Motorcycle Fashions

October 19, 2011

STAFFORD SHOW, OCT 2011

3:49 PM

Attracting 50,000 or so punters daily, twice a year, Stafford is the big gun of motorcycle autojumble/show/auctions in England. Run over 3 days, it takes two to cover all the stalls, club stands, vendors, and demonstrations, and then there's the Bonhams auction, which sets the benchmark for motorcycle prices around the world, with always a few super-rare gems to attract press attention.

Malcolm Barber auctions 'Moby Dick' at the Bonhams Stafford sale

This year's star was 'Moby Dick', the 1929 Brough Superior SS100 which was developed into the world's fastest road-going motorcycle in it heyday. With a solid gold provenance, and absolute documentation of every stage of the machine's life, it was clearly going to sell well, and it did, at £210,000 inclusive, landing it at #6 on my 'Top 20' auction sales. Two years ago, of course, it may have set a world record, but things have changed.

A Brough Superior '680' basket case with Bentley and Draper frame brought £40k

As obvious examples; at Stafford, good Vincent Rapides sold at around £30k, good Shadows about half that again...which is about half what they were selling for two years ago. Around 11,000 post-war Vincents came out of Stevenage, which disqualifies them as rare, but makes them the perfect 'bubble' indicator, being an obvious target for beginning collectors, and long-time wannabes with full pockets, gripped with desire as the market hype for Shadows is rising, and despair as prices inevitably crash with bad economic news. The Vincent market was in exactly this place in 2001... and 1990.

Plenty of bidders at the Stafford sale

While Moby Dick isn't a good 'comparable' for Brough SS100s, being unique, the sale of a good '31 BS SS100 at Stafford last May for £130k indicates the frenzy for investor-bikes seems to have cooled, and the 'car guys' haven't skewed the bike market, as some feared. Still, an exquisite, original condition JAP-engined SS80, perhaps the most original in the world, sold for £100k last weekend, which may mean la créme de la créme is holding value...and the rumored post-auction sale of the AJS 'Porcupine' for an undisclosed sum (somewhere between $650-$700k I would guess) seems to support this. Bottom line; World-class motorcycles may be worth a bit less than last year, but will still fetch good money. And its a great time to buy a 'normal' bike, as prices have dropped significantly since 2008.

Decent weather meant large crowds

Fantastic AJS 'Big Port' with Binks 'Mousetrap' carb...

The Benelli O/C stand

Reliving youth (1)...a BSA B33

Invacar...

BSA 'Daytona' Gold Star project in the autojumble

Another BSA...this one a triple, with A10 timing case, and double-overhead-cam conversion. See the factory version in my post on the London Motorcycle Museum.

'Norton' George Cohen brought a lot of flat-tanks, plus a new Manx

Douglas 90+ racer...

The 50cc racing club stand

Need an engine?

The Yamaha FS1E 'Fizzy' club stand

New Amal carbs...and an extra-large demonstrator model

Yummy Gitane-Testi café lightweight

An interesting Honda special, using a modern CBR250RR watercooled motor

A trio of Isle of Man TT 'Replica' trophies (for riders within 10% of the winning race time) went for £563

Drool-worthy Bianchi DOHC twin (designed by Guissepe Pattoni, who later developed this design as the Paton) and MV Agusta triple racers

'Norton' George's personal flat-tanker...complete with pipe!

Oozing oil and character in equal amounts

Considering a Norton 650SS in the autojumble...

...and a pair of unusual hybrids too.

Possibly the best ever towing outfit for a Scott; color-coordinated Citroen 2CV

If 'so obviously superior', why the distress call?

The SOS intake and exhaust

Have you come to haggle?

Ivan Rhodes brought a lovely Velocette Mk8 KTT with 'Huntley and Palmer' ex-Works cylinder head

Reliving youth (2); HD Sportster...

Triumph engine, Weslake 8-valve cylinder head, racing oufit

The Fox family Wall of Death

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October 15, 2011

CONRAD LEACH: 'PARADISE LOST'

6:17 AM

Artist Conrad Leach and his painting 'Works Scrapper'

‘Paradise Lost’ is an exploration of the enduring appeal of Speed, Danger, British identity, and a time when men exploring physical boundaries were knighted to the acclaim of millions. This show evolved from conversations between Conrad Leach and Richard Gauntlett, as they discussed their mutual passion for the charismatic imagery and objects from the 20th Century. Not nostalgic, but a response to fascinating people, machines, and events from the near past, whose character transcends the period, and remains equally compelling today.

