British & Classic European Bike Show, May 19, 2002

I've been to this show before, in fact it was the first time I saw a Triumph Tiger, back in '99. Needless to say, I went wow over the bike, and as you can see, I finally did get one. Here it is, ready to start out bright an early. There was no way I'd be arriving to that show any other way! Even though this is the middle of May we've been having some pretty cold weather lately, almost down to frost levels overnight. I wisely put on my windbreaker pants which also protected me from the rain, as the wind was biting, way up in the mountains. I do wish I hadn't removed my heated vest accessory so soon though. Even with my Kilamanjaro and a couple layers underneath, and my headed hand-grips at full throttle, it was barely enough to fend off the cold up in the mountains of WV and MD. When I stopped for gas, I was a bit stiff in the knees, but basically I survived the trip. Turns out the day was beautiful.
To give you a bit of history, this used to be simply the British Bike Show and due to poor management, it was cancelled. Last year, in 2001 it wasn't even held. It was reborn, integrating all British Bikes with classic European and called the British & European Classic Motorcycle Day. It was a resounding success! I was very impressed with the round-up of bikes and overall organization. No doubt I'll be there next year
I got a number of great pictures. I paid close attention to the BMWs, after all I own a /5, and was quite impressed to a number like mine. There was also an impressive number of earlier models such as the /2 and the early R bikes. Before my camera batteries decided to head south, I managed quite a number of interesting photos.

Classic BMW

An R28, one of the earliest boxer - twins, dating back to the late 20s. Not something you see everyday.
A '54 R68. Notice the license plate. It isn't real, but a well-made flat reproduction. Incidentally R68 is a valid plate number, and I wonder what bike the original is on.

Did BMW really make a 90/2?
Click on it to find out!
'/2', the common name for the BMW models made from 1960 to 1968 came in two colors. Most were black, but a few were white.
Yes, a beautiful /5 Toaster Tank. My other bike which hopefully will be back on the road some day.

Classic British

A post-war AJS, a mark later bought out by Triumph. It has many features common to Triumphs at that time.
Obviously one of th earliest Triumphs ever made. This model dates back to about 1910 and yes, it runs!
A beautiful BSA. I'm guessing a '68 based on the license plate.

Too bad I wasn't able to get more pictures, since there were plenty more intresting British bikes to be seen. Dozens of Nortons, a couple Matchless (even one for sale), many more Triumphs and yes, even a Panther which I had never heard of before. The Panther was a '37.
There was even a strange German contraption which was a cross between a tank and motorcycle. It was used by the Nazis to haul supplies and men over the mountainous terrain. Not many were built and maybe only a dozen or so survived. I was very impressed by the research that the owner had done. He restored to the detail it would have appeared, during the War.
The parking area was also interesting. Almost every modern bike could be found there. I paid close attention to any Hinckley Triumphs such as the Speed Triple. There were Guzzis, loads of BMWs, and of course lots of Japanese and some Harley.

Modern Euro Bikes

A beautiful lime-green Speed Triple.
A Guzzi. Quite the Muscle-Bike
A K1200, BMW's newest Sport K-Bike.
A friend of mine bought one of those.

Interesting license plates on some of the bikes at the show.
Click on the plates to see them on the bikes.

On guess which bike.
Yes, the exact same year/model of BMW that I own
Yes, this was on a two-wheeler, not a trike. I wonder what kind of diability, then?

Do you suppose this rider goes for the Dig 'em Sugar Smacks Frog like I dig Tony the Tiger, the Frosted Flakes dude?
This was on another /5. It is different than the usual DC plate. I wonder, is it for a historic bike? What does M/T stand for?
Yes, even Diplomats own bikes! At least one came to this show.

I met up with a few BMW friends, which was always nice. And of course Marc Jurus of Motostrada was there as I expected. He still has that Ducati, but is looking to sell it to buy a truck for his business.
Heading home after dusk was just as brutally cold. Even though it was warm at the show, it got darn cold up in the mountains which I had to cross on I-68 to get home. I made it home, but needed to soak in a warm bath to thaw out! Next time I'll remember to use my heated vest!

© 2002, Tigerdude.com
Page created Jun 9, 2002
Page finished on Jun 14, 2002

An R28, one of the earliest boxer - twins, dating back to the late 20s. Not something you see everyday.	A '54 R68. Notice the license plate. It isn't real, but a well-made flat reproduction. Incidentally R68 is a valid plate number, and I wonder what bike the original is on.
Did BMW really make a 90/2? Click on it to find out!	'/2', the common name for the BMW models made from 1960 to 1968 came in two colors. Most were black, but a few were white.	Yes, a beautiful /5 Toaster Tank. My other bike which hopefully will be back on the road some day.

On guess which bike.	Yes, the exact same year/model of BMW that I own	*Yes, this was on a two-wheeler, not a trike. I wonder what kind* of diability, then?**
*Do you suppose this rider goes for the Dig 'em* Sugar Smacks Frog like I dig Tony the Tiger, the Frosted Flakes dude?**	This was on another /5. It is different than the usual DC plate. I wonder, is it for a historic bike? What does M/T stand for?	Yes, even Diplomats own bikes! At least one came to this show.