced. Each one had a story.

 

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Peter is from Poland, and the conversations drifted to speedway bikes. Peter excitedly talked about growing up in Poland and how much bigger Speedway Racing is in Europe than here in the US.

Robb pointed out a bunch of pictures on the wall of him on a speedway bike, racing it. Then he turned and pointed across the room - There's the bike I was on in this photo, he said pointing to a specific motorcycle in the basement.

He talked about every photo like it was yesterday. Most were in the mid-1970s.

We realized that all the pictures on the wall were of our docent, Robb. This was his museum, his bikes, and all his races.

 

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Robb told us all about the New Year's Day Pikes Peak Race in 1981.

He regaled every detail, the temperature, how the bike ran, how windy it was, how cold his hands were. There were no motorcycle clothing back then, most the riders were in snowmobile suits or just jeans and long johns. Open face helmets too!

He was back in 1981 as he told the story of the race.

Robb pointing at himself in the photo, that's me, the guy in the beard. I did well in that race, he said beaming.

 

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Robb even told us about how when he couldn't race in winter, he got into ice racing to solve that issue. He still had the actual Jawa he raced.

Robb told us about fly screens. To create these small screens, the racers were all broke (from racing) and would take a screen door, cut it up and make their own fly screen, thus the name.

 

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If there was a picture on the wall, it often was Robb in the picture.

 

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I'm right there, Robb said, pointing to a single bike in the crowd at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb.

 

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Robb talked about speedway racing. He simply walked over to a priceless motorcycle, a 1932 JAP/Rudge speedway bike, completely original, and sat down.

This is exactly how it looked for the last race, he said. It was completely unrestored.

It looked like they wheeled it off the track and into Robb's museum. Plus it was nearly 100 years old!

He showed us the 'hook' on the right side that you braced your leg against, it holds your right leg in place.

These bikes have no left footpeg he said, he was right, no footpeg, that was where your boot, with steel plate on the bottom was sliding on the dirt.

No footpeg needed.

 

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Not only did Robb have the actual bike's he raced, he also had all the outfits, leathers & race numbers

 

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A Rare 1949 Norvin Cafe Racer - The Lovechild of a Norton and a Vincent.

Very few new bikes in his museum.

Ducati seemed to be the exception. Back in the olden days, everybody had this poster of the 916. I did too.

Robb had the poster also, AND the bike to go with it.

 

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When we arrived at the Talbott Museum, I had no idea who Robb Talbott was. Turns out he's a pretty famous guy. Starting one of the first wineries in Monterey and also Ties.