It's changed quite a bit from the Harley lifestyle thing it was some years ago, which was the last time I actually went. Now, it's got a lot more of the metric bikes, an actual swap meet area (about the size of the import car show), Yamaha and Kawasaki had test rides going all day, the ding-a-ling burnout riders doing their thing, and even a ride-a-wheelie game thingie.
All in all, a reasonably worthwhile way to waste a Saturday.
I was torn between that show and the Vintage Days in Ohio. I ended up in Ohio mainly because it was a little closer and my stuff is vintage Euro. The swap meet was a little disappointing (also about the size of Import Carlisle), but I didn't see a single shiny Harley and found a BMW head for $30. I may check out Carlisle next year. What was the swap meet content like?
Swap meet content was heavily biased toward Harley. I'd say a good 50-75% was Harley. One (or maybe two) had a good pile of Triumph stuff. A few metric parts guys, but that was almost all well battered sport bike stuff. One guy had a pile of vintage metric stuff.
In this area, a better place for parts scrounging is White Rose. http://whiterosemc.org/calendar/calendar.aspx They have a couple throughout the year, and they tend to be the biggest, and have the best prices. Last year a guy brought a trailer of chopped up bikes that were basically engines still in the frame. $25 each as I recall, and that included things like V65 Magnas and a VMax.
I was at the show on Saturday and over all I would give the event a B- . Two things that brought the show down was the $10 parking and $3 hotdogs !
A few quick pics.
Paul B
If you're paying for parking at Carlisle events, you're a chump. 
With the exception of spring and fall (which I don't bother with anymore--too many people) I have no trouble parking in the 'town' area on the street and walking a few blocks to the grounds. When I did go to the big meets, I'd park halfway across town and ride my bike over, lock it to the fence, and walk in. Some bottled water in the backpack and eat lunch outside the fence (gee, I miss the scout troop and their hot dogs outside gate 1).
Going to Carlisle events since the 1980s I've become proficient at flipping the bird to their greed. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to beat the gate fee.
Donebrokeit wrote:
Oh my, I think if you'd have panned just a little to the left, you'd have a nice shot of my gorgeous mug.
Maybe the centering of that shot was intentional. 
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