The Vincent in the Barn: Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology - Hardcover

haven't completely finished the book yet but I can tell you for sure that if you love stories like this you'll love this book. I highly recommend it.This is another great book, from Tom Cotter. The Cobra in the Barn, and The Hemi in the Barn, are hard acts to follow. I can 't put this one down! --motorcycle forum dot com, Sept 2009--Its every motorcyclists dream. A friend or acquaintance says, 'You know, theres an old bike thats been sitting in the garage for years'. The hunt is on. And rather than the usual worthless Hondazukimaha pile of hopeless oxidation, at the back of that barn you find a genuine classic, the motorcycle collectors dream. The Vincent in the Barn tells forty such stories tales of motorcycle hunting dreams come true. From Ducatis in basements to Vincents abandoned in sheds, Harleys in barns to Brit Bikes moldering behind urban garages, these are the stories that fuel every motorcyclists fantasies. The only difference? They are true! If you have every heard about a Barn Fresh find or had the good fortune of the actual experience of rescuing a classic bike from some dark dingy storage space after years of collecting dust and debris, you are going to love this book. With stories illustrated with photos from known collectors such as Jay Leno, to the legends of the motorcycle world such as the Brough Superior that belonged to T.E. Lawrence (The Lawrence of Arabia Bike), to eccentric collectors like desert rat Ron Adler who has reportedly over 10,000 motorcycles stored on his property in Rye Arizona, its a fascinating read! --British Bike Club Colorado, October, 2009.....It is not just a book about motorbikes and riders, it is about Vincents, one of the old and well-loved marques, and many other well-known machines that nowadays fetch incredible prices form enthusiasts. i heard of one found in a Gourock lock-up garage about a decade after its owner had died. it was allegedly sold for over £15,000 then and that's small fry. I haven;t come across a reference to that tale, but I've still got a bit to read before I am finished. It's not all about money for the serious enthusiast. it's all about that all-important discovery and restoring the old bike to it's original beauty and there are some remarkable tales here. The Vincent in The Barn that gives the title refers to enthusiast and collector Lanny Hyde's Series C Vincent Touring Rapide that his mother helped secure in 1988. It had been stored ina shed next to the house across the street and Lenny had begged the owner to sell it to him for six years before he finally relented. You're at a party when someone you've just met says'I hear you're into motorcycles. man, you should check out this crazy old bike my Uncle Bobby has in his shed.'Your heart skips a beat and your pulse quickens. Doing your best impression of a person whose head is not about to explode with excitment you casuallly ask where old Bobby lives and offer to come and take a look. Who knows what he has squirreled away? It's every motorcyclists dream: The classic bike parked and forgotten, waiting to be discovered and turned loose on the road again. author Tom has chased down 40 great stories of lost, old bikes and the collectors who unearthed them. There's the great Russian basement stash, the indian in the attic, the Ducati in the basement, the aforementioned Vincent in the shed, the bedroom BSA, and more talkes of intrigue, hoarding, dead ends, and mother loads. This proves that all the good ones have not been found and provides entertainment and inspiration to every motorcycle fan who ever dreamed of finding that long-lost classic machine. --Greenock Telegraph, October 2009

From Ducati s in basements to Vincent s in sheds, here are dozens of stories and accompanying images of the dream coming true! Brilliant!...Classic Bike Guide, Dec, 2009...a thoroughly fun romp through a corner of the hobby most of us wish we inhabited and swear we someday will...Motorcycle Classics, Dec, 2009... no mystery that there are those among us that relish the hunt as much, if not more, than the actual ownership of rare and antique motorcycles. Indeed, most of us have stories to this effect, like the 1953 Indian my friend, John Moe, found for me, that had rested (rusted?) in a corner of a Portland, Oregon garage before I hauled it home. Or the 1956 Triumph I located twenty years ago in Vernonia, Oregon, from a fellow who used it as his primary form of transportation when he was in the Peace Corps in the Philippines. I brought a new battery, a small can of gasoline and $250 and rode it away. Therefore, if you re a regular reader of this publication, you ll likely enjoy THE VINCENT IN THE BARN GREAT STORIES OF MOTORCYCLE ARCHAEOLOGY by Tom Cotter. The true tales here cover everything from amazing finds across the street to the other side of the globe. Embedded in the stories one can glean tips and techniques used by professional vehicle hunters. Also, one realizes that sometimes just plain dumb luck or an offhand rumor will land something very cool in the garage...Antique Motorcycle, Dec, 2009...Amply illustrated with photographs, the 40 stories in "The Vincent in the Barn" show that, whether the subject matter involves two wheels or four, Cotter has an archaeologist's instinct for unearthing interesting machines and intriguing characters that converge to create entertaining tales...Sailsbury Post dot com, Jan 2010...lavishly illustrated, well-written, and expensively produced...MG online, Jan 2010...This is the third in Tom Cotter's barn-find series. After The Cobra in the Barn and The Hemi in the Barn, Cotter turns his attention to barn-found motorcycles and motorcycle collectors...Collectors car dot com, Jan 2010... Vincent in the Barn is a delight. Most of the stories are only a few pages long and read like high octane archaeological thrillers...kind of like Indiana Jones meets the World s Fastest Indian. Some of the writing is priceless. The Vincent in the Barn truly does contain Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology. It rates four out of five lug nuts...Speed Tv dot com, Jan 2010... have I got a book for you! Tom Cotter has written 40 short stories about barn-find motorcycles with information from diehard collectors, from Jay Leno to the average slob on the street. This awesome book is called The Vincent in the Barn. Although there is the very good title story of the lucky stiff who finds a Vincent Rapide in original condition (I could have written THAT story), there are also dozens of stories about discoveries of different brands and motorcycles including Hondas, Harleys, Indians, Triumphs... you get the idea. The Vincent in the Barn - I couldn't put it down...MCM Manitoba Chapter newsletter, Jan 2010...you are going t love this book! --British motorcycle association of Colerado newsletter, Jan 2010

