The Classic MotorCycle

Two-wheel life from a bygone age Season’s greetings

The classic show scene used to effectively run from Shepton Mallet in February, to the Stafford Mechanics event in October, with the April Stafford show near the middle. These three static events split the year up and, although there were other events, they weren’t on such scale and often revolved around riding – think, for example, the Banbury Run, the Pioneer Run, Festival of 1000 Bikes, West Kent Run and so on. Now there seems to be ever more added to the calendar, meaning not only is the ‘traditional’ period more congested, but the dates stretch further towards the end of the year, and nearer the beginning, than they did before.

As I write, though, we’ve pretty much reached the end of the season, with the National Motorcycle Museum’s increasingly established – and well attended – Museum Live! having just passed. It’s a good day out. Basically, the museum opens up its doors for people to come in free. There’s a stage with entertainment, a few celebs, a trade and jumble area and an array of food stalls, too. Numbers are impressive and what it does bring, is people who are not necessarily entrenched in the ‘scene’ and so are seeing something new, or at least unfamiliar.

‘‘ ThTher es eems to be ever more events added to the calendar, with the dates stretching further towards the end of the year

While at the show, we talked to a visitor, a teacher, who was there and explained to us a project he was undertaking with some of his pupils, to restore an old motorcycle. It’s easy to dismiss today’s youth with ‘they’re not interested in motorcycles’ but, actually, the truth is, they often don’t really get the opportunity; many of us will have learned to ride on ‘field bikes’, but those days are largely long gone, largely through a combination of a lack of bikes and a lack of fields, meaning opportunities are much diminished. So anybody providing the chance for youngsters to become involved in motorcycling, in any form, is to be applauded.