Dave Roper

Dave Roper has been racing motorcycles for more than half a century. The New England native is probably best known for campaigning exotic vintage machinery under the Robert Iannucci-led Team Obsolete banner. He’s fast, too. In fact, Roper won more than half of the races he entered on Iannucci’s 1959 Matchless G50, including, famously, the 1984 Senior Historic TT at the Isle of Man.

“We lived relatively close to Lime Rock Park in northwest Connecticut,” Roper tells “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long. “We used to go up there and watch the sports cars. That’s what I thought I wanted to do.” Once he found motorcycling, however, Roper was immediately hooked. “Motorcycles are more accessible,” he explains. “They’re cheaper, they’re smaller, they’re easier to work on.”

Now in his 70s, Roper has been the subject of many editorial projects, including a documentary film, “Motorcycle Man.” “I don’t feel like I’m all that special as a racer,” he says. “I’ve had some success. I’ve arranged my life so I can continue doing it; I’m not married, I don’t have any children. I love the social aspect of it, traveling and seeing people who you share a very special thing with.”

Edit Notes - Dave had a few clarifications after the podcast: “The second bike I rented in Santa Barbara was a 118cc Suzuki, not a 218, and the last time I campaigned a modern bike was 1985, not 1984.”

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