Leach with 'Black Jack' and 'Before the Salute'

Leach explains, ‘So much is evocative from the interwar era! The Supermarine Schneider Trophy racer, Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird, the Brough Superior ‘Works Scrapper’, are nearly forgotten today, but the aesthetics of the era are so pure and functional. This was pretty radical stuff back then, but my work has to be relevant now, as I’m not interested in recreating the past. My painting technique is contemporary, even Pop, and attempts to create resonance between images of the era and a viewer today. To me, an enormous bespoke object like the Bluebird, taken onto Daytona Beach in an attempt to go faster than any human, remains a charismatic and physically relevant object.

From the Classic Driver website; Pimlico Road has probably never seen this many bikes! Photo by Rupert Marlow

‘Paradise Lost’ uses visual language to muse on the era before Health and Safety concerns regulated ambitions and passions. When an entire nation would sit as ghosts on the shoulders of a young man breaking speed records for England, then laud his return, thronging the streets of London by the hundreds of thousands. When it was possible to be a hero for doing something which had never been done, and which might have cost his life.

'In Memoriam', "for those who gave everything..."

Conrad Leach was born in Canterbury, Kent, in 1965, and attended the Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. After 15 successful years in the fashion industry, Leach began painting full time in 1997. His first solo show, ‘Players’, at the APART gallery in London, brought him great acclaim, and he was subsequently artist in residence for Louis Vuitton/Celux gallery in Japan for 5 years. In 2005, he painted a portrait series of Norwegian cultural icons for the Grand Hotel in Oslo; his portrait of Henrik Ibsen is now used as visual identity by the Ibsen Museum. In 2008, he showed a series of large-scale motorcycle related paintings for the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours in Half Moon Bay, CA. In 2009, the Gauntlett Gallery became his UK representative, and in 2010, Richard Gauntlett commissioned Leach to design the ‘BS1’, a vintage-inspired custom motorcycle. ‘Paradise Lost’ is his first solo show in London in 9 years.

'Paradise Lost' is on show now through Nov.12, 2011, at the Gauntlett Gallery, 90-92 Pimlico Rd, London +44(0)207 824 8000

Conrad and two versions of 'Lucky 13'; print and painting

Designer Mark Eley, Sideburn mag's Gary Inman, Ruby's Jerome Coste

Jérome tries the 'BS1' on for size; commissioned by Richard Gauntlett, designed by Conrad Leach, built by Cro Customs. Behind Jerome is 'Dark (K)night'

Nick Clements of Men's File magazine

Richard Gauntlett with Sir Stirling Moss; old family friends

David Lancaster's 1939 Vincent-HRD Series A Comet...

A touch of Paradise Lost himself...Stirling Moss and 'Black Jack'

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October 9, 2011

BARBER MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL 2011

6:19 AM

A few of the ex-Factory Ducatis on display at DucStock

The 7th annual Barber Vintage Festival, just outside Birmingham Alabama, is fast becoming the premier vintage motorcycle event in the US. With attendance increasing by 30% each year as word spreads about this amazing weekend, there can be no doubt 'the Barber' will soon rise to the top of every vintage enthusiast's 'must do' list...and for the 60,000 visitors this year, it already has.

CB160 racing; massive grids!

It's taken me 7 years to fly to Birmingham, although the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum's incredible collection of 1300 motorcycles has been no secret. The museum itself will get its own post, but is of course an integral part of the appeal of the Vintage Festival...even though quite a few visitors (and racers) miss it entirely!

George Barber talking with writer Mick Duckworth

George Barber has spent over $70 Million of his own money developing the Barber Motorsports Park, which includes an excellent 2.38mile race track, the museum, plus extensive grounds and event facilities. This figure doesn't include the 1400 motorcycle and racing cars in the Museum collection itself, so clearly, Mr. Barber is about as Deep into Motorcycling as anyone on the planet. There are hundreds of extremely wealthy individuals who one-up each other for the largest yacht, biggest art collection, or name on a university library, but there is none other who has made such a massive gesture to motorcyclists everywhere. Hats off to the man.

