Magnificent classic show-offs
Roger Houghton reports on the spectacular 1000 Bikes Show
RUSSEL Taschner’s 1913 Clyno motorcycle, which was billed as the main attraction at the 1000 Bikes Show at Germiston High School, turned out to be the best bike on show too.
The Clyno also won the awards for the best veteran, ladies’ choice and the best bike inside the marquee, with the latter two based on a public vote.
This rare motorcycle, which was built in Wolverhampton, England, has a 750cc V-twin engine and was aimed to a large degree at those people wanting it to pull a sidecar.
Clyno produced thousands of these machines that were paired with sidecars fitted with Vickers machine guns for use in World War One. The firm, which went into liquidation in 1929, also made cars and at one time was the third largest producer of cars in Britain.
The best classic award went to André Schmidt for his 1948 Le Velocette 200, despite it being painted a blue and cream when the standard colour was grey.
The best post classic was Will McGibbon’s Honda 750 KO. McGibbon also won the prize for the best off-road bike with his Yamaha RTZ 360, while the best new era award went to Pete Wood for his Honda Goldwing.
The awards for best on show and best engineered among the street and custom entries went to Alan Linley for his Suzuki GS1000S.
The annual 1000 Bikes Show, organised by the Classic Motorcycle Club, was again a resounding success. Although there were fewer motorcycles on display in the marquee the general opinion was that the standard was higher than in previous years.
Kevin Robertson, multiple winner of the DJ Rally and an enthusiastic supporter of classic motorcycling, says there is growing interest in restoring and refurbishing Japanese motorcycles. “This is a good sign as it means we are attracting newcomers to our ranks, and the number of classic British and continental motorcycles available for restoration is declining, particularly as many are now being sold overseas.”