Stafford show short report

Blimey was that packed. The tailback started shortly after the motorway
exit and went up all the way to the showground. Man was I glad that I
was on a bike and not in the cage.

The whole thing started very much on the annoying side - I've been
going up there a few years now and the bike parking was always inside
the actual showground, but this time some bright spark thought it would
be a funny idea to cordon off part of the carpark area and put the
bikes there. For those who haven't been to Stafford yet, the car park
are the fields/meadows opposite the showground. I wasn't best please
and was rather worried what 300kg of Pan Euro, parked on its side stand
because the area wasn't even horizontal, would do to the ground if it
started to rain. Oh well...

This was the Brit show so most of the exhibitors were proudly showing
off very rusty bits of metal that not even the designer could identify
any more. Excited old boys were bending down so far over these parts
that I was wondering if they'd even managed to steady the old bones
again. It was obvious from the bikes on show and for sale that Brit
bikes seem to fall into two categories - they're either immaculate or
they look like they haven't seen a bucket of water since 1950.
Strangely enough a lot of Vincents seem to fall into the latter
category.

The bikes on show were mostly utterly gorgeous even though I'm not that
big a fan of British bikes. Nevertheless it was good to see that people
were cherishing them. I guess that you can easily build something like
a mid-sixties Triumph from parts you pick up at the autojumble - a V5'd
frame here, tank there, new seat over there etc.

But the bikes for sale were mostly grim. Some Italian bloke had turned
up with what looked like the contents of an Italian scrapyard, then
rubbed out the "Lire" signs and replaced them with "GBP" instead.
Fifteenhundred squids for a later-model Spada that looked like it had
been through a war? Thanks, but no thanks. A lot of other bikes were of
similar "quality", although a few stood out - a very nice yellow 400/4
for example, a couple of genuinely nice Triumphs and Nortons and an
utterly, utterly gorgeous MV Agusta 350 Ipotesi with a full fairing,
hardly any km on the clocks and definitely not restored...

Partswise I was "anything you want as long as it was made by Lucas",
but I still managed to pick up a couple of bits for the XL250 and a
copy of an original Honda shop manual for the CB. Only manual I still
need for the 450 is the parts book but that appears to be really hard
to get over here.

Funniest comment of the show, one walking dead to another: "You know,
these Hondas are starting to become collectable by now"...

Oh, and muppet here gave the bloke with the Ipotesi his number "just in
case it doesn't sell".

<hangs head in shame>

 

Phew, I was starting to think you were ill or something.

 

<checks mirror>

Nope, still looks as half-dead as I normally look.

 

What a scrum. Some of the halls were actually gridlocked.

Highlights: the Böhmerland and the Ner-A-Car - all it needed was a Megola.
The Sunbeam-Porsche S8.

Bought: t-shirt for Laura, coffee, roast pork rolls.

 

I think it was on Sat, 23 Apr 2005 19:09:03 +0100 that "Timo Geusch"

Busiest I've ever seen it - it was bloody heaving. I was in the car,
but having only decided to go this morning (SWMBO suggested a visit to
her parents - fortunately I'd put details of the show on the calendar
in the hall months ago <G>) I arrived around lunchtime, by which time
they were parking cars in the car park right next to the site, not
across the road as normal - about a 100 yard walk instead of half a
mile or so...

Did you see the reaction to the rat-bike (Goldwing?) on the main drag
towards the Bingley Hall? I had to elbow my way through about 20 owd
buggers all tutting and failing to understand so that I could get a
pic of it (see below for pics).

And a huge wad of cash. Years ago my bro had a Speed Twin. He dumped
the bathtub rear end and front muguard, replacing them with cheapo
ally guards. There was a stall with a dead ratty Trumpet bathtub rear
end for a mere £480. Bro's bathtub and valanced front guard went to
the tip...

The V75 (?) close to the Spada looked OK, but for 800 squids and no UK
papers it serpently wasn't cheap.

Did you see the plain-jane Goldwing out near the parade ground? It
looked nice and original and at (just) under £1400 may have been at
the right price - didn't hear it run though...

