Some photos from a visit to the London Classic Bike Show at Kempton Park last weekend. The visit was thoroughly enjoyable but the autojumble was smaller than in the past and the number of show stands was down too. Maybe it's an effect of the pandemic or maybe there are just a lot more events to choose from these days and this one has lost momentum a bit. Either way it was still fun despite being reduced in size.
Below a selection of pictures of show exhibits, autojumble offerings and bikes ridden in to the car park.
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| A cammy Norton is always a good place to start. This one a 1935 350cc International. |
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| 1938 Royal Enfield 'S' 250cc in the show area. |
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| Eric Patterson's hyper rare c1928 Speedway Sunbeam nearing completion of its restoration. |
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| Really gorgeous 1939 BSA M24 Gold Star. The first of the Gold Star line. |
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| This wonderful device was on the Hayes and Southall Motoball Club stand. The bike is in the condition it was last used in anger back in the fifties and the owner sensibly is not going to restore it though is seeking some girder forks to bring it back to an earlier spec. The engine is an Ariel Red Hunter, the frame an ex-WD Royal Enfield Flying Flea and the forks currently fitted look like Dowty fitted with a short extender. There's a great Pathe News colour film clip from 1959 that features this very bike in action. Well worth checking out. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/motor-cycle-football-motorcycle-football |
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| Sweet little Royal Enfield 225cc two stroke from the late thirties. Their budget model but still featuring a nice switch / instrument panel in the petrol tank. |
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| Pressed steel girder forks were the vogue of the time for lightweight bikes and, for a short while, across the whole Royal Enfield range apart from the big twins. Hand gear change was slightly anachronistic by then though. |
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| Veteran inlet over exhaust v twin project. I didn't see the owner to ask but it's either a Royal Enfield or a Motosacoche (they were virtually identical). |
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| On the same stall was this very rare twenties FN petrol tank in great condition. |
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| And still on the same stall this purposeful grass tracker. Fitted with a Blackburne engine but the frame is an unknown. Presentable but probably a bike built up from parts for the early postwar make do and mend grass track scene. Never the less it looked like fun for the asking price of £4.5k. |
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| Gigantic fuel filler on this BSA A65 cafe racer. |
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| Proper old rocker's bike! |
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| This BSA beagle was in remarkably original condition and quite sweet. Designed as BSA's answer to the Honda cub and variants they should have been better but were let down by being made on ancient machinery and beset with a poor reputation for reliability. To this end there are a fair few virtually unused survivors! |
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| An AJW Fox Cub from 1977. The styling can best be described as 'brave' or 'unusual'. An easy and unusual project it seemed like a bargain at £350. |
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| 1964 Italjet 'Vampire' 50cc racer. Apparently a 'works' bike it came with another example in pieces for the asking price of £4.5k. |
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| Practical BSA B31 awaiting a new home. |
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| Well turned out BSA Bantam racer was offered in the autojumble. £2100 if my memory is correct. Seemed reasonable. |
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| Full view of the Bantam. Full traditional mid to late sixties Bantam racer spec with Velocette LE front forks and wheel. |
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| Much modified Vincent combo. |
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| Prize for shinest bike surely went to this flat tank Douglas. |
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| Sweet G3 Matchless ridden in. There's something very appealing and workmanlike about these Matchlesses. |
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| Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica in the car park. A beast of a bike to be riding around London. |
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| Nicely used unit Triumph in the car park |
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| And another used Triumph ridden in. |
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| Vincent Black Shadow in the car park. Those updated Honda 'Comstar' wheels and forks are not to my taste but then its not my bike and it certainly seems like a bike that racks up the miles, so maybe not a bad mod for regular use on today's roads. |
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| This once lovely BSA Golden Flash plunger must have broken the restorer's heart. In great condition apart from the fact that the top layer of gold paint hasn't adhered to the primer and is flaking off prodigiously. The bike was offered in the autojumble. |
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| Full view of the flaky A10. |
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| My overall first prize of the day goes to the chap who rode in on this mid twenties AJS v twin. Well done sir! |
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| Also in the car park this Hesketh is a bike to covet. |
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| The Hesketh V1000 power unit. |
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