Vincent in the Barn by Tom Cotter has Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology. This book takes readers through many interesting and fun adventures of great discoveries behind sheds, in barns, in junkyards, etc. Many people dream about finding something valuable and historic where they least expect it and this book helps readers realize their dreams can become reality. It s an incredibly entertaining book. This is the 3rd book in a series by author Tom Cotter; but, the first time he has ventured into the world of motorcycle archaeology. The first two books in the series are: Hemi in the Barn and Cobra in the Barn. These books are consistently bestsellers...MotoGuzzie National newsletter, Sept, 2009...Subtitled Great Stories in Motorcycle Archeology, this is third of Tom Cotter s ...in the Barn series. His previous efforts having been auto related, this is the first motorcycle related book. As would be expected, the book is an anthology of short stories. This would seem to be repetitive and of limited interest to those not enamored of the particular find. But that is not the case at all. This really is less a book about the motorcycles found than about those who stashed them and those who saved them. There are plenty of interesting characters, on both sides of the transactions. Most of the stories are quite abbreviated which makes this a fine book for reading when you have only a bit of time. It s an excellent library book....mW Newsletter, Sept 2009...other selection is "The Vincent in the Barn" by Tom Cotter. Subtitled "Great Stories in Motorcycle Archaeology", the book relates some 40 tales of "barn finds". With last year's re-discovery of a 1909 Curtiss in a North Dakota attic, the book couldn't have come at a better time. While not nearly as well written as "Racing Man", "Vincent" is just as entertaining. Within this book, you'll hear about board track racers in the basement, the titled Vincent in a barn, even a Knucklehead buried in the mud and found when someone tripped on the handlebar. Each chapter is its own tale, so this is a very convenient book to read in short sessions - might even be a good addition to the home 'reading room'. Who of us hasn't dreamed of finding the ultimate machine hidden away under some greasy tarps at the back of a barn? I'll close by relating a tale told by a friend of mine who originates from central England. My friend's father purchased a small farm shortly after The War, married a beautiful lass and proceeded to raise a family. My friend, who is a few years younger than me (I was born in '61), tells me that they often had to clear out old motorcycle parts left from the previous owner to make more room in the outbuildings for their farming operation. A call having been made to the scrap man, my friend and his brothers would haul the junk into a pile and his father would sell it off by weight. There were boxes and boxes of fasteners that were consumed by the farm's needs, but the rest of the stuff they couldn't make any use of, so 'off to the scrapper' it was. Grown now, and still not a motorcyclist but well aware of my addiction, my friend tells me in his delightful accent "it was such rubbish back then. If only we had known. It would have been worth a b l o o d y for-tune!" Have we missed the ultimate barn find? I'll let you decide. The previous owner of the estate? He was a gentleman named George Brough. --MCN Minnesota Chapter newsletter, Nov, 2009

It’s every motorcyclist’s dream. A friend or acquaintance says, “You know, there’s an old bike that’s been sitting in this garage for years.” The hunt is on. And rather than the usual worthless Hondazukimaha pile of hopeless oxidation, at the back of that barn you find a genuine classic, the motorcycle collector’s dream.

The Vincent in the Barn tells forty such stories--tales of motorcycle hunting dreams come true. From Ducatis in basements to Vincents abandoned in sheds, Harleys in barns to Brit bikes moldering behind urban garages, these are the stories that fuel every motorcyclist’s fantasies. The only difference? They’re true.

See Tom Cotter, author of Motorbooks “In the Barn” series, interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/jays-book-club-the-hemi-in-the-barn/1237422/