By IOL Motoring Staff
Germiston - The Classic Motorcycle Club's annual 1000 Bike Show at Germiston High School last weekend - with more than 400 classic and modern motorcycles on display - attracted large crowds on both days.
Convenor Hamish Ireland, said attendance over the show weekend - aided by favourable weather - was about 10 000. The sports field outside the display marquee was packed with motorcycles and trikes ridden to the venue by visitors, making it an amazing motorcycle show in its own right, with many customised machines, particularly the so-called cafe racers, which are enjoying a resurgence in popularity both here and internationally.
BEST ON SHOW
Many of the machines on display were evaluated in concours d'elegance competitions on the Saturday (customised and street bikes) and Sunday (classics); as always the standards were exceptionally high.
Overall winner - Best Bike on Show and Best Classic - was Kevin Robertson's immaculate 1957 Velocette Valiant, which has taken 10 years to build using parts obtained from three sources in South Africa, many of them in very poor condition.
Robertson, an internationally renowned Velocette enthusiast, says he believes his Valiant is one of only three left in South Africa. He's no stranger to the winner's circle, having previously won Best on Show with his 1935 Excelsior Manxman at the 2012 1000 Bike Show.
Best on Show in the Customised and Street categories was the immaculate BMW café racer of Eric Repsold.
The 1000 Bike Show traces its heritage to the first concours d'elegance organised by the Classic Motorcycle Club in Springs in 1970, only two years after the club was founded.
It has grown in both size and stature over the years, becoming a notable fund-raising vehicle (if you'll pardon the pun) for recipients including the SPCA, Germiston High School, Think Bike, the Toy Run, Rotary and the Scouts.
Everybody that paid their R60 to enter was entered in a giveaway competition for a Puzey scooter valued at more than R10 000, which was won by Mr M Evans of Mondeor.
CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE AWARDS:
Best on show: Kevin Robertson (1957 Velocette Valiant)
Best Vintage: Fritz Vlietstra (1920 Excelsior)
Best Classic: Kevin Robertson (1957 Velocette Valiant)
Best Post Classic: Neville Nicolam (BMW R69S)
Best New Era: J Norris (Yamaha RZ 50)
Best Racing: Ian Groat (7R AJS)
Best combination: Bart Eva (BMW R50/2)
Best Durban-Johannesburg (DJ) motorcycle: Fritz Kramer (1920 Excelsior)
Best Italian: J Kraehmer (Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000)
Ladies' Choice: Peter Vlietstra (BSA Sloper)
Historic Motorcycle Group (HMG): Eddie Rulph (Suzuki GT550)
VMX Offroad: Gray Dick (Yamaha YZ100)
VMX Racing: Paulo do Couto (Suzuki RM400)
Speedway: Brad Devine
Best Stand: Honda.
BEST STREET AND CUSTOM AWARDS:
Best on Show: Eric Repsold (BMW Café Racer).
Best Café Racer: Eric Repsold (BMW Café Racer)
Best Engineered: Eric Repsold (BMW Café Racer)
Best Cruiser: Anthony Singleton (Suzuki Boulevard)
Best Bobber: Bobber Bros. (Triumph Spitfire)
Best Custom: Dyno by Quint (Kawasaki 1300)
Best Harley Davidson: Stefan Myburg (1948 Harley Davidson)
Best Street Fighter: Deon du Toit (Suzuki GT750)
Best Street Modified: Dyno by Quint (Supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa)
Best Trike: Allan Casey (Honda Goldwing)
Best Standard Motorcycle: Sean McGlead (Kawasaki Z1300)
Best Rat Bike: Kallie Ludick