While Car Week regularly brings hundreds of classic and rare automobiles to the area each summer, a vast collection of antique motorcycles will have a permanent home in a Carmel Valley museum slated to officially open Aug. 25.
“Every motorcycle tells a story,” says Robb Talbott, who’s put his collection of motorcycles 30 years in the making into a 5,000-square-foot rustic barn-styled building made of 200-year-old oak in Carmel Valley Village. “I want to tell the stories and show the rich history of these machines.”
While the name Talbott is most closely associated with ties, luxury clothing and wine, with family businesses long rooted in Monterey County, Talbott is looking to take the family legacy in a new direction with the Moto Talbott Collection antique motorcycle museum.
The museum displays his collection of nearly 150 vintage motorcycles, mostly from the 1950s-’70s, including many older models. The oldest is a 1911 Indian 1000cc from what he calls the “horribly dangerous” days when motorcycles were raced on wooden bicycle tracks.
Talbott has found the bikes through a variety of sources, from eBay and Craigslist to auctions and word-of-mouth, and has traveled through the U.S. and Europe to source his prizes. He has a particular affinity toward Italian bikes.
“I think the Italians do the best,” he says while standing by a row of classic Ducatis. “They’re the most artistic.”
The museum will be open weekly from Thurs-Sun. While every bike will feature a historical placard, Talbott plans to be present most days to share stories himself.