Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128149
The Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum legitimate reason for tourists to visit, thanks to the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum and its owner, Virgil Elings. Virgil has been an avid motorcycle enthusiast since his high school days, once riding his BSA from Iowa to California and back. After receiving his Ph.D. in physics from MIT, he taught the subject for 25 years at UC Santa Barbara. In 1987, Virgil co-founded a successful instrument-manufacturing company and subsequently left the teaching arena. Shortly after merging his company with another manufacturer, Elings retired, which left him with plenty of time to travel and collect motorcycles - nice work if you can get it. STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROD HIPWELL SOLVANG,CA hen most people think of Solvang, California, they think of the small California town just north of Santa Barbara. Solvang is a quiet town nestled in rolling hills and surrounded by wine country and is known as the "Danish capital of America." And that's not because people eat a disproportionate amount of pastries there - the main attractions are the Danish theme, pedaHng around on one of the town's many pedal-cars, and, of course, shopping. On a recent family trip to celebrate the holidays, I was pleased to discover that Solvang now has another During Elings' teaching stint, he put his motorcycle hobby on the back burner for a while, until, at the suggestion of a fellow instructor, he decided that picking up an old BSA would be a good idea. In the 20 years since, Elings has dedicated himself to collecting great motorcycles of the past, with an emphasis on racing machines. I had the pleasure of taking a guided tour through Elings' museum, located in the former Brooks Brothers store showroom in downtown Solvang, and what I found could be motorcycling's best-kept secret. There are approximately 60 motorcycles currently in the museum, of which I've decided to highlight 10 examples, and new finds are being added weekly. Just since my visit, EHngs has already obtained two more MVs - a three and a four - a BMW Rennsport, and a mid-'70s Suzuki RG 500 Grand Prix racer. I would highly recommend making the drive - or ride - to this peaceful community and seeing for yourself what a wonderful experience the Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum can be. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under the age of 10. The museum hours are 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekends, or they will gladly open up for you midweek with a little notice. For more information, visit www.motosolvang.com or call 805/6869522. A very special thanks to Virgil and Jill for their warm hospitaBty and tasty popcorn. CN The 1974 Ducati Sport Is one of the first Ducati V-twin models that helped make the Italian manufacturer famous. The cylinders are at 90-degree angles for balance, Just like today's Dues. An excellent example of Norton's pre-War racers, the 1939 Norton Manx was very successful. These 500cc singles won many Wor1d Championships before the multi-cylinder Italian bikes appeared. 36 APRIL 10. 2002' II: U c I • n __ s