By: Dave Abrahams
Cape Town - Sunday’s first annual Cape Bike Expo in the gardens of Timour Hall in Plumstead may have exceeded expectations by a factor of four, but it didn’t lose the informal atmosphere the gracious old homestead, long the home of the annual Classic Car Show, always lends to the occasion.
Part of that was due to the setting; although it was indeed a trade show, with several new models not seen before in Cape Town and a host of specialist aftermarket suppliers and custom workshops showing off just what it is possible to create locally on two wheels, it is difficult to imagine that it would have had the same vibe if it had held in an exhibition hall.
Part of it was the music, as rock duo Black Irish belted out biker favourites such as Black Velvet and Hotel California - but mostly it was because the visitors’ parking was as much part of the show as the brand-new bikes on the trade stands.
A MOVEABLE FEAST
Among them were an ultra-rare 1832cc American-made Honda Rune, an S&S powered “custom Harley” without a single Harley-Davidson component on it, and dozens of freshly-built bobbers based on machines as varied as 125cc Sachs schoolboy specials, big old BMW flat twins and Harley Sportsters.
There was also a small but vocal group of Yamaha RD350 LC two-stroke sports bikes, nearly all with riders who were younger than their bikes.
It was literally a movable feast as bikes came and went all day long. Convenor Jo Huysamen was hoping for 300 visitors but played it safe for the first Cape Bike Expo, ordering only 200 of the coveted metal badges – but in the end some 875 machines rumbled, rattled and rolled through the gates, to give the Cape Bike Expo its unique flavour.