Despite being grey and overcast after having reminded everyone of the Club’s Only invitation to attend the VJMC “ rivet counting” ( Japanese for Concourse?) event at Kettering Rugby Club around eight members of our club did make the effort to attend whilst the event was still underway – most in fact arrived before it began but rumour suggests someone arrived after the event had finished and apparently got free coffee for attending!
As usual The VJMC with Doug Perkins and Andy Greenwood at the helm had managed to have a great Rally and whilst it was understandable in view of the weather outlook that many rally attendees decided to strike camp and head for home prior to the presentations, it was still a shame. There were certainly a great array of Jap bikes on display, making me question even more my hitherto aversion to “Jap Crap” – based on nothing more than watching the decline of the British Motorcycle industry when the Jap bikes started flooding the British market in the sixties.
Some of the winning bikes were of course real concourse machines which I doubt have ever had their wheels on the ground except to wheel them into place on the display area – something that personally I see little point in ...to me a bike should be ridden even if only a for few hundred miles a year – who knows some of these special show bikes might not even have internals in the casings...............but all credit to their owners they were stunning. Unfortunately our highly efficient club “snapper” failed to show up so I am afraid there are no photographs ....maybe Andy Greenwood can send some to our web master?
Finally I guess I should mention that one of our club members managed to ride away with a lovely glass rose bowl having one “Best Other” bike award – seemingly rumour has it that he is such a TOG (tight old git) he was going to present it to his wife for her birthday at the end of this month until he discovered it was engraved as having been awarded at the VJMC Anniversary Rally. I wonder if this was why his attendance at the Rally will end up costing him a small fortune as on his way home he managed to break a couple of inner hub stainless butted spokes on the rear wheel of his Norton.
As always a well planned and organised event – which speaking to those I met on the camping field the participants enjoyed no end.
Thanks to Doug and Andy and all in the Northants VJMC for their hospitality.
Matt
As usual The VJMC with Doug Perkins and Andy Greenwood at the helm had managed to have a great Rally and whilst it was understandable in view of the weather outlook that many rally attendees decided to strike camp and head for home prior to the presentations, it was still a shame. There were certainly a great array of Jap bikes on display, making me question even more my hitherto aversion to “Jap Crap” – based on nothing more than watching the decline of the British Motorcycle industry when the Jap bikes started flooding the British market in the sixties.
Some of the winning bikes were of course real concourse machines which I doubt have ever had their wheels on the ground except to wheel them into place on the display area – something that personally I see little point in ...to me a bike should be ridden even if only a for few hundred miles a year – who knows some of these special show bikes might not even have internals in the casings...............but all credit to their owners they were stunning. Unfortunately our highly efficient club “snapper” failed to show up so I am afraid there are no photographs ....maybe Andy Greenwood can send some to our web master?
Finally I guess I should mention that one of our club members managed to ride away with a lovely glass rose bowl having one “Best Other” bike award – seemingly rumour has it that he is such a TOG (tight old git) he was going to present it to his wife for her birthday at the end of this month until he discovered it was engraved as having been awarded at the VJMC Anniversary Rally. I wonder if this was why his attendance at the Rally will end up costing him a small fortune as on his way home he managed to break a couple of inner hub stainless butted spokes on the rear wheel of his Norton.
As always a well planned and organised event – which speaking to those I met on the camping field the participants enjoyed no end.
Thanks to Doug and Andy and all in the Northants VJMC for their hospitality.
Matt
