Owners show off ‘pride and joy’ at Classic Bikes

There’s more than a few treats in store for classic bike lovers at this year’s Classic Bikes at the Classic Motor Show. Held at the NEC Birmingham from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th November, the Pride of Ownership competition – supported by Meguiars and RealClassic magazine – brings together immaculate motorcycles of all types.

From traditional big-engined British ‘bikes from the ‘50s and ‘60s through to screaming Italian 50cc racers, as well as notable Eastern-Bloc and Japanese machines, road and competition models trace the history of two-wheelers from the earliest days.

Among the British notables are a 1959 Ariel Square Four, which was powered by a 1000cc four-cylinder engine that’s 150cc bigger than the engine in the Mini, which was launched that year! Several BSAs from the 1940s through to the 1960s represent the golden age of this much-loved bike manufacturer, while examples from one of its rivals, Triumph, are also on show.

There’s also a Vincent Rapide, complete with sidecar. Among many British bike lovers Vincent is the pinnacle of two-wheelers, and they have a strong following around the world, due to their fine build quality and outright performance.

Dutch enthusiast JP Rutten is bringing four motorcycles, of which three (two Kreidlers and one Ringhini) are 50cc racers. While they’re small-sized and their engines certainly aren’t large, they’re capable of serious speed. For many years small-engined bike racing was highly popular across Europe, and today’s classic racing scene sees plenty of these pint-sized performance machines still used in serious racing.

For those who like non-British or Italian bikes, there’s a selection of Jawas and CZs, which were made in Czeckoslovakia. There’s also a choice of Japanese machines, including a ’78 Rickman Kawasaki, which demonstrates the great advances made by Japanese bike makers since the early 1960s.

There are six classes in the competition (Pre 1946; 1946-1959; 1960-1969, 1970 – to current; British; European; and Japanese) and prizes range from Meguiar’s products to a feature in ‘RealClassic’ magazine. The winners will be revealed at the show on Sunday 15th November.

Top this off with trade stands offering motorcycling memorabilia, helmets, leathers and everything else you can think of and the popular bike jumble, and you’ll be in motorcycle heaven as well as having full access to the rest of this classic motoring extravaganza.

For more information, the latest show updates and to book tickets, visit classicbiker.co.uk