It's hard to imagine what my home would look like if I had kept all of the 24 motorcycles I have had throughout my life. Well, I don’t need to imagine anymore because I just visited the home of Peter Calles near Washington DC. Peter has 40 motorcycles and they all live with him in his single-story house along with an immaculate 1982 Fiat 124 that was made in the Pininfarina factory, Italy. The same factory that also produced Ferraris. His double garage is full with the Fiat and 10 of his bikes; all of which are runners, but the other 30 pieces of incredible and historic two wheeled pieces of pure engineering occupy all the other rooms in his house. The only exception is his bathroom - that’s because there is no free space in there, and the climate is not conducive to preserving historic motorcycles. When asked which is his favorite, he replies "the next one". Perfect response for a lovely man with a real passion for motorcycles. I was completely overwhelmed with Peter's collection. I wrote three pages of notes in the two and half hours I was there - and I still didn’t get everything. Peter raced Ducati's from 1985 to 1998 so not surprisingly his collection is dominated by Ducati's. He loves the Ducati name and has several Ducati radios, cameras, tyre pumps and even a Ducati electric shaver! His love of Italian engineering and the colour red is obvious as you walk throughout his home. However, it wasn't always about Ducati. Peter celebrates his 50th anniversary next year with his first love, a 1968 Triumph Bonneville T120, his very first bike that he bought back in 1970. That's in the kitchen. Another memorable bike was the 1985 Ducati 750 Peter bought brand new out the crate; that bike has zero miles, it has never been started! That one sits in the lounge which doubles up as the assembly room. The Harley Sportster tucked away behind the Fiat carries the signature of Willie G on the fuel tank, he is the grandson of William Davidson. The 1967 BMW R69S that sits on the maintenance stand has been on his inventory for 45 years but hasn’t been ridden for the last 25. Peter plans to rectify that later in the year. I could go on and on with his collection, each bike has a fascinating story behind it but for now, just enjoy the photos. Thank you, Peter Calles for sharing your collection. It definitely all about the bikes…….
