30 Jun On Yer Bike: Father’s Day demonstrations

FMM Curator Wayne relives his motorcycle demonstration runs during FMM’s Father’s Day action…

What a wonderful feeling to be able to present Father’s Day at the museum again after two years of lockdown restrictions. It is always an honour to show visitors that the museum is not a static collection but rather a home to vehicles that are capable of getting around – even if it is just around our 400-metre parade loop! