Crich Tramway Museum Motorcycle Day

Having enjoyed riding the trams so much last year, Blue Miller was keen to return to Derbyshire. There was a little spot of judging involved too…

“Now,” I hear you say, “it can’t possibly be a year since the last Motorcycle Day at the Crich Tramway Museum?” And you would be absolutely right.

For the usual reason, the Derbyshire event was held in October last year and not in its traditional spot of the first Sunday of July. (Personally I can’t believe even that has rolled around so quickly – surely it was October only last week?)

This year I am going to keep my waffling to a minimum (“Hurrah!” you cry) in order to bring you more pictures. But there are a couple of little anecdotes from the day that I would like to share. If you followed last year’s coverage you may remember that the Best of Show award – as decided by the general public – went to Dave

Wood’s 1959 Triumph T110. This was a motorcycle which stopped many people in their tracks because, with no offence to Dave, it did look like it had been in a canal for the last decade and only just pulled out.

It took him years to buy this bike and that only happened when the owner died and his son found a letter Dave had written containing his contact information and the fact that he would dearly love to own the Triumph. That came to pass, as did a full ‘restoration’ – the bike still looked like it was on its way to the scrapyard but beneath the patina it functioned perfectly.

Now, with a background like that, not to mention the attention that the T110 got wherever it went, I’d presumed Dave would always keep it. And indeed he had never intended to sell it, but at the Stafford show in April – where he’d really only taken the Triumph to make the shiny fancy bikes look good – he was approached by someone asking if he wanted to sell. He was a bit taken aback by this, having genuinely not thought of parting with the bike.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, this chap was asking on behalf of Jason Momoa. I realise right now quite a few of you are looking a little blank for this is probably one of those 'ask your kids/ grandchildren' moments. Jason Momoa is a Hollywood actor who has starred as superhero Aquaman in two films (again, ask your kids/ grandchildren) and in the first two series of Game of Thrones (see previous comment). He’d already bought two motorcycles in the Bonhams auction at the event and when I tell you one was a Brough Superior you will realise that Mr Momoa is serious about his motorcycles and has money to spend.

He was equally serious about buying the Triumph and, after some negotiations over the next few days (during which Dave said

he wouldn’t sell the bike to Jason if he couldn’t meet him – partly because he wanted to be able to explain the Triumph in person and partly because his wife and daughter would never forgive him), a deal was concluded. The Woods got to meet Jason, a visit during which he rode the Triumph for the first time and, much to everyone’s relief, instantly fell hugely in love with it.

I can now reveal that last year Dave’s Triumph had been on my shortlist for the OBM Best Original Motorcycle, which I had been asked to judge again.

I think it is probably the toughest of all the categories to choose at Crich but, after a while, I found myself standing in front of a 1952 Sunbeam S7 Deluxe. I am not a dyed-in-the-wool Sunbeam fanatic, nor do I generally like motorcycles with screens and fairings, but this was a machine with a story. It has been in the same family for 68 years and used properly during that time. Somehow I found myself back in front of the Sunbeam three times and then I noticed the handwritten addition to the event number which said it had been ridden from Guernsey.

Speaking to the owner,

Paul Kilminster, I found that not only had he ridden from Guernsey, he’d already been to the Ace Café in London, up to Caister in Norfolk, over to Cassington Bike Night in Oxfordshire and up country to Derbyshire. He even had a couple more stops to make before riding home to Guernsey. That appealed to me, a motorcycle which looked very much as it did when it rolled out of the showroom in 1952, in the same family for two generations and that is still much loved. And that is why the OBM trophy is, this year, going to Guernsey (although I suspect it had to be posted, there not being too much luggage room on the Sunbeam).

A spot of decent weather saw people and motorcycles turn out in droves – the event was playing a special tribute to the 50th birthday of the Kawasaki Z900 and there were more shiny Z1s and Z900s than I have ever seen in one place. Many of them lined up in front of the Red Lion pub (which once stood in Stoke-on-Trent) and an impressive sight it was, too.

However, the large turnout means that the museum has had to take the decision that all the motorcycles allowed to park within the museum for next year’s event (July 2, 2023) will have to be preregistered with no entries on the day. This year there were some 354 pre-entries, with numbers being issued on the gate for those turning up on the day and I saw numbers into the high 500s. Pre-entry is free and so it makes sense to do it. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the pictures from this year’s Crich Tramway Museum Motorcycle Day.

Two superbikes from different generations: Mr A Morton’s 1950 Vincent Series C Rapide and a Moto Guzzi Le Mans 850.

As you might expect, there was a fine showing from the Vincent Owners' Club including on the right, M Symonds’ Vincent HRD Rapide and to the left P Woodbine’s 1950 Comet.

Tim Ball’s most covetable 1925 Indian Scout 101 being passed by Leeds 180, a 1930s Horsfield class tram built by Brush of Loughborough. It was taken out of service in 1957 but briefly returned to service in 1958 when the body was used on a tram which had been in a collision with a bus. It arrived at Crich in February 1960. Tim arrived at Crich at about 11 o’clock.

These are the fine people of the Bantam Owners' Club – they’d brought along an impressive display of BSAs as well as a gazebo!

This 1952 Sunbeam S7 Deluxe was bought by Dave Kilminster in 1955. It’s still in the family and was ridden from Guernsey by his son, Paul. It went home with the Best Original trophy.

Clive Horton’s 1955 Vincent Black Prince. We reviewed From The Other Side Of The Tracks, an excellent book by Clive’s late wife, Sue, in OBM438.

Ian Palfreyman’s Mike Hailwood Replica Ducati Pantah 500SL.

Glen Edwards’ cleaner than clean 1962 AJS Model 31.

It was the first motorcycle show that Tony Tomlinson had attended and, unsurprisingly, his very rare NVT Rambler attracted attention all day.

Best of Show – John Wood’s Suzuki GT750A.

Glasgow 22 about to go under the Bowes-Lyon bridge. This was one of the first electric trams to run in service and carried passengers in Glasgow from 1922 until 1960. The bridge, incidentally, once stood in Hertfordshire and was donated to the museum in 1971.

A striking visitor was the Poison Dart, a BMW R80/ customised by Miklos of 2WheelsMiklos in Surrey. Why the name? Because the paint scheme is based on the South American yellow-banded poison dart frog’s colouring.

There always seems to be something at Crich that you’ve never seen before and my head certainly turned when Glyn Johnson rode in on his Egli-Vincent.

You can guarantee that I will always make a beeline for a speedway bike! This is Andy Beardmore’s grasstrack racer with a 250cc BSA B25 engine (now running on methanol) in one of Alf Ellis’ Elstar frames. There’s a few Triumph Trophy parts in there too says Andy, who raced this machine in the 1970s and restored it four years ago.

Best Prewar – Mr P Morley’s 1914 James Model 7.

LEFT: Once this would have been what the street looked like outside every big Kawasaki dealer, now it’s a sight to be cherished.

Best International.

Jon Lambley’s lovely 1949 Vincent Series B Rapide.

Glen Thomas’ lovely Harley Panhead.

Best Japanese.

Best British.

Best Scooter.