The 100 mile ride is limited to only 100 riders—unsurprisingly this year the ride sold out—sweeping around the Monterey Peninsula before culminating with a parade lap around the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. The ride stops for a gourmet lunch before heading back to the Quail Lodge and Golf Club where The Quail Motorcycle Dinner is held.

The Quail Ride is attended by 100 different vehicles from all different classes and eras
MORE AWESOME RIDES: The 2018 Ducati Dream Tour
Taking part in the ride does require a ticket (obviously), though that ticket also grants one access to the main event the following day. Attendees of the ride are also given the chance to display their respective rides on the event fields where said bikes can participate as entrants in the show. Both modern and vintage machines are welcome here.

Some riders take more advantage of their brief time on the track than others
LAST YEAR’S QUAIL: Bike porn from the 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering
In addition to a world-class motorcycle exhibition, this year’s Quail Gathering will include a myriad of Arlen Ness customs, a collection of prestigious cafe racers, and some very unique, early electric bikes. Plus there will be hordes of vintage hardware, a wide array of professional customs, the always gorgeous concours bikes, and much, much more.

There's an extremely diverse variety of bikes that attend The Quail Ride
THE ACTUAL EVENT: 2018 Quail Motorcycle Gathering Preview
With more than 300 motorcycles on display, and several hundred more examples belonging to attendees, there’s just no way to cram all the fun into a single day. Plus, a lot of people attending the Quail fly, drive, or ride in from out of town, so by having activities scheduled the day before the event, it makes it that much more worth it to trek it to the Gathering.

While not exactly a motorcycle, this Morgan three-wheeler is so cool everyone is happy to look the other way and include the prestigious vehicle in the ride

One seriously cool vintage Beezer Bobber

The Quail Ride is probably the only time Laguna Seca is occupied by scooters, dual-sports, and cruisers
Photos courtesy of Ryan Probst/The Quail