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AB BA T E
Like many middle aged men who spent their teen- age years in the 1970s, Joe Abbate became fasci- nated with motocross as the popularity of the sport transcended the Atlantic Ocean and made its way
to America. He began riding aboard his Yamaha YL2C in his home state of New York as a youngster and picked up racing in the mid-seventies, but that was short lived after he lost six teeth at a local race, forcing his parents to rethink their granted permis- sion. People grow up and life goes on, but Abbate found a way to revisit his youth in the late nineties when he became interested in collecting, racing,
and restoring vintage bikes from his teenage years and more. What began as a hobby quickly turned into a business at the turn of the new millenium and the groundwork of Joe Abbate’s Cycle Therapy was set. Fast forward to 2018 and he has many years of vintage restoration under his belt and he’s combin- ing his knowledge and handywork with director and producer, Dave Gatti, to create one of the most in depth vintage motocross shows ever created. Ameri- can Motorcycle Restoration is filling a void that many people didn’t even realize existed -- a show meant to inform the viewer about the old days of motocross, provide them with information from former riders and technicians, including advice and tips on how to per- form a proper restoration. We caught up with Joe to chat about how he fell in love with the sport, what led him to restoring vintage bikes, and his vision for the
new show.
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