Philippe (Phil) John Reeves
PHIL REEVES could be best described as a club man. He was an enthusiastically active member of: Classic Owners Motor Cycle Club, Cafe Racer Club, Ducati Owners Club and the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.
Phil served in roles of president, vice-president, club captain and social secretary, and always carried out his duties with dedication and integrity. He was a Life Member of the Classic Owners Motor Cycle Club. Only illness kept him away from meetings.
Phil inherited a love of BSA Bantams from his father (See “BSA Bantam. One tough Little rooster” OBA 17 and “Honey, I shrunk the Goldie” OBA 21), but his passion wasn’t limited to ownership of
British motorcycles. He also loved Italian machines, and collected a range including a Moto Guzzi V7 sport, Ducati 750 Paso and Ducati 851 race bike.
His knowledge of Italian motorcycles, particularly Ducatis and Moto Guzzis, led to him being chief mechanic at Adelaide’s Italian motorcycle specialists, The Bike Factory, for 27 years. He developed a faithful following of customers who appreciated his mechanical expertise, the quality of work, and obsessive attention to detail. He loved nothing more than speeding around Mallala or McNamara Park on his Ducati Superbike. He was seriously successful in car and bike shows. His cabinets groaned under the weight of his trophies, some for racing, most for his vehicles impressive presentation at shows.
Phil experienced ill-health from his late teens, but refused to be constrained by it. He was seriously injured in a race-track fall later in life, but Phil was determined and tenacious. After a race-track accident at Mallala which ended his race participation, he supported race meetings as a scrutineer instead. While still a competitor, he provided guidance to competitors who had failed scrutineering, to help them pass at the next meet. He was always willing to share his expertise and was generous with his time. (See “Rare Bird – MV Agusta 150RSS” OBA 48). Phil manned control points at 24-hour Motorcycle Endurance Contests. As anyone who has manned a control point will know, this mostly entails shivering around a bonfire in a paddock in winter, talking about motorcycles and spinning yarns while waiting for the next rider to materialise. Phil enjoyed the social aspects of the activity. Phil passed away on Sunday March the 28th, aged 62. A wealth of knowledge will have been lost with his passing.
His affable presence will also be keenly missed by many.