The Classic Motorcycle Club’s annual 1000 Bike Show at Germiston High School on the weekend of July 5-6 once again attracted large crowds of motorcyclists and other visitors, while there were more than 400 classic and modern motorcycles on display.

The chief organiser of the show and chairman of the CMC, Hamish Ireland, says total attendance was in the region of 10 000 people, which was aided by the favourable weather on the two show days.

The sports field outside the display marquee was packed with motorcycles and trikes ridden to the venue by the visitors and this was an amazing motorcycle show in its own right, particularly as regards the many customised machines and so-called cafe racers, which is a fast growing development locally and internationally.

Many of the machines on display were evaluated in concours d’elegance competitions on the Saturday (customised and street bikes) and Sunday (classics) and once again the standards were exceptionally high.

Overall winner - Best Bike on Show - among the classics was Kevin Robertson’s immaculate 1957 Velocette Valiant, which has taken 10 years to build from parts obtained from three sources in South Africa, many of them in very poor condition.

Robertson, an internationally renowned Velocette enthusiast, says he believes his Valiant is one of only three left in SA. He also won Best Bike on Show with his 1935 Excelsior Manxman at the 2012 1000 Bike Show.

Best on Show in the Customised and Street categories was the immaculate BMW Cafe Racer of Eric Repsold.

The 1000 Bike Show has a long history, dating back to the first concours d’elegance organised by the CMC in Springs in 1970, only two years after the founding of this popular club, which is based in Germiston.

The annual event has grown in both the number of motorcycles on display and in stature over the years, having been housed in places such as the East Rand Mall, Avril Elizabeth Children’s Home and the Carlton Centre before ending up at its current venue at the Germiston High School.

It is an important fund-raising event and among the charities and organisations that benefitted from the 1000 Bike Show this year were the SPCA, Germiston High School, Think Bike, Toy Run, Rotary and the Scouts.

All those who attended this year’s show and paid the R60 admission fee were able to enter a giveaway competition where the prize was a Puzey scooter valued at more than R10 000. The winner was Mr M. Evans, of Mondeor.

CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE AWARDS:

Best on show: Kevin  Robertson (Velocette Valiant); Best Vintage:  Fritz Vlietstra (1920 Excelsior); Best Classic:  Kevin  Robertson (Velocette Valiant); Best Post Classic: Neville Nicolam (BMW R69S); Best New Era: J. Norris (Yamaha RZ 50); Best Racing:  Ian Groat (7R AJS); Best combination: Bart Eva (BMW R50/2); Best Durban-Johannesburg (DJ) motorcycle:     Fritz Kramer (1920 Excelsior); Ladies’ Choice: Peter Vlietstra (BSA Sloper); Historic Motorcycle Group (HMG):  Eddie Rulph          (Suzuki GT550); Best Italian: J.Kraehmer (Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000); VMX Offroad: Gray Dick (Yamaha YZ100); VMX Racing: Paulo do Couto (Suzuki  RM400); Speedway: Brad Devine; Best Stand: Honda.

BEST STREET AND CUSTOM AWARDS:

Best Cruiser: Anthony Singleton  (Suzuki Boulevard); Best Bobber:  Bobber Bros. (Triumph Spitfire); Best Custom:  Dyno by Quint  (Kawasaki 1300); Best Harley Davidson: Stefan Myburg  (1948 Harley Davidson; Best Street Fighter: Deon du Toit (Suzuki GT750); Best Street Modified: Dyno by Quint (Hayabusa Supercharged); Café Racer: Eric Repsold  (BMW);  Best Rat Bike:  Kallie Ludick; Best Trike:   Allan Casy  (Honda Goldwing); Best Standard Motorcycle:  Sean McGlead (Kawasaki Z1300); Best Engineered: Eric Repsold (BMW Café Racer); Best on Show: Eric Repsold (BMW Café Racer).

The Cayenne Group were pleased to announce that they had just signed an official deal for the EBR (Eric Buell Racing) brand for South Africa.

