Which reminds me, I really MUST reset my calendar. Here it is, well on the way to Winter and I am putting some of the stuff from the latest Summer magazine on here. Ah well, I never said I was GOOD, just CHEAP!
There's a whole lotta reading here. Just take your time and scroll down gently.
It is summer time once more. And what a summer it has been for us so far. We have been going to as many shows and events as we can and have been very pleased at the numbers of members and non-members who have visited us in the 59 Club marquee each time. At some of the shows like the Hop Farm, we have almost had our own ‘Tent City’ in the grounds.
We now have a very active web site. As you know, the original web site had to close for a variety of technical reasons but we are fortunate enough to now have it back online and being regularly updated. With news, information, history of the Club and a Guest Book where visitors can leave messages, this is proving to be a great success. Have a look yourselves. http://www.the59club.org.uk
Here in London we now have the famous (infamous?) Congestion Charge in force. Between the early hours of the morning until the evening, Monday to Friday, cars and lorries have to pay £5.00 a day to enter central London. Bikes are however exempt! Hooray! This has lead to a large increase in the number of bikes on the road. We would be very interested to hear your views and personal experiences of the Congestion Charge. Do you think it a good or bad idea and should it be used in other cities and areas of the country?
With the collapse of large bike dealer networks such as Pendragon, Bikes UK and more recently Riossi, does anyone think this is a good or bad thing for the biking public? Will we have more choice and better deals or will the new network of smaller, independent shops mean that prices will be forced up?
And with those thoughts in mind and a reminder that we would LOVE to receive articles from you for publication, I will sign off until the Autumn. Enjoy safe and happy riding. Ed.
Way back in the 60’s, when men were REAL men, women were REAL women and small, green, furry creatures from the planet Epsilon IV were REAL small, green furry creatures from the planet Epsilon IV (to roughly quote the Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy and with thanks to Douglas Adams), there used to be regular articles in Link, giving details of coffee bars all over the UK where bikers were welcome. These excellent articles were researched and written by Mike “Cowboy” Cook and were a great source of fun and interest. We think it might be nice to start them up again to let our readers know what the café and coffee bar situation is like now in the 21st century.
North Circular Road (A406) in North London near Wembley
The full history of The Ace Café is shrouded in mystery and the mists of time. Once a thriving transport café it offered sanctuary and a good, hot mug of tea to weary lorry drivers. In the days when ‘bikers were not at all welcome at most cafés, clubs and pubs The Ace Café became one of THE meeting places for ‘bikers in the late 50’s and 60’s. A place where no-one watched the clock to see if you had lingered over your coffee for too long or you were a little scruffy and oil stained. And let’s remember, back in the days of the big British bike, we were ALL rather oil stained.
The Ace has been immortalised in films such as the Leather Boys and myths and legends have sprung up regarding the antics that went on. Tales of scooter riders (Mods) daring to turn up and having their machines thrown into the nearby river may, or may not have some basis in truth. Tales of a sixpence coin being put into the juke box, a certain record selected and then a local hero blasting off on his iron steed to see if he could get to the junction at Hanger Lane and back before the record ended are more likely to be real. And getting back was the aim, safely or alive was a side issue.
The Ace, where the coffee was so thick you could stand your teaspoon up in it. In fact on a good night, you could stand an entire canteen of cutlery up in it!
The Ace, where the chairs were part of the long tables that jutted inwards away from the front windows. Firmly attached by pivoted steel mounts. There was no way a chair was going to be thrown through the windows at The Ace!
The Ace, where on an ordinary night there would be several dozen ‘bikers and on a good night, several hundreds.
The Ace, where it was common practice and quite normal for several ‘bikes to be in various stages of disassembly every night as chains were put back on, timing adjusted, carbs stripped, tyres changed and various bits tied back on that had mysteriously fallen off on that last dash back from Hanger Lane.
The Ace, where the BSA DBD34 Gold Star ruled the roost, the Triumph Bonnie was a close second and the AJS CSR and Matchless machines joined the BSA A10, Tiger 110, Speed Triple, Commando, Spitfire, Lightning, Navigator, Bullet, Continental GT, Bantam, Tiger Cub and many others in a glorious exhibition of freedom, fun and a certain amount of youthful rebellion.
