Annual Packard show re-cycles the classics

January 10, 2015 at 12:07a.m.

WARREN

Dave Wrench and his wife, Pamela, are the epitome of motorcycle enthusiasts, which explains why they, along with 200 others, braved the chilly winter temperatures to preview the annual antique motorcycle show at the National Packard Museum on Friday night.

The 15th annual exhibit, “Seldom Seen Cycles,” consists of 30 classic motorcycles rarely seen in public displays. One of them, a restored 1923 Douglas, caught Wrench’s eye.

“The mechanics are so simple,” the Youngstown resident said. “They were easy to figure out, and they worked.”

Wrench, 69, is intimately familiar with cycles. He owns 11 of them.

“You just have to admire the ingenuity of the people that built these,” Wrench said.

Next to the Douglas is the exhibit’s oldest motorcycle on display — a 1905 Harley- Davidson Belt Drive, which is only partially restored. That’s just fine with the exhibit’s curator, Bruce Williams.

“It has the original fenders, the paint job’s original, and it still works,” said Williams, the show’s only curator since its inception 15 years ago.

The bikes have been situated alongside classic Packard cars from the early to mid-20th century. The cycles are all eye-catching, such as a 1919 Reading Standard, manufactured in Reading, Pa., and a royal blue 1948 Harley-Davidson Servicecar.

“We brought in bikes that aren’t common anymore,” Williams said.

Sid Marlin of Leavittsburg owns seven cycles and describes himself as an enthusiast and an avid museum member and supporter. His family apparently likes it, too, for a more personal reason.

“My daughter will be getting married here in May,” Marlin said.

Bob Satava, a resident of Solon, said he started riding cycles at 14 and still rides today at age 83. He said he owns 15 bikes, most of them Harleys.

“I keep them in a big barn on a small estate,” Satava said.

Ray Blasko, pastor of Bolindale Christian Church of Howland, doesn’t have the biking experience of Satava, Wrench or Marlin. “I’ve ridden on one, but I’ve never driven one,” acknowledged Blasko, a museum member. That did not stop him from appreciating the significance of the cycles at another level.

“Their designs are absolutely amazing to me, especially since I’m an electrical engineer at Delphi,” Blasko said.

Satava said the classics exemplify the feelings of lifelong bike riders who enjoy the open road unfettered.

“It’s a lifestyle that is free-flowing,” said Satava, who admits that despite his 83 years, he still resents having to wear a helmet.

“It’s freedom,” he said. “It’s happiness.”

The exhibition opens to the public today and runs through May 30.