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Vintage Motorcycles have been at Larks in the Park since 2006 when Wally Vernon contacted Bob Crawley of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club asking for a display of motorcycles to be part of the attractions at the Morris Way Playing Fields.
The bikes displayed this year were Bob Crawley's 500cc Royal Enfield Meteor, Ben Morley's 650cc Triumph Thunderbird and Ian Mitchell's 1100cc Gold Wing Trike.
Bob helps to run the East Herts section of the VMCC which meets on the 3rd Tuesday evening of every month at the Broadlakes Social Club in Shenley Lane.
The VMCC is a national club of some 15,000 members with between them 151 makes of machine. The club provides mark specialists, who are experts in particular makes of motorcycle, to give help on technical points required during the frequently lengthy restorations. Sometimes, there may be only one of this type of machine left in the world which is where the club library comes in handy.
The word vintage is meant to mean rare and of good quality which does not apply to all motorcycles. Some did not handle too well, some oiling systems were prone to malfunction leading to engine seizure and that was when they were new! The club caters for Veteran motorcycles (1900 - 1915), Vintage (1916 - 1930), Post-Vintage (1931 - 1938) and Post-War ('39 onwards) so some modifications are needed to make older models suitable for modern conditions, for example the braking systems on pre 1930 models may require modification.
The VMCC was formed in the mid 1940s when most members were newly demobbed. Money was tight and the bikes were used for work transport' and for racing, road trials and grass track at the weekends. Some of the founder members were stationed in Egypt. They formed the Bar None Club' and raced modified dispatch rider bikes round a marked course in the desert.
The VMCC caters for all levels of interest. Some members just like having a mechanical hobby involving a bit of tinkering about in the shed' while others like to rebuild bikes, sometimes from boxes of bits, and ride them out in the lanes on club runs. These are organised runs with a leader who knows the way and a tail end Charlie wearing a dayglo jacket. Between them are twenty or so riders who take it in turn to stay behind at junctions and direct the following riders, only setting off again when they see the dayglo jacket of the last man. However you do not even have to be a rider, you can come for a drink and talk about your favourite machine and join the social side with the occasional coach trip. Each week there is a vintage motorcycle event somewhere. If you are interested in any aspect of the VMCC then contact me, Bob Crawley on 822347 or look at the VMCC website at www.vmcc.net.
Bob Crawley
East Herts VMCC
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