Today The Ace Café has risen Phoenix-like from the ashes and is once again a favourite meeting place of ‘bikers of all ages and riders of all makes of machine.
Thanks to the efforts of Mark and Linda Wilsmore who have put much of themselves and most of their money into it, The Ace Café is everything a ‘bikers café should be. There is a huge bike park at the front where riders can safely park their machines and exchange views and comments with other riders. There is an excellent food and drink counter and 1st-class service.
Civilisation has come in one main area however, the chairs are no longer fixed to the tables. This does not mean of course, that it is permitted to throw the chairs through the windows. They are not quite that civilised.
As you would expect, there is a juke box with music of the periods, games machines, a notice board where adverts and messages and a whole lot more are posted. And there is a small shop area selling memorabilia of The Ace. You will also find old photographs of the 50’s and 60’s. Keeping right bang up to date, there is also an internet machine so you surfers can stay in touch with the virtual world while you are actually in the REAL world.
The Ace Café has rapidly become very popular and you will often find film crews there making documentaries, soaps and all sorts of films. The Wilsmores also have ‘events’ at The Ace on a regular basis. From music, to one-make bike clubs, to your own 59 Club and special days like the Monkey-bike and Triton Days that were held recently, you will find the place is always buzzing.
Sundays are particularly well attended. Why not come down and see for yourself? If you have a group of mates who regularly ride with you, why not have a ride-out to The Ace?
The Ace Café has its own web site too. To find out more, just go to The 59 Club web site on http://www.the59club.org.uk then go to the information about other clubs page and click on the link there. Or go direct to:- http://www.ace-café-london.com
Do YOU have a favourite café? Why not write a short article about it and send it to us here at The 59 Club?
Well now, where do I begin? (Hmmm, sounds like a song title. Ed)
Let me tell you folks, the Annual Tinsel & Turkey Party went just great! During the early part of the day, several of the Club Leaders and friends put a lot of work into preparing the hall and the food for the occasion.
And there certainly was a LOT to do. Not only clearing the hall to make room for the live band and the disco but also for the buffet-style refreshments, the tables and chairs for the members and the raffle prizes!
It would be difficult to mention everyone who helped on the day but I think special mention MUST be made of Sandra Hall who put on a dazzling and most delicious range of food. I know, I went back for seconds, thirds, fourths and I think I had to be stopped at ninths! (Who ate all the pies? Ed)
Later in the day we all helped to set up the sound equipment for the band and the disco. Terry, of Batman and the Traumatics fame, gave us his usual extremely skilful vocals and guitar work and Sean did a fantastic job with the disco. Thanks Guys!
At the appointed time the members started to arrive and it seemed that in no time at all, the Club hall was packed and everybody was in a fine, festive mood.
It wasn’t long until the fun and games started and of course, we had some traditional Christmas Crackers on the tables. Mind you, there were also some “Crackers” sitting AROUND the tables. Wooooo Hooooooooo
(We do seem to attract the loveliest girls to our club)
Once the ice had been broken and the food was being consumed at an alarming rate, things became very relaxed indeed. People started dancing and we all began to have a thoroughly good time.
The daughter of one of the Club Leaders and her young friend did a sterling job of selling raffle tickets and we made close on £200.00
Thank you Harriet and Becky for selling the tickets and a great big thank you to everyone who bought them.
Of course the best part of any raffle is seeing if YOU have won a prize. Well I am sure you will all be pleased to know that MY luck was running true to form and I won absolutely NOTHING! (So no change there then? Ed) But prizes WERE won and the winners loved it.
Very late in the evening we all reluctantly had to call it a night and start to wend our way home. The Club Leaders tidied up and put the hall back into its normal setup and we all left. To everyone who turned up, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and to everyone else I would like to say, I hope you enjoyed reading this little article and hopefully, we will get to see YOU here next year for ………
The Tinsel and Turkey Party 2004
Well, the weather at Peterborough for the BMF Rally may have been wet and windy but what a change for the Garden of England Rally at the Hop Farm.