Normally the April Stafford show is biassed towards Jap bikes, but
this year (also the 25th Stafford Show) was also Velocette's 100th
aniversary, and also the (rather sad) 50th aniversary of the cessation
of Vincent production, so perhaps you can forgive a more Brit-oriented
show. I have never seen so many Vincents in one place before.

OK, some pics are at http://www.robrait.dsl.pipex.com/Stafford0405 -
be gentle as I'm just getting used to a new camera (my first digital)
and managed to take most of them in 'portrait' mode so depth of field
isn't what it should be in some pix.

--

Rob
Broseley, Shropshire
1991 Yamaha XV 535 Virago
1997 Rover 623GSi

 

Oooh, in the background behind the Quasar is a little Honda CB125S like
the one I've just bought - only mine is a red 'un.

 

The Older Gentleman says...

What's with all the compressor engined things painted black with gold
lettering?

 

The odd German thing is Bohmerland, or similar, iinm.

The RatWing makes WC's CBR1000 look positively pristine.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/KH500A8/TS250C
|_\_____/_| ..74309../..18302.../..3184./.19406
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 YTC#4 PM#5
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 two#11 WG*
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4
'^' RBR Landmarks: 12 Pts: 220 Miles: 914

 

WCs looks a lot less contrived than that Goldwing.

 

that ratted 'wing is superb.

 

I couldn't find the helmet storage at first and actually had to go back
because it was so crowded that it was almost impossible to get in the
door carrying a helmet.

And I just hope that the ambulance crews are better at finding their
vehicles than they are at finding the helmets they're holding for you...

Arse. I did manage to miss them in the melee.

 

interesting bike in the "typical outside stall" picture, no 17, - is it a
cotton, perchance?

 

Lucky you - I noticed by the time I got out that people had just
overruled the marshalls and started parking their bikes besides the
main gate. Sensible, that.

That was fun, wasn't it? I actually couldn't be arsed to take any
photos as it was so crowded that my cheapo digicompact was only good
for detail shots.

That as well. It's probably easier to restore an old Brit bike than
most of the Japanese makes but it doesn't half cost a bundle.

About half that would've been acceptable IMHO. The small Guzzis aren't
exactly that sought after in the first place.

Yup, that looked good, didn't it?

Did I have that mixed up then? I thought it was the October show that's
the Japanese bike one - that's certainly the one I normally go to as I
often can't make the April one. Not to mention that this one is
normally sponsored by Old Bike Mart...

They look pretty decent to me - I know how hard it is to take photos in
there especially if you don't want to use flash...

 

It is a Bohmerland, and it isn't German either - it's a Czech bike,
even though a certain bloke named Adolf tried to do something about the
"czech" part.

And it's even the three-seater - they also did a "short wheelbase" two
seater.

 

That's what I was thinking. There's a world of difference between sheer
neglext and the bolting on of horrible bits "because they'll do", and
the deliberate constrution of a post-apocalyptic rat.

That said, the knot in the exhaust piping is a lovely touch.

 

..

Could it be that most Vincent owners ride their machines?

Vic

 

The Porsche-engined S8 was the best bit, though - very well done, but with
the original worm and roller final drive.

A very quick way of getting to the end of the road before breaking down.

 

A red 'un was the first bike I ever rode - my best mate was riding it
in schoolboy motocross. August 1973, I was 13. Didn't really listen to
his dad explaining to me how to ride it and so, when it came to turn
round, I forgot about the clutch and it ran away from me, had to lay
it down to stop it. Then I couldn't get it to start again so my mate's
brother had to come and resue me. He started it and I rode back
pillion, oh and his age - 10. Hangs head in shame.

But wasn't the CB125S the disc braked one introduced in about '76?

Been hooked ever since, although watching Jeff Smith et al on '60s
Grandstand MX could have helped....

 

Francis-Barnett "Built Like a Bridge", is a Cruiser xx, can't remember
numbers but pre-war anyway

 

No. The CB125S was the name applied to the original drum-braked one. The
disc-braked one was called the CB125J, although, confusingly, it had
125S on the side panels.

Go figure.