Aerobatics display; 'strafing' Charlotte the giant Spider

A laundry list of the weekend's events would include a swap meet with 350 vendors (pre-booked since June), an auction, club displays (AMCA, Moto Guzzi m/c, etc) with attached bike shows, magazine booths (Motorcycle Classics, Café Racer) with their attached shows, a Wall of Death, a fire truck display, rows of commercial vendors, a Café Racer hill, an air show, AHRMA vintage racing, and this year, Ducstock. As the park covers 740 acres, a shuttle service runs continually between events and parking areas. The best way to get around, though, is on a motorcycle - no surprises there - and nobody cares if you park on the tidily mown grass.

Café Racer Hill was new this year, with the Ace Café, Café Racer magazine/tv, and Dime City Cycles combining forces in an isolated spot surrounded by trees, with an excellent track view. Besides the corral of tv-show builds, the 'Hogslayer' triple-engined Norton dragster sat, menacingly, a slumbering beast. As you'd expect, the hill was a magnet for the Café Custom crowd, and it was the only spot in the Park with live music! Which was daily interrupted by the aerobatic team buzzing just over tree level, laying a smoke screen down, looping overhead, and 'strafing' the giant spider sculpture ('Charlotte') with ground-implanted pyrotechnics.

Café Racer hill...

Ducati's 'club liaison' Vicki Smith launched 'Ducstock' in a previously closed part of the track, her own 'Ducati Valley', without factory involvement. Duc owners brought their bikes for display on the grass of course, with enough variety of models and ages to keep it interesting, but the big news was inside two tents; 24 of the 40 NCR Ducati racers built from the 80s and 90s - a collection unlikely to be repeated - plus a display of delicious exotica, including a pair of dohc GP twin-cylinders from the 1950s; just about the rarest Ducatis of all. Kudos to Vicki for pulling off a very cool event.

Racing F1 Ducatis at DucStock...

AHRMA racing was held over 3 days, and a walk through the open paddocks provided an easy tour of the state of American vintage racing. The good news; lots of women are grabbing the handlebars and taking to the track, especially in CB160/200GP classes, where the grids swell to over 50 bikes at times. Quite a few women become 'monkeys' on racing sidecars as well. The racing in various classes is extensive and lasts all day, although AHRMA has allowed replica G50s and Manxes to dominate the vintage classes, with only a single event for racers built before the late 1930s - the 'Century Race' for machines over 100 years old, which is frankly more of a waving tour than a competition. But, as the years roll on, the race will open to 1915 Harleys, and methinks the competition will become serious indeed. The scale of race participation (with four tiers of paddocks filled) and the quality of the facility rivals the Coupe Moto Legendes in Dijon, France, but European vintage racing has much greater depth and variety of machinery, veritable rolling museums with ex-Works and ultra-rare racing bikes stretching their legs alongside the ubiquitous Matchlesses and Nortons, which are not allowed to dominate the proceedings, number-wise, which keeps the event interesting for spectators. AHRMA's huge fight with Team Obsolete several years ago seems to have left their racing field lacking in diversity...where are the MV Agustas, the Benellis, the Moto Guzzis, the NSUs, the DKWs, the Rennsports? There are plenty of these in the US and abroad who would surely come to Barber to race, with a little encouragement. As it was, teams from Holland and New Zealand made their way to Alabama; with vintage racing at Daytona the following weekend, 'racing tourism' could become an industry.

Race Tourism; a large team from New Zealand/Australia swelled the paddock...

The Barber Vintage Festival costs $40 for a 3-day ticket, and hotels/car rentals in Birmingham are about as cheap as it gets. There is camping at the Park as well, although this fills up quickly, so planning and reservations are a good idea, if you're driving in. If you want to book a swap meet space, do it by May, or forget about it. I made the trip as a fly-in tourist on a week's notice, with no problems getting a hotel or getting around, and I found a couple of excellent restaurants in town. The weather this year was very mild, and the tree-filled countryside is lovely. See you in 2012.