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/298857
IN THE WIND P30 VINTAGE VICTORY W hen Glenn Bergin made his trek to Daytona Bike Week from Feasterville, Pennsylva- nia, this year he did not expect to come back with the Bike Nite in the Daylite's vintage award for his restored 1973 Kawasaki H2 750. Although working on and restoring bikes and cars is his trade, the father of four has nev- er entered a bike in competition before. And he probably would have never started except for the prompting of a few admirers urg- ing him to enter his bike in the Kawasaki Bike Nite in the Daylite competition at the Daytona Inter- national Speedway. "I've always just ridden my bikes and restored them to ride them and enjoy them," Bergin said. "To park a bike for four-five hours, to find something to do for five hours… I'd rather be out rid- ing the bike." And, after all, who could blame his initial reluctance. It was Bergin's first time back to Daytona in seven or eight years and after escaping from the cold of the northeast for bike week it's understandable to want to put in as much riding as possible. But Bergin was persuaded to sign up and was rewarded for his efforts on the Kawasaki H2 750 resto- ration project that he had only started last December. "I had [the winning bike] since 2006 and then just this Decem- ber I decided to restore it and take it to Daytona in March," Bergin began. "So that was, you know a two and a half month res- toration project from the frame up and then took it to Daytona. "When I bought the bike it was together. It was complete. But it was not what it looked like today. It almost looked like an older mid-'70's hippy, disco-style paint job… Something that was just not appealing to me, but I knew what the bike was. I knew the history about the bike and decid- ed to just restore it back to how it should be from the factory." Bergin started working as a mechanic in 1986 and later opened his own shop – Glenn's Auto Care Center – in 1990. Al- though it started out as general maintenance, eventually it also evolved into auto and bike resto- ration. Working on and restoring bikes and cars is part of Bergin's DNA - something that he picked up from his dad and brother. "My dad was always into re- storing cars and cycles himself so it's something that more or less rubbed off on me," Ber- gin said. "Over the years I did a bunch of car restorations and my brother Andy… he really took off with taking on old Kawasaki res- torations of the old triples. So it's something that sort of rubbed off on me and I never looked back. I started to restore old bikes for customers and for myself. I still do it currently." Andrea Wilson This year's Bike Nite in the Daylite vintage winner: Glenn Bergin and his 1973 Kawasaki H2 750.