Retro Tours & Joel Samick - Touring The Collection

Introduction to Retro Tours Classic bike touring operation in Pennsylvania, USA, using the comprehensive collection of 1970s Big Twins amassed by American Joel Samick

- Alan Cathcart

Have you ever discovered something that has you asking yourself, “Why hasn’t anyone ever done this before? It seems so obvious, and yet…” (The ‘and yet’ is usually the reason why not, but still…..)

Well, that was my reaction when I first came across Joel Samick and his Northeast USA-based Retro Tours operation HYPERLINK “http://www.retrotours.com” www. retrotours.com a couple of years ago – and I’m still asking that very same question after spending two days visiting Joel and his wife Lynn in their spacious home on the Pennsylvania/Delaware border, and riding a selection of their motorcycles. For this lovely semi-rural house comes complete with a large garage and workshop space to house the 23 twin-cylinder motorcycles, plus two fours, a 1976 Honda Gold Wing and a 1983 Suzuki GS550 ES - all except that one built during the 1970s – which comprise both Joel’s collection of 1970s Big Twins, and the Retro Tours rental fleet. They run from 1970 examples of Bonneville 650 and T100C Triumphs, via a 1971 Rickman Interceptor, 1973 Norton Commando Fastback 750, a hens-teeth (well, in running order) 1973 Yamaha TX750, 1975 Suzuki T500 Titan – there’s other two-strokes besides that one – a 1976 Moto Guzzi 850T3, 1977 Harley Davidson XLCR etc. etc. on up to that GS550. It’s a veritable time warp collection that Joel has available for customers to choose from in making their way to Kennett Square, Pa., the mushroom capital of the world (google it to see why!) and gateway to some wonderful riding country, in order to go touring the Classic way, on an authentic period motorcycle.