Vintage Dirt Bike Heaven?

He might sell you a vintage bike, he might not . It depends how he feels.

Mar. 01, 2010 By Rick Sieman

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A 1972 Maico gleaming under the lights. There’s no less than seven 501 Maicos.

I heard about this guy from some vintage friends. “Man, you gotta see his collection! He has seven – count ‘em – SEVEN 501 Maicos. Not to mention all the other cool bikes.”

When you go to Glenn McMinns, it sort of takes your breath away. Not only is the place packed with all kinds of vintage bikes, but there are things there that take you back in time. Right at the entrance to his garage is a 1950 Mercury in utterly perfect condition.

Glenn opened the back door of the Merc’ and said, “Take a deep breath.”

A flawless 230 Ossa Stilleto greets you at the entrance.

I did so and got a lung full of the interior. Wide eyed, I turned to Glenn and said, “Why, it’s got that new car smell!”
Glenn, a short, muscular man in his 60s, just smiled: “Yep, it’s got less than a thousand miles on it.”

Right next to the 230 Ossa Stilleto is a Husky that makes you drool.

Glenn is (in his own words) a has-been wrestler and a retired wrestling coach. For years, he’s been a typical dirt bike fanatic and collected a few bikes here and there. But when he retired, his interest kicked into a higher gear. As he acquired more bikes, he had to make room for them. So, in a rather roundabout way, Glenn found himself in business. Sort of. His approach to selling bikes is strange. For example, his business cards say:

Glenn McMinn
Has-Been Wrestler
Retired Coach
Slow Vintage Motorcyle Racer
Buy from me, I lose money on every deal!

Here’s Glenn and just a part of his collection.

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An absolutely stunning Bultaco El Bandido.

His attitude about selling bikes is refreshing, to say the least. Here are his thoughts on that: “I buy, sell and restore vintage dirt bikes. I’m not a dealer, just a retired wrestling coach and shop teacher having fun. Yes, I have some bikes for sale and some Not For Sale bikes. If money is an issue, or you are looking for a smoking deal, please don’t waste our time by even asking about them. I don’t really care if I ever sell some of them or not. They look good just sitting in my garage. I live in Apache Junction, Arizona, on the East side of the Phoenix valley. If you are in the area, give me a call and stop by.”

Vintage heaven. A red tank CZ sits next to a Husky.

He’s been around dirt bikes for most of his life. Like he says, “I collect, race and restore my own vintage race bikes, about 100 or so at last count. I’ve been riding and racing dirt bikes since 1965. I did manage to win the AHRMA intermediate 50+ National Championship in 1999. I now have one of the most expensive jackets and plaques you have ever seen.”

Tanks everywhere for most anything.

When you walk around the various areas at his place and see the bewildering display of bikes, you don’t know where to start. Here’s a handy guide to keep you from mis-shopping:

RATING THE BIKES
#1 – MINT OR TOTALLY RESTORED
#2 – EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD
#3 – GOOD
#4 – FAIR
#5 – ROUGH
#6 – PARTS
C = COMPRESSION, S = SPARK, T = TURNS OVER, G = SHIFTS GEARS,
XX = APART, ORIG. = ORIGINAL, RESTO = RESTORED, NFS = NOT FOR SALE

In a row: A YZ, a Matchless, a Rickman Triumph and a Bultaco Astro.

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Lookee here … the first and second issues of Dirt Bike.

Not only are there bikes everywhere you look, there are “things” hanging from the ceilings and the walls. Literally hundreds of vintage gas tanks decorate the ceilings, and posters and jerseys are pinned to just about every square inch of available space. As you walk around, your senses are on full tilt, as there’s a piece of history just about everywhere.