As seen in issue 221 of 100% Biker

 

 

 

 

Ok let’s be a little self-indulgent here as this report is of an event I organised, which now 4 days on I am still grinning ear to ear about.

January 2016 and like many people  randomly I looked at the calendar for what day my birthday fell on and saw it was a Sunday and a germ of an idea of holding a bike do came into my head and immediately was lost in fluff. My good lady also then informed me that we were having a night away, in a windmill, so that was scuppered.

So fast forward a few months and you find me sat sitting in a well-known motorcycle enthusiasts public House, The Plough at Lower Beeding owned by a Triumph aficionado, on a wet Easter Saturday in March, and I having realised my birthday in 2017 was on Easter Monday and nothing ever happens as a one day event on Easter Saturday and that germ of an idea resurrected again and encouraged by my good lady. “Mark” I enquired of the landlord for that is his name “do you fancy holding a birthday bash next year on Easter Saturday for me, to say thank you for all those people I poke cameras at ?” and without hesitation he said “yes”. Oh bother I now had some organising to do. But Mark then went on to say he could organise music a gazebo, hog roast and more result and besides I have helped organise rallies and parties before how difficult can it be?.

A few save the date reminders found there was interest and keenly I booked the guest house over the road from the pub, explaining to my good lady that it would be a romantic night away, “you better not snore” she said.

I then tried hiding the decision amongst the other fluff in my head but it seems to have become the talk of the year, so I decided on creating some trophies and after a chat with some rat bike friends the idea of a bike of the hour trophy came up, this way avoiding the millions of categories and standing around and could keep the event interesting.

My good lady who loves rat bikes would do her own rat bike trophy during a sub group ratbike review in the afternoon. Mark, landlord extraordinaire decided on having a landlord’s trophy and my house, well by house I mean tiny flat, became a flurry of creative activity with glue and spray and multi-coloured material everywhere, as ideas for the trophies came into our heads. After some searching and an idea from Mick I found some Bosuns whistles online and then engraved tags were merged together with added Easter eggs, cool, unique and transportable for the bike of hour trophy. I am not that cruel as to give folk 12 foot trophies to take home on bike though I have seen some interesting ways of moving trophies from shows, as ever I digress.

Queue the wobbly fast forward screen typical of Science Fiction movies and we are into 2017. The realisation hits me what have I planned, or not… the original idea of the title “Bosuns Birthday Bike Bonanza” was trimmed to “Bosuns Bike Bonanza”, but also Bike Bash maybe I couldn’t make my mind up even by the end of the show as the fine array of fine ales may have got me. My one fear being the quantity of bikes and size of carpark but after a packed day at the pub on the pioneer run in March mien host did not seem worried so let’s go for it. The plan now being BBQ during the day and chat and band in the evening all sorted.

Arriving at the pub at silly oh clock and having put up signs, moved logs and forcibly moving cars with a truck we were set just in time as by 11.40 bikes started to arrive, and then the floodgates opened there were bikes everywhere within minutes. And some superb bikes too many we hadn’t seen as well. Especially in the rat bikes with some cool constructions.

By now the bar and pub were heaving and this is the one thing hiccup we know as the pub decided on normal grub rather than the bbq leaving quite a wait, something he will address at any future do’s. But everywhere you looked there were happy people chatting away and many had made huge journeys, from Birmingham, Swindon and Dorset I cannot tell you how happy I was at this result.

So bike of the hour trophies how difficult can that be... err very deciding on giving an Easter egg to the runners up also, and did I keep a record of who I gave too of course not but those I recall are:

The blue springer Harley chop, A 840 Triumph trophy, A gs550 trials rat thing, a long triumph chop, a Yamaha trike and a survival bike.

The rat bike award went to a Yamaha Thunder ace in hand built frame and the marmite egg to a bike with oodles of stuff falling off. Sadly the cx650 had gone then which could have won something.

Landlords choice went to Dave Howes triumph “all the fun of the fair” which also could have won best petrol leak.

In the evening a rock and roll duo entertained and everyone was happy which was ace, the bar nearly ran out of beer and we deemed the whole event as an outstanding result

A huge thankyou to everyone who made the effort to attend and yes I snored and people want it again, we shall see.

Bosun