EAST COAST HARLEY CLUB'S CUSTOM BIKE SHOW

WE’VE BECOME SO RELIANT, THESE DAYS, ON SATNAVS, IT’S AMAZING WE EVER MANAGED TO GET ABOUT WITHOUT THEM, ISN’T IT?

Take my run from the BSH editorial hovel to this event at the George & Dragon in Thurton. Thurton’s a small village in south Norfolk that’s about eight an’ n’ arf miles south of Norwich on the main A146 road down to Lowestoft and so should be really, really easy to find. The fact that it wasn’t was down to (a) huge traffic queues on the Norwich ring-road necessitating turning off a junction or two early to find a way across, and (b) me not taking a map book in me camera bag… and, okay, (c) stupidity, I admit it.

Anyway, by the time I did find the pub (or more accurately, the field next to the pub), it was long past the 11am start time the East Coast Harley Club (ECHC for short) had planned, and the place was filling up nicely – hardly surprising as the Club’s got a good reputation for putting on top-notch events going back many, many years. This one, held at the end of June, was no exception. Bikes n’ trikes were lined up in three long, long rows that stretched right across the field, in front of which was the lorry trailer the Grey Wolf Band was due to play on that afternoon from 2-4pm, with a break for the prizegiving at about 3pm. Parking up at the far end of the second row, I immediately knew this was going to be a big photo day – there were good bikes all around, and I was immediately taken by a trick-framed GT750 Suzuki with a shapely alloy tank and upside-downies, followed by, in short order, a glorious Metisse Triumph; Dave from Xtreme Paint Studio’s very intricate Fat Boy (and Paul’s Triumph trike, too); Mick from Cambridge’s gloriously ‘70s Evo trike; the very neat lil’ Sporty trike Steve Taylor (of Taylormade Wheels fame) built for a lady whose name escapes me a few years ago (if the new owner’s reading this, gissashout about some pics?); Nobby’s rat-rod XS650 (as featured a few months ago); an absolutely delectable sparkly lil’ Triumph built by East Anglian living legend Chris Brown for his brother-in-law Fred; Russ from NCC Norfolk’s Dan Death Bandit chop; Porky (orange Shovel last issue) and his other bike (a swingarm S&S Evo); and… and… and…. just loads o’ bikes – loads!

The unenviable job of judging the show was given to another East Anglian stalwart (okay, so he’s actually from London as far as I know, but…), Briz from CCD (Custom Cycle Developments) who, I reckon, quite easily got his 10,000 daily step target as he endlessly walked the rows weighing one bike up against another. I don’t know the exact results, but

Russ got a pot, as did Mick, and I think Fred, and the silly-sider’s Pitstop Paint ‘Contract on Gawd’ just pipped Dave’s very impressive Fat Boy to take Best Paint.

There’re no details, yet, of the ECHC’s 2023 show, but I suspect there’ll definitely be one – keep an eye on their Facebook Page for more info’.