Issue 131 : October - November 2003
The ACE
Take a Breva
Roland Brown
Bristol Show
Gremlins
Buell's on Test
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The ACE
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Bristol City Show
One thing that always throws up a few surprises is the public voting we use to get the winners. By the way sorry if anybody's name is Miss Pelt we have to scribble names down pretty fast when we book you in. Did I mention the 'singing'competition, what a laugh! The BBC came to the Show with two 'mature' opera Divas who have taken it upon themselves to teach people to sing. Well the Virago Star Owners Club and the Valkyrie Owners Club decided not only that they have the largest, most shiny bikes but also the loudest singing voices, and battle was duly commenced on the band stage much to most people's amusement, the results of which are going to be screened in September. On to the evening and off to the camp site to pitch the tent have some beers and (for me anyway) chill out and relax. For the more energetic, the band played, the beer flowed, the barbecue sizzled and much dancing was done. A good time was had. A BIG thanks goes to Bristol MAG and especially Claire Bryant and Andy Derrett for doing so much. Guess what? Everyone had such a good time we're gonna do it again next year, see you on the third Saturday of August 2004. Richard Stiling
PS. Have you thought about putting on a bike show in your town?  Comments from a visitorBristol is one of those cities that I rather like as it feels like a city in the middle but it doesn't take you an hour to get out of it. You can also use the bus lanes thanks to some shrewd campaigning by MAG folk a few years back when we had our own man Nich Brown, in the Road Safety hierarchy of the county. I ran into him hiding under a tree on a Ducati Multistrada- see him and his Italian beast in an issue coming soon. After a haul across London and a spirited blat up the M4 I'd made it just in time for lunch. Sagaloo called; an Indian treatment of potato and spinach which went down a treat with a couple of popadums and some pickles. Eating outdoors on a cobbled street shaded by old stone buildings is a great experience. How people have time for these modern minimalist restaurants that resemble the insides of take away containers is a mystery to me. Old friends percolated between the buildings, nodding, waving and exchanging words. A few who had obviously not been mortally offended by me over the years even sat down to talk. I had to get some more photographs however and engaged the hind legs after a while to paddle around in pursuit of the weird, wonderful, and rather cute.
Scooters obviously have an advantage in the paint division with the canvases of their side panels to work on and Tuti Fruiti was as good an example as I've seen. Actually I've just noticed the woman reaching for the ice cream seems to have some kind of dog collar around her neck. I can't imagine what that's all about but never mind just look at the dog in front of the wheel, what a face! Airbrush art is something we kind of take for granted in these days of computer-generated virtual everything, but when you pause to consider that this is performed by the human hand spraying paint through a nozzle, it just numbs the brain. How can they do that ? As Paul Newman said to Robert Redford when they couldn't shake off the posse; 'Could you do that? I couldn't do that, how do they do that ?' In common with electricians and computer nerds - they're all in the magic circle, they must be. Artists ? As Newman said, just after the last thing he said - 'Who are those guys?' Great to see riders with the optimism to build rigid Bonnevilles and keep the twin carbs. That bike really took me back to my own Bonnie owning days, but more of that anther time, actually a book about that another time. Meanwhile there was the singing - oh boy this was something. The Christian Bikers doing 'Oh what a beautiful morning' errr memorable; yes. Fellahs please! any more of it and I'd have turned to atheism, what happened to Koombyeahhh my Lord and Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Blimy, does that read a bit mean? Not meant that way, if you want to sing Oh What a Beautiful Morning; fine - maybe a warning on the PA next time. Calling everyone within 50 yards - the CMA are about to sing - thank you, and, to steal my old mate Fergus's sign off - goodnight. Mutch  |
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The Bristol Bike Show 2003. Well what a Show!!!!! The Sun shone, multitudes of bikes turned up, the bands played and much fun was had. Yes the 8th Bristol Bike Show was a resounding success. For those not familiar with the format for The Show; we hold the event right in the middle of Bristol around the historic St. Nicholas Markets with the local streets closed to give us room, and room was definitely needed this year. There were over 1000 bikes and trikes at The Show showing 'Joe Public' how diverse motorcycling really is. One element of the Show is to promote motorcycling to non-motorcyclists, to give them a chance to meet us and have a chat, to put faces and people to the leather clad, helmeted image that motorcyclists are burdened with; and it works.
The great thing about the custom bike world is that just when you think there can't be many more variations on a theme up come another ten. A case in point ? The legoland tank on that trike, was this something else or what ?