Stafford Show, what already?

Hmmm, full moon last night; always seems to turn Finbar a bit strange…

Well, okay, this Halloween picture was taken a few years ago; he’s alright now-ooooo… (sorry)
So, Stafford Show…

Or to look at it another way…I was talking to the man who started the original Classic Bike Show, Alan Whitehead, and he made the interesting point that with the car shows and every other type of event he’s experienced, people tend to visit for a few hours and leave; the old bike do’s are practically unique in the dedication to it all shown by the punters, many of whom are all day if not both days. It’s encouraging to hear; but at the same time I have to admit that I sometimes wonder whether, if the event didn’t physically end, I would ever leave… I arrived on Friday at around lunchtime and didn’t depart until chuck out time on Sunday; dedicated punter or sad nutter? I guess it’s a fine line…

Judy and Finbar stay at home for the October show so I reside ‘en van.’ It’s comfortably appointed with a bit of old carpet to cover the oil stains and a couple of Karrymats, pillows and a duvet. I have insulated behind the wooden panelling in the back and early last year extended this to the roof – after climbing in one cold night to find it was ‘raining’ within. I had to mop about a gallon of condensation from the roof before beddy-byes; Rockwool skinned with hardboard has made that just a bitter memory and the van is now reasonably hospitable, even in October although it was pretty warm this year. This year my friend – and past editor of both Classic Bike and Classic Motor Cycle – Phillip Tooth took pity and kindly offered me the spare bed in his Travelodge room but to be honest I really enjoy staying on site. There’s a bar in the evening with relatively cheap hot meals – a fiver for Chicken pie and chips – and a decent beer on tap (Doombar this time) plus you get the chance to have a proper sit down natter with all the people you’ve known for years but only in passing as you run into each other at busy events. So it’s great conversation (and traditional plastic beer glass pyramid competitions) running late into the night. This year I spent much of the two evenings with members of the Sunbeam Owners Fellowship. This is the organisation that support the post-war, shaft-driven 500 twins and if the name sounds a bit pompous the club itself certainly isn’t.  As so often with the more quirky classics, they’re a very likeable, down to earth bunch – and pretty expert at the beer glass pyramid too. I did my best to supply a steady stream of glasses, naturally.

Saturday morning dawned and I woke up fresh as a daisy. Spotted this snazzy looking racing kettle on the way into the hall – it didn’t seem to be there when I came back…

And neither did this Goldie… Now admittedly ‘not all that glitters…’ and I’m not sure how much of it was genuine Gold Star but at the price (around £6000 I think) I’m not surprised it sold. There’s definitely something about a Gold Star…

This one was pretty neat too, and modified to outside flywheel and 250cc special. Evidently it has just been put back together for the widow of the guy that built and raced it. She was due to come to the show but apparently felt too emotional to do so, so the guys on the stand were taking loads of pictures for her. A nice story.

And on the same stand this very tidy Guzzi. I’ve always thought the flat singles, great as they are, are a bit of an acquired taste to look at but I reckon this Seeley framed example is certainly the cat’s clackers.

I decided not to buy anything in the auction – it’s easy when you haven’t got any money – but I did get a call from Mr J.May and Mr R.Hammond who were just about to get on a plane and wanted me to check a couple of bikes on their behalf. I wasn’t keen on the Triumph James was looking at but recommended lot 357.

He sounded quite keen until he consulted his catalogue “But that’s ANCIENT!” he protested.

I’ll get him on a flat tanker in the end, you see if I don’t…

Up on the balcony were those crazy MB5 boys again, I love seeing these bikes, the unsung sixteener heroes, I know I’m biased having worked in a Honda shop but I’d say the MBX50 was a prettier little bike than the RD50 or the AR any day…but their collection’s growing too fast… it all started innocently enough with an MB5, now look at them!

Talking of craziness, check this out. This, if you don’t already know, is a Bown Auto Roadster. A 98cc Villiers engine with a single speed countershaft. The engine delivers 2.0bhp at 3,600 rpm and it should be good for thirty mph. But this one apparently does 60. I was particularly keen on this because I had a Bown for a while; they are a quality Autocycle, having a duplex cradle frame…Mine was never registered and I only rode it on the road once; I remember the sensation of being a kid and going uncomfortably fast on your dad’s bicycle. Mine was a thirty mph one too, so goodness knows what this is like. But also I did foster a plan when I was younger and stupider to build a racing autocycle of my own. I rescued a New Hudson frame from Margate Corporation Tip (there was already a hole in the wire, officer) and bought a set of forks and a tank. I planned to use a 2 speed (2.8bhp) engine in it to give it the edge. I’d just got my first lathe and turned up a set of snazzy rearsets but that’s about as far as it got. I think the frame ended up back at the tip – it had rusted through in places so probably as well. Anyway I was delighted to see that someone has seen it through to the bitter end and made the thing really go. Top marks!

And gotta hand it to Villiers Services for this lovely van. Apparently it cost rather a lot to restore like this… Better keep selling the piston rings and crank seals, fellas.

Just as eveything was packing up I spotted this BSA beauty. I couldn’t find anybody who knew much about it so I don’t know if it was for sale; and it didn’t follow me out of the hall whimpering so that was that. I assumed it was another 1927/28 350cc at the time but from the engine number I guess it’s a 500cc. Wish my OHV bike was in that condition – it even still had the cycle pump under the tank. Fabulous!

Cheers, Rick