For those who reside in Orange County and share a passion for vintage motorcycles, the Vintage Bike O.C. meet-up is likely a familiar event. Over the past 15 years, this monthly gathering has become a staple in the local vintage motorcycle community, thanks to the tireless efforts of its organizer, Joe Kagerer. With an unwavering love for vintage bikes and a commitment to preserving this beloved meet, Kregar has been the driving force behind Vintage Bike O.C., providing an outlet for enthusiasts to connect and share their appreciation for these classic machines.
The monthly meet brings together vintage motorcycle enthusiasts to Castañeda’s Mexican Food parking lot in Huntington Beach. At each Vintage Bike O.C. gathering, an air of friendly competition prevails. Riders are invited to showcase their vintage motorcycles, with a minimum age requirement of 30 years, in the hopes of garnering the most votes and taking home the top prize of “Bike of the Month”.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Tell us about yourself. Who is Joe Kagerer and what do you do?
Joe Kagerer: I’m a web developer actually, and I work for a company based out of Orange County, and we do the websites for a major Japanese motorcycle manufacturer who happens to be based out of Orange County or their American operations are based out of Orange County. I don’t know if I should mention their name, but everybody knows Team Green anyway. I’ve been doing computer programming for 40 years and web development for 25 years, basically almost as long as the Internet’s been around.
Caption: (Photo: Owned by Olivia Goheen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: How and why did you get into motorcycles?
Joe Kagerer: Long story short, in 2000, I took a job in Laguna Beach and I had a 25-mile commute and the 405 [freeway] was all torn up. I happened to be at Speedway, which is something I really support, Speedway Racing in Costa Mesa. And it was when the Buell Blast first came out and they were riding these little 500cc singles around the track and they said for $49.95, you can be in the carpool lane [on the freeway]. And it was like, wow, that’s it, that’s my answer to my commute. And I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course in 2000 and the day I graduated, I went up to Bert’s [Mega Mall] in West Covina and bought a used Honda CB750, NightHawk. Up until the pandemic, I rode almost every day. There were very few days of the year unless I wasn’t in town that I didn’t ride a motorcycle. So, I put 40,000 miles on that first Honda and I thought I wore it out but sold it to a kid that put another 60,000 [miles] on it.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Talk to us about Vintage Bike Orange County and how you got involved?
Joe Kagerer: By the time I joined in 2006, our meets were down to like six people. At the height in 2004 and 2005, there were up to 45 people. So as soon as I joined, I don’t know if it was my fault, the people that showed up at the meet started dropping off.
I talked to them and said, you know, I’d really like to take this over and try and build something from it. And they’d lost their website and they’d lost their domain like I mentioned, Vintage Bike Night [the original name of the meet]. And so the people that own that squatted that domain wanted $800 — and, I thought, we don’t meet at night and we’re in Orange County, so [I changed the name to Vintage Bike O.C.]. I registered that domain and built the website.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Can you just walk us through what a day at the Meet is for people who have never joined before?
Joe Kagerer: So anybody can show up and I got a couple of rules around it that you have to show up before three o’clock to be part of the voting. And then [your motorcycle] can only win once.
Caption: Joe announcing the Bike of the Month award with a Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorney girl (Photo: Owned by Olivia Goheen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What’s your favorite thing about the bike meets that keeps you involved year after?
Joe Kagerer: I love motorcycles and I like all the brands. But really the people, you know, I’ve made so many friends. Unfortunately with vintage bikes, you get a lot of older guys. And so I’ve lost a lot of friends over the years. It’s, it’s sad, but it’s kind of the way a group like this goes. Definitely, the people are the best things about it.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Do you have any ambitions to expand the bike meet in any way?
Joe Kagerer: No, for me right now, this is all. I never expected it to last this long. I’ve been doing it for 15 years and when I started it, I thought, let’s keep this thing going a little bit. I’ve never really wanted to turn it into a business. It is just a hobby and I don’t want to make money off of it because I don’t want to get taxes involved.
Caption: Joe snapping a photo of the Bike of The Month winner (Photo: Photo Owned by Olivia Goheen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Have you ever got into a motorcycle accident?
Joe Kagerer: Yeah, it was October 15th, 2012 at 8:45 am on the 405 [freeway], right north of the 133 [highway]. It was morning, I was kinda late for work. I was coming out of the carpool lane and I did a shoulder check to the right to make sure I wasn’t pulling in front of anybody. And as soon as I looked forward, the guy in front of me stopped so quickly and I shot up in the air.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Where’s your favorite place to ride in California?
Joe Kagerer: My favorite place around Orange County is hitting San Diego Canyon and Live Oak Canyon.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: What bikes are you riding?
Right now I have four motorcycles and my newest one is a 2018 Z900 RS Cafe.
Caption: What a typical Vintage Bike O.C. meet looks like (Photo: Photo Owned Francisco Tejeras)
Join the Vintage Bike O.C. community on the first Sunday of each month. Showcase your classic ride for a chance to win Bike of the Month and stay informed about upcoming events through the organization’s website and their Instagram. Make it a point to come out and celebrate the beauty of vintage motorcycles with fellow enthusiasts. Ride safe, and thanks for reading!