It was blisteringly hot and there was hardly a breeze in the air. This of course made for an unbelievably good weekend.
Although this rally attracts a large number of motorcyclists, motorcycle clubs and related stuff, it is also a great day out for families. Situated in the beautiful county of Kent the Hop Farm used to provide a working holiday for many families from the East End of London. Picking hops to go into beer was a way of summer life for many less well-off people and would provide the only holiday they were likely to get. Nowadays there are not so many hops here but the Hop Farm provides a terrific space for all manner of shows and events.
I arrived on Friday evening and after setting up my tent I joined the other Club Members in our tent for the traditional chat, drink and evening meal. Once more Gary Hall arranged to take all the equipment to the Hop Farm in a van and once more Sandra Hall prepared a feast fit for Kings. I know I have said it before but it deserves repeating. Thanks Sandra, you did us proud again!
Later in the evening we listened to a small band who played a great medley of stuff. The people in their tent were running a raffle to support an air ambulance. I bought a few tickets but I doubt if I will win. Anyway, where will I put an air ambulance if I DO win it?
Next day, Saturday, I went for a wander around the grounds. There were the usual bright and gaily-decorated stands everywhere. Bracelets, belts, tools, tents, bikes, tattoos, ice-cream, clothing, nuts & bolts, machine guns (yes!), decals and a rifle range, they were all there and more besides.
There was a small fun-fair with the only Wall-Of-Death exhibit in the UK. It had to be seen to be believed. I saw it and I STILL don't believe!
There was also a pair of what looked like ex-military tracked vehicles with tracked trailers. For just £2.00 you could have a ride on them while they charged at high speed over the fields and up and down some pretty steep embankments. I had a go and boy! The speed! The way they rush up to a 90-degree turn and just turn in an instant! Wow! Forget your white-knuckle rides at the fun-fair, this was the real thing. I went on with my 15-year old Goddaughter and quite a few of the other passengers complained about the screaming, the tears and the begging to be let off. But I have promised her that I will not embarrass her by doing it again in the future! heh heh heh
In an arena in the centre of the grounds were a wide variety of events. Starting with a Cavalcade Drive Past with some pretty amazing machinery and moving on to Moto-Ball contests, riding displays including a bike jumping over various things including a tank! And a display by a parachute team who dropped into the arena with pin-point accuracy.
To me though, one of the most interesting and skilful things was a girl who would write your name onto a grain of rice and then put into a variety of things like small, plastic dolphins etc and would then make them into key-rings and necklaces etc. I had to use a magnifying glass to see the names clearly but she was not using anything. What incredible eyesight. And what a steady hand. I was most impressed and bought a couple of them.
Back at our Club Tent we had a very large number of people turn up. Some new members, some we had not seen in years and many people who were visiting us for the first time. We were giving out tea, coffee and cold drinks as well as Sandra's traditional bread pudding and some cakes that Heather supplied. It is always great to meet people and to be able to tell them all about the Club. As always, the Club tent was a haven of relaxation and peace. Lots of people took advantage of the chairs inside the marquee and the welcome break it gave them from the blazing sun. We were also able to provide space in the van for them to leave their riding gear while they wandered about the show. Let's face it, it was far to hot to carry helmets and leathers all day. And it does not give you any spare arms to carry all that stuff you promised to buy!
The restaurant on site provided yet another excellent meal on Saturday night and then we all sat around listening to more music, have more than the odd beer or two and generally having a great old time.
Sunday was very much more of the same. We had some lovely bikes in front of our marquee including an immaculate DBD34 BSA Gold Star. Also a nicely restored 850 electric start Norton Commando that actually STARTED on the button (gasp! ed), and several other bikes that made appearances from time to time.
