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Customs & Cruisers
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Issue 124 : August - September 2002Welsh National Motorcycle Show
Every journey must have a purpose in my book and for me this journey's excuse was - The Welsh National Motorcycle Show. One of the good things about this event is the sheer joy of riding in the surrounding countryside, so if you want a break from what's available on site you can take yourself on a guided tour along some of Britain's best biking roads and I did - but the event itself . . . The Royal Welsh Showground may well be the most scenic in the country. Surrounded by hills, it sits in a bowl intersected by the River Wye that flows under a stone hump backed bridge like something off a toffee tin lid. The small quaint town of Builth Wells offers plenty of B&B accommodation that normally relies more often on hikers than bikers, but the signs advertising low rates that I spotted as I came through the mini Sturgis that the town had become, made it clear that we were welcome. Still recovering from the Foot & Mouth epidemic that hit hard around these parts I guess they need every penny they can get. On site, the indoor bike show offered some outstanding machines that included two of Barry Sheene's classic racing bikes and a V Rod Trike from The Trike Shop, Cardiff that may well be a world first. Perhaps not what Milwaukee had in mind for their revolutionary creation but a stunningly fine piece of engineering. Vying with it for attention in the radical section was the ubiquitous Harley-esque Extreme Vision by Mick & Helen Clarke, which took Best in Show.
Out on the camping area I spotted a number of traditionalists with camping stoves and portable bar be cues, though there was a fair choice of nosebag on site including fish and chips, hog roast and pizza, while to help chew it all a trader was selling goofy teeth entitled 'Billy Bob Teeth. 'Hundreds of uses' read the sign. Meet the inlaws, road rage incidents, keep next seat free - interesting.
With temperatures in the low 80s on Saturday I had a good wander around the traders and bought two pairs of good quality jeans for seven quid each. I even managed to get a pair with a 36 inch waist and 29 inch legs, something I can't manage in any of the regular jean shops in the capitol.
Other daytime attractions included the fun fair, mini moto riding bike jumble, giant inflatables and a TT lap simulator that gives you a realistic insight to lapping the Isle of Man at over 100 mph; what planet do these racers come from? The bar seemed to work well with reasonable pub-like prices eg £2.10 a pint of lager. On the music front we had Totally Obscene, the Stafford based punk/rock band, Mick Rutherford, and Doctor and the Medics who totally rocked the place with what most people respond best to - ie well performed rock classic covers - a great act. Further good sounds came from The Worried Men and Celtic Pride who ent down a storm, while more laid back options were available in the Blues. This division of music at bike rallies these days can only be a good thing reflecting as it does the divergence in the taste of the rock generation. Given that bikers now range in age from the 20s to the fifties or even sixties the choice of music really has to be thought out. Put most forty somethings in front of a Rap/dance act and they'll demand their money back; not that I'm prejudiced of course. This year's show attracted over 12,000 visitors throughout the weekend which is a record for the event confirming that the Welsh National Motorcycle Show's fortunes have turned around dramatically since coming under MAG's wing and now represents a major milestone on the bike show/rally scene, combining the advantages of good permanent showground facilities with the camping and bands of a more traditional biker rally. Organiser Gary Barnes: 'This was the best Welsh Show yet and next year's will be better still. We've learned a lot in the three years that we've been running it and are confident that we can grow the event substantially.' Supporting MAG events fuels the Riders lobby. For more details of MAG events see MAG's website www.mag-uk.org
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Great roads great weather great show
A display from the Beaulieu museum provided further kudos to the display of over 150 machines in the indoor exhibition that included two superb specials in the colourful shape of an MV Augusta F4 and a Triumph Speed Triple. Traders, an auto jumble and club stands added interest to the indoor attractions for those escaping sunburn on the outside with Christian bike clubs much in evidence. It seems to be a growing feature of the bike world on both sides of the Atlantic these days and curiously attracts resentment from some riders who are presumably intent on going to hell and want no-one standing in their way. As someone who thinks Bat Out of Hell is the greatest album of all time I do however wonder if the more radical spirits in the bike world take all this skulls and Hellfire imagery a little too far.
The outside entertainment was provided by the Motorcycle News Stunt Road Show Spectacular, which was even better than last year's. This year it was a much slicker and more professional with a decent commentary and quick changes between the riders. Sammy Mac, Dave Dangley Smith, and Stevie Brierton tricked on Superbikes but were knocked into a cocked hat by World Champion Kevin Carmichael. Team Extreme - Lee Sergeant and Danny Clarke provided great entertainment on their trailies with the co-operation of the game MCN girl. Then there was Mokus, a tricking Hungarian moped rider , described by one commentator as something like a cross between a surf bum and a circus acrobat, while the finale was provided by two free style jumpers, Jamie Squibb and Gary Taylor. Forty very entertaining minutes.