International West Kent Run 2019 pt1

Home yesterday from my first International West Kent Run and what a great event it was. Up there among the best old bike events I've ever been to, a wonderful location, great rides, an interesting selection of machinery taking part and a friendly multi-national bunch of riders. The event was fully booked within two days of entries opening and it is easy to see why.

The event is held at the rather special location of The Friars at Aylesford, a community of Carmelite friars dating back to the medieval era. Camping is available as are basic rooms, facilities are good and there are restaurants on site if you don't want to cook for yourself. The IWKR has been stretched out to five days from Thursday to Monday with three social runs, the main run on Saturday and a show on Sunday on offer.

We went along as a family and treated the event as a mini holiday doing some local site seeing and dipping in and out of the runs. Saturday's run attracts some really interesting machinery and the show on Sunday has a lovely village fete feel with club stands, an autojumble and bike gymkhana.

Highly recommended, I hope to be back next year and would wholeheartedly recommend to any other enthusiast to get an entry in and experience the IWKR. A big thank you to the good people of the West Kent section of the VMCC for organising such a wonderful long weekend of motorcycling.

Big port AJS parked outside the accommodation.

Triumph Tiger 80.

Very characterful and well used /2 BMW.

Puch split single 'twingle'.

Cracking BSA sidevalve sloper from 1931 ended up justifiably
winning a rosette in the concours at the show.

Flip side of the sloper.

Super rare optional instrument panel on the Sloper was offered
for 1931 only as far as I know.

Indian (Royal Enfield) Woodsman loaded up and ready to
head home after the run.

Late thirties Matchless Model X. Nice to see one of these in
its original paint.

BSA Bantam green laner and Triumph Tiger 100.

A good number of bikes were out on the run that you don't
so often see on the road, one of which was this MV Augusta
two stroke.

Blue suits this Indian Scout nicely.

Another view of the Scout.

Stunning Henderson Four. I followed this for a while on my '27
Triumph. A mistake as it was slightly too quick for the two up
Triumph and we overheated! I just couldn't help myself, so
good to see an American four on British roads.

Also out and about was this Ace four.

Another Indian Scout. One of the best vintage bikes there is.

Detail on the Scout.

My star of the run was this Coventry Eagle Flying 8 side
valve. The bike has recently been sympathetically refurbished
keeping its original finish where possible after languishing
dismantled for a good  number of years.

BSA A10 and Swallow Jet 80 make for a very stylish combination.