John Moschetto, aka Gypsy Jack, has Passed Away

yamaha r1
Gypsy Jack's Yamaha R1

Some of you might know John Moschetto, aka Gypsy Jack, who I have mentioned a few times on this blog.  I am sad to announce that John Moschetto passed away a few weeks ago on the morning of Saturday October 27th while riding on the way to one his favorite local car events, Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee.  I am not sure of the all the details but it seems Jack got into a collision with a Toyota 4Runner at the intersection of Shawan Road and Beaver Dam Road.

The Baltimore County police crash team is still investigating the accident, although early reports suggest that Moschetto lost control of his motorcycle and crossed the center line, heading into oncoming traffic. Moschetto was declared dead at the scene, according to police.

Reported the online newspaper, the Hunt Valley Patch.  You can also read the original Patch story (with a quite a lot of comments) here.

What's surprising to me is that Jack was always a careful rider and had never been in a motorcycle accident in the 40+ years he was riding.  (He was however struck on the back of the head while riding his bicycle.) He was very enthusiastic and passionate about safe riding techniques.  He would never ride in bad weather or unsafe conditions and avoided them most of the time.  In my opinion he gave sportbike riders a good name.  I would have liked to learn to ride from Jack and he was going to help me get my Yamaha Virago running and rideable.  Now, very regrettable, I won't have the chance or opportunity to learn to ride from him.

Jack was someone who was very enthusiastic and passionate about anything to do with wheels and it really showed.  He could talk your ear off about the latest MotoGP race and was an avid fan.  As most know he loved customizing his beautiful motorcycles to perfection and riding. Jack was a great photographer too and allowed me to use some of his Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee photos for this blog.  He also had quite a toy collection and used to compete with RC cars.

You can still visit Jack's website, Gypsy Jack Racing, and visit his Examiner page to read some of the motorcycle articles he wrote there.  He never liked writing for Examiner much but he clearly was passionate about writing.  I encouraged him to start his own blog so he could showcase his motorcycle and toy projects.  I wrote a short post about him awhile ago on this blog and shared a few pictures   He wanted me to write other posts about him and his motorcycles and I sadly won't be able to.

Life is short and when accidents like this occur it is just reminder we should be happy of the time we have on earth.  If you were a friend, neighbor, or family member of Jack, please a leave a comment below and share an experience or memory you have of him.

 

yamaha r6 aprilia
Yamaha R6 Aprilia Mille R

Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee Picture Gallery

Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee attracts a wide range of vehicles every Saturday.  This includes exotics, classic, tuners, motorcycles, race cars, and anything else you can think of.

Here is a great picture gallery kindly provided by Jack Moschetto of Gypsy Jack Racing.  You can usually find him at Hunt Valley Cars and Coffee with his beautiful and very customized blue Yamaha R1.  I would have used some of my pictures, but his photography skills are much better then mine!

Where: Hunt Valley Towne Centre, 118 Shawan Rd, Hunt Valley MD, 21030

When: Saturdays, 7:30 am – 10:30 am

Why: Because you like talking with other gearheads!

Gypsy Jack Racing

On Sunday I went to visit my friend Jack's house or as I like to call him Gypsy Jack.  I showed him some of my blogging skills since he wants to start a blog.  He showed me some of his awesome motorcycles.  He's got a Yamaha R1 that has 175 Horsepower  Does it go fast?… Jack's gotten it up to 192mph!  If someone lighter rode it he said it could go over 200mph.  Also in the stable is a Aprilla Mille R with carbon fiber bodywork and a Yamaha R6.  Each bike has a lot of special details and features.  Like the handmade windscreen on the R1 and all the graphics on the bikes.  You can really tell the time and effort Jack puts into building them.  He's put thousands of dollars into each and it shows.  For a small sum he will even build you one, if you are game.  He won't build a bike for posers, idiots, or douches though.  Of course if you are one with tons of money… maybe that will make a difference.  🙂

Including his motorcycle collection Jack also has an impressive toy collection in his basement.  My favorite part of the collection is his RC cars, which he used to race competitively.  Some of the cars have immense detail, just like the motorcycles, and are tuned to perfection.  He used to lap most people in races and usually won in every racing class that he participated in.  Also in his collection is a Patton Replica, Star Wars Legos, and a Valentino Rossi replica made by hand.  That isn't all as you can see from the photos.

If you have any questions pertaining to riding, sportbikes, motorcycling racing, building a bike, RC cars, or toys Jack is the man to ask.

Check out website:  http://www.gypsyjackracing.com/