It was a real shame when Sunday finally drew to a close and we all had to strike the tents and set off for home. When I got home I checked our e-mails and the Club web site and was very pleasantly surprised to find several e-mails from visitors and one entry in the Guest Book on the web site from someone who had picked up a leaflet from us at the show. Folks, you really are the finest bunch of Club Members in the world. You make it so worthwhile for us to go to the shows. Please keep on coming, keep bringing your friends and families and please keep meeting us in the Club marquee. There is always free tea, coffee, cold drinks and food for members and even non-members can get one if they ask nicely (or join! ed.)
We will be at Beaulieu in two weeks time. Check out the Events Page for June for details. We all look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there and also to seeing you at the Club itself in Plaistow.
And please keep e-mailing or writing to us at the Club. This is YOUR web site and I love hearing from you all.
Until Beaulieu.......... Safe and happy riding to everyone.
WHY DO CUSTOMERS........
- book a bike in and fail to turn up
- book a bike in and turn up on the wrong day
- turn up on the wrong day and say you must have made a mistake when you put it in the diary
- drop bikes off for servicing empty of fuel
- except when they are having the fuel tank repaired and it is full to the brim
- leave a bike for servicing and then go off with the keys
- leave the bike in the workshop, the keys in reception and the alarm remote control in Teddington
- have expensive extra lights and chrome accessories "expertly fitted" without any thought about how the
standard access panels can be removed
- always blame "a friend" for any accident damage
- insist on maximum discounts and favourable rates, then pay with a credit card
- leave bikes standing all winter, then complain it has not started since we serviced it
- claim the bike is totally original ( does this include the overspray on the engine brackets?)
- go elsewhere for second-hand parts, get a "really good deal" and then moan when they find they have
paid more than the current retail price
- ask how much it will cost when you are trying to identify a mystery noise over the telephone
- all claim to be VAT exempt
- insist "it was working when it came in"
- expect a quick tune to cure three burnt out valves and a blown head gasket
- ask you to keep the bill down "because they are selling it", then keep the bike for a further eighteen
months
- tell you that you are mistaken because a "friend" would not dream of selling them a dodgy bike
- think that they should pay 1960's prices for repairs to their 1960's bikes
- phone up to complain that they had to put a pint of oil in the engine when they got home after leaving
our workshop, forgetting to mention they had driven home to Milan!
- get a quote over the phone for a certain job, bring the bike in with a list of additional jobs, then
complain that the bill is higher than the original quote
- believe that a bottle of "Slick 50" can take the place of the set of main bearings the bike really needs
- phone to see if "my bike" is ready, when questioned admit to it being a Honda and when pushed further concede "it is a blue one!"
- baulk at the price of Triumph parts, supply their own pattern items, then complain that they do not last
like the originals
- when told they need replacement brake discs and calipers, bring in some they have had "in storage" (on
the Titanic, we think!)
- always ask you to get the insurance company to pay for unrelated additional damage after an accident
- when told that their brake discs are 2mm undersize, ask if they can be skimmed (too thin means too
thin, skimming removes metal)
- phone up and expect you to remember every detail of their bike when you have not seen them for the
best part of a year
- all know somebody who has found a BSA Gold Star in a barn in mint condition
- spend money on expensive leathers, helmets and accessories then complain the bike lets them down
because they cannot afford routine maintenance
- moan that the brakes have only lasted 11 months but overlook the twenty-six thousand miles the bike has covered pulling a sidecar and a trailer!
- moan about the size of the bill but forget that they authorised all the work
- say "but that is more than the bike is worth!"
With thanks, as observed by the men who know.
Neil * Geoff * Paul. c/o A.W.B. Motors
Here at the Club we have been extremely pleased with the number of visitors we are getting on the site now. We want to thank everyone who has visited, everyone who has taken the trouble to send us e-mail messages and a special thanks you to the folk who have started to use our Guest Book. Please keep the messages and the e-mails coming and tell us what you would like to see added, altered or removed from the site. And of course, if you have any articles, stories or jokes etc, that you would like to see on here, just send 'em in!
And now we will wish you all a fond farewell and a message that we hope to see you all soon at the Club, Box Hill, High Beech, the Ace Café or anywhere that 'bikers like us meet.
Keep smiling, Keep safe, Keep on riding!