Hosted by the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club
Beautifully presented
Motor bike enthusiasts with an affection for older bikes make up the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC). This motley crew are group of riders with a great affection for the machines that they own and ride. A few tears ago they set up their own club. A few years ago the girls and boys in the club put on a show. It was a resounding success and they’ve put one on every year since.
An amazing display
A lot of the bikes are very tasty examples of older Japanese machines. Many of them date from the early seventies. This was a time when the transition from the dominance of the established brands to the Japanese ones was taking place. In order to do so the Japanese ones needed to be so much better than the European and American ones that they were to replace. By default then, this was a time of rapid evolution in the two wheeled world.
A lot of the bikes in the VJMC stable are powered by two stroke engines. But examples such as the legendary Yamaha RD 350 can be found on display next to some of the bigger four stroke machines such as Hondas CB750.
It’s not all about speed and power though. There’s a wonderful representation of ‘Gappers’. This last one is the family of Cub machines from Honda. If you don’t understand the reference, but would like to, you’re just going to have to go to the show and ask!
Straight Six
This show is being sponsored by Principal Insurance, which is very good of the company to support. The great thing about the show is that it’s still put together by people who have a passion for the bikes they own and love. As many of these are brilliantly maintained, stored and presented there will be a ‘best of show’ awarded at the end of the day. Rather wonderfully the owner of the winning bike doesn’t even have to be a member of the club!
A very real chance to win
The show takes place this coming May 5th on the Sunday of the bank holiday at the National Show Centre in Swords, north Dublin. The event is family friendly. Accompanied children get in for free. Doors open at 10.30am. if you’re interested in a stall, a number are available for auto jumble sellers as well as the motorcycle trade. If you’re interested in taking one give Jason a call on 0872603236.