B-MAD Twilight Bike Show
Joe’s Diner is an eatery nestled into the industrial area of Eagle Farm in Brisbane. During the week it feeds the factory workers and passing truckers. Conveniently it is surrounded by large concrete parking areas for a complex of G. James factories, so a
I took the time to visit the recent B-Mad Twilight Bike Show on 15th May not knowing what to expect. It was huge with scores of amazing machines, a live band, apparel vendors, food, a live charity auction and 17 trophy classes for the display bikes.
B-MAD is short for Bikers Making A Difference. It is a small group of kind-hearted motorcyclists who see the need to support the less fortunate in society. They raise money and gather donations to distribute food, sanitary items and clothing through the community. This bike show was their yearly event to raise funds and to celebrate the motorcycle and motorcyclists.
The trophy classes and display leaned towards heavyweight American machines but I found it pleasing to see older classic machines which were welcomed into the mix. Even if large cruisers are not your chosen genre, there is no doubt that their owners’ dedication to perfection was at times jaw dropping. The older machines were nearly all from the ‘70s and ‘80s and included 3 Japanese, 3 British, 2 Italian and 2 with origins from Germany. The Japanese class included beautiful examples of a Kawasaki Z650, a Suzuki GS750 and a Suzuki GS1100. The UK was represented by a black and gold Norton 750 Commando, a 1975 Triumph Trident and a rare Triumph X-75 Hurricane. The Italians included Peter Boyd’s custom Ducati 860 and my 1954 MV Agusta which was also the oldest and, apart from a Honda Monkey bike, the smallest on show. The German contributions were both similar in origin starting life as BMW K100s but were transformed to very differently themed café racers. Dan Scott’s version was built on the true racer minimalistic theme and included a Martini racing paint theme. Vic Summers transformed his K100 to more of a café cruiser with copious leather add-ons including saddle bags, pocket knife holders, whisky hip flask etc. Interestingly I saw both these bikes entered at the Ray Owen Bike show the next day. Ironically Vic won the trophy at this event and Dan won the trophy at the Ray Owen. Fair’s fair I guess. Awesome night for an awesome cause.