The EBR brand adds to the Cayenne Groups exciting range of unique and exotic motorcycles.

“The EBR brand or Buell is well known to motorcyclists in South Africa and was marketed by Harley Davidson in SA some time ago and owned by them internationally when they bought the business years ago,” said Craig Langton dealer principal of the Cayenne Group.

“The legendary Eric Buell parted company with them some years ago to go on his own and form EBR, we will be getting there latest model the EBR 1190 SX titled the Superfighter and said to be the ultimate sports motorcycle”

“Added to the purchase of an EBR unit customers will get a Service for Life plan and will also be illegible for our new exclusive financial package that includes a residual the first ever in the two wheel industry, the no deposit guarantee, a guaranteed buy back, plus free licence and registration. “ said Langton.

Following the successful introduction of their 1190 RX superbike, Erik Buell Racing introduced the EBR 1190 SX, a true naked street fighter-style sport bike with uncompromised Superbike race-bred performance and handling.

Sharing the 1190 RX's V-Twin engine rated at 185 crankshaft horsepower and more than 136 Nm of torque, the new EBR 1190 SX delivers the highest performance available in the street fighter category. EBR founder and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell is no stranger to street fighter-style sport bikes, having defined the category with the introduction of the S1 Lightning in 1995. "The street fighter classification, which was so revolutionary when we first came to market, is now being used by marketing people for all sorts of motorcycles, including some thinly-disguised standard bikes that have de-tuned or obsolete powertrains," said Buell. "So, perhaps the appropriate new name for a bike like the 1190 SX is, 'Superfighter'."

With much componentry carried over from the EBR 1190 RX superbike, the 1190 SX is a genuine high-performance motorcycle with a racing heritage. True to its 'street fighter' designation, however, the 1190 SX is designed to be a dominating street machine. Featuring an athletic upright riding position and wider handlebars for nimble handling, and minimalist bodywork for lower weight, the 1190 SX is equally at home carving mountain passes on the open road or taking on the concrete jungle of the city. As with all EBR sport bikes, the 1190 SX features many Erik Buell signature innovations to optimize handling and performance, such as fuel in the frame for lower weight and centralized mass, hubless wheels and perimeter brake rotors for lower unsprung weight, and EBR's proprietary Controlled Swirl Induction (CSI), which improves power and fuel economy, while lowering exhaust emissions.

"With this new naked sportbike EBR will enter an important market segment in Europe," says Edwin Belonje, Managing Director EBR Europe. "The 1190 SX will without any doubt boost sales of EBR in Europe and strengthen our market presence."

The EBR 1190 SX will be launched in Europe as of October 2014 and will be available in a variety of colours, South Africa could well have this motorcycle long before that. No retail prices were announced as the Cayenne Group were still doing the numbers.

With the new PRO Shade System, Arai now introduces a (patented) revolutionary solution to a well-known problem: sun glare!

It is nowadays quite common to use a retractable sun-visor that is situated between the helmet’s outer- and inner shell to protect against sun glare. However, it’s Arai’s opinion that this construction could affect the performance of a helmet during impact.

As the PRO Shade System is completely mounted on the outside of the helmet, it will not in any way negatively affect the performance of the helmet. It confirms to Arai’s R75 Shape concept.

The PRO Shade System is a small peak that is locked in position. Unlocking is easy; just pull the shade peak forward. Than it can be flipped down with a flick of the hand, to perform as an effective sun-visor.

The PRO Shade System is the complete all-weather system for serious touring riders, offering protection against: sun glare, fogging and misting. Especially for riders that prefer an upright seating position and/or the comfort of a fairing, the PRO Shade System will enhance the rider’s comfort significantly.

Unique features:

• Complete system, mounted on clear MAX Vision visor
• Enhanced aerodynamics
• Increased helmet stability
• Less wind noise
• Removable peak for easy cleaning
• No contact with visor: no scratching
• Fits all Arai “SAI” full-face helmets

Available as from Spring 2014