Welcome to the show!
Classic motorcycles have just gotten too expensive. If you’re my age and you zipped about on the likes of old, knackered Yamaha RD350 Powervalves, you’ll know just how bloody expensive they are now, more so the once humble LC! And if you progressed on to a big four-stroke – maybe a Suzuki GSX-R750 slabside or even a slingshot – then you’ll also know that these aren’t the cheap, entry-level classics they once were.
But there is hope. The VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club) has a 15-year rule and that means we can indulge in bikes that are that little bit newer and perhaps not quite so ‘classic’ as others.
With this in mind, we decided to look back 20-30 years… that’s 1992 to 2002. This was an era of Brit Pop, FireBlades, R1s, PlayStations, Carl Fogarty, Suzuki Bandits and many, many more super-cool bikes that can still be found for bargain prices, if you look hard enough. Don’t believe me? Well, my own £1000 Triumph Speed Triple 955i will be on the stand, so come and take a look and see if it puts Niall Mackenzie’s Honda NR750 and Yamaha YZF-R7 to shame!
Our hall will be fully interactive so pop along, challenge me at Tekken 2 on the PlayStation, and listen to the cool sounds of the decade that taste forgot. It’ll be a giggle.
And then there’s our guest of honour
– John Kocinski. What a star. I was lucky enough to see John’s impact on the World Superbike championship when I was a reporter covering the World Superbike series. Dropping a former 500cc GP winner and 250cc champ into a paddock which contained Carl Fogarty, Aaron Slight, Pierfrancesco Chili, Troy Corser, Anthony Gobert and Simon Crafar took the series up a notch! He was a winner from round one at Misano on the dominant Ducati, but his time with the Italian factory would last only one season before a switch to Castrol Honda to take the V4 RC45 to its one and only title. I, for one, will be listening intently to the interviews up on stage; the man is a legend with a lot to say, racing the world’s best in both 500cc Grand Prixs during its golden years and World Superbike in that championship’s golden era, too.
So – enjoy all the staple delights of the CMM Stafford Show, but then come and be cool and down with the kids and help us celebrate 1992-2002!