Wednesday, June 4, 2025
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Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . 2➤ Mentone Egg Festival . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Vol. 54, No. 50
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
PASSIONATE RIDERS — Terry Sell, left, and Gary Rhoades, right, are mem bers of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club . Sell is pictured with his six bikes.
classics
Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club… Club…
Text and Photos By PHOEBE MUTHART Staff Writer
Founded in 1977, the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club is the premier worldwide club dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of vintage Japanese motorcycles (20 years old or older) and the promotion of the sport of motorcycling . Vintage Japanese motorcycles first came to the US in 1958; however, in the late 1960s, interest became really popular . The local chapter of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club has many members . Locally, the chapter has about 120 members all over Kosciusko County and beyond . Members are from Fort Wayne, Auburn, Columbia City, Rochester and Goshen . Terry Sell of Bourbon has six vintage motorcycles ranging from the years 1964 to 1984 . He got his first one when he was 13 years old . “It’s what we grew up with,” Sell said . “I’ve had a lot of motorcycles over the years . I’ve always rode motorcycles .” In 1973, he got his first bike, a Suzuki, and since then, some others that have been restored or purchased used, such as a 1969 Suzuki T125 and a Suzuki 250 . Japanese brands include: Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Mitsubishi, among other genres, Sell said . Gary Rhoades of Rochester is also a collector and has 10 or 12 vintage motorcycles .
promotes love of the
“It comes and goes,” he said of his collection of cycles . Both Sell and Rhoades both say vintage Japanese motorcycles are their main hobby . Interest in the bikes is nationwide, too, the men said . “There’s chapters all over the US,” said Sell . “The biggest one is in Kansas City . We have friends all over the country .” The local chapter of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club meets the first and third Wednesday of the month in Warsaw . The meetings start at 5:30 p .m . at Maria’s Restaurant, US 30E, Warsaw . The meetings are informal, and anyone who is interested in motorcycles is invited to attend .There are no dues and no officers . “A lot of the guys in the group use to be racers,” Sell said . The group has shows in Pierceton annually . The shows draw people from other states, too . It has had 30 registered bikes or as many as up to 70 bikes attend or as little as 18 bikers . The group also has bikes nights and they attend swap shows . “A swap meet will be in July in Ohio,” said Sell . “A national rally will be in Pennsylvania .” Thousands of members enjoy the many benefits offered by VJMC, including a bi-monthly “Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine” dedicated to vintage motorcycling . One of the most highly- regarded vintage motorcycle publications in the world, the VJMC magazine in-
VINTAGE CYCLES — Terry Sell of Bourbon has six vintage Japanese brand motorcycles ranging from the years 1964 to 1984.
cludes stories related to vintage bikes and the people who ride them, technical and restoration tips, coverage of bike shows, rallies and local events, and classified ads . For more information, visit vjmc .org . For more information about the local chapter, call Terry Sell at (574) 371-5862 or email him at terry .sell@gmail .com .
M A G A Z I N E FOR COLLECTORS — Gary Rhoades of Rochester is a Vintage Japanese motorcycle collector and has about 10 or 12 vintage motorcycles. He is looking at a copy of “Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Magazine.” Behind him is Terry Sell.