Not exaggerating but this little outing must have just been to one of the coolest, underground events anywhere. The pictures talk for themselves but set in the old Tobacco Docks in East London, came a gathering of café racer builders from around the UK and Europe were showing off their incredible pieces of work.
These beautiful Bikes looked simply like pieces of Art alongside the iconic wall art including the rare Club 59 black and white photographs displayed on the white barren and metal pillared dock building walls.
And for us mere mortals the sun came out and shone brightly, piercing it’s light through the tall glass windows and onto these beauties with the majestic tall sail ships from another era simply and happily floating next to our parked-up bikes in the quayside.
Champagne bars, cigar rooms and even the hippest tattooed barbers cutting the sleek hair of those stylized guys sitting next to the beauty of the bikes just melted in with the unique atmosphere with everyone on the same wave length – beauty, art, appreciation, freedom.
The Belgian guys from Kruz showed off this great grey bike with a small round ‘ball’ headlight which looked like a lighthouse beacon which you could imagine finding its way through a foggy road.
And of course Triumph had their own ‘art gallery’ with a handful of bikes standing proudly between leather bound sofas and open eyed admirers and a Triumph Live retro wall mural.
It’s just 6 weeks until Triumph Live (www.triumph-live.com) Saturday 12th July at the National Heritage Museum but today has to be the best event anywhere for that cool, hip feel – Coincidentally (or is it) I’d seen that Dave from Oily Rag Clothing was exhibiting with his bikes and great t-shirts – bumped into him when he was being interviewed by Henry Cole and will definitely see each other at Triumph Live.
Out drinking a glass of champers I was introduced to Blue Miller, Editor of 100% Biker – such a small world – she'd also met the elusive George The Painter from the days when she was editor of the UK Bike Street Chopper Magazine! Now sounds she has the right life balance – half the year in sunny Arizona and half back in the UK!
“The Bike Shed Motorcycle Club (BSMC) was created when a group of cool guys. Moved by the usual apathy, dis-organisation, and general “we are all individuals” issues around being a motley crew of shed-bike, cafe racer, scrambler and street-tracker riders, these guys decided to combine their infrequent blogs, blags and email banter into a more coherent group blog/glog/mag thing. If actually they did have sheds (well, apparently Adam has got a shed, and Tim & Kev work in one), then they’d metaphorically be in them tinkering or talking bikes whenever they weren’t out riding…”
“…Sheds are where men (and a few hardy women) escape to leave behind the world and all it’s crap. To oogle over metal, oil and fuel, in perfect harmony – where what looks right, is right, and the freedom of two wheels is one of our greatest pleasures” - @bikeshedmc
Long may it go on – see you at the next one! But sssssh don’t tell everyone! J
And I look forward to seeing you all at Triumph Live on 8 July for the book signing and world launch of 'Bonneville Go or Bust' ...
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