Fred Sahms is a curmudgeonly Luddite who has been soiling his fingernails with old motorcycles for 25-plus years. His garage is located somewhere in North Knoxville.

• Vintage Motorcycling at Daytona Bike Week Published 3/5/2010 at 2:11 p.m. 0 comments

  This winter has sucked; there’s really no way around it. Even Mr. Ride-Every-Day Geoffrey Greene would agree. I check the Accuweather.com five-day forecast hoping for a dry 44-degree weekend day, so I can get a ride in. That’s pitiful for ...

• Emptying Containers Published 12/2/2009 at 10:04 a.m. 0 comments

  Most “mature” readers surely have heard the old saw about newlyweds, the first year of marriage, and a jar of nickels. I’ll spare you the details, but basically the jar never empties. A motorcycle restoration is similar, in that the ...

• New Old Bikes Published 10/22/2009 at 10:19 a.m. 0 comments

  Lately I have been scoping out potential bike purchases for my brother. He’s no fan of wrenching, so new and simple are my primary criteria. I sent him photos of a Ninja 250 with a “for sale” sign parked on ...

• Suffering From Projectitis Updated 10/9/2009 at 9:42 a.m. 0 comments

  Those of you who aren’t tool-users might want to skip this column, but it might just prove to be a cautionary tale for those contemplating a project purchase, even if it is a really great deal.

• The Kids are Alright Published 8/27/2009 at 10:33 a.m. 0 comments

  What will happen to our beautiful vintage bikes when the current crop of owners dies or decides to sell them to fund their retirements? I was contemplating this question last Sunday afternoon over a cold beverage on my front porch ...

• The Other Harley Published 7/17/2009 at 1:19 p.m. 0 comments

  “Do you have a Harley?” The question inevitably comes up, usually the second or third after “Do you have a motorcycle?” when a non-rider sees me carrying a helmet or discovers I ride. And it’s usually followed by some horror ...

• Form Over Malfunction Published 6/29/2009 at 9:54 a.m. 0 comments

  The lady I passed on the one-lane bridge on Indian Ridge Road in Grainger County thinks I am a maniac, scofflaw, or, if she’s familiar with the term, squid. She couldn’t see through my face-shield and sunglasses that my eyes ...

• Old Skool is (Usually) Cool Published 5/27/2009 at 12:00 p.m. 1 comment

  The “Spring Fling” was Internet-spawned, a gathering for members of the Adventure Riders (www.advrider.com) “Old Skool” sub-forum. The core of Adventure Riders is mostly world travelers and regional BMW riders, with heaping helpings of everything else, with extra portions of ...

• Stinkwheels Published 4/24/2009 at 4:03 p.m. 0 comments

  Some motorcycles evoke a certain thought at first sight. When I first saw this small, Yamaha-powered dragster in the window of the Tea Room, all I could think of was how up to date my health insurance coverage was. The ...

• Le Mans Trifecta Published 3/23/2009 at 3:47 p.m. 0 comments

  And now for something just a little more masculine. Around 1996 a guy called me out of the blue and asked me if I could help him fix his Moto Guzzi. The bottom end of his ex-race 850 Le Mans ...

• Undocumented Alien Published 3/12/2009 at 3:02 p.m. 0 comments

  Go ahead and snicker. This column is about a moped, lower on the two-wheeled food chain than anything short of a motorized bicycle, a slow buzzy ride to Nerdsville. I know what you’re thinking: “Two columns in and he’s hit ...

• To Preserve Patina, or Not? That is the Question... Published 2/19/2009 at 2:52 p.m. 0 comments

  Patina: it’s the new 100-point restoration. You can’t fake it, manufacture it, or go to school to learn how to apply it. Originality only exists once for a motorcycle, and once it’s disturbed it’s gone forever. And in 2009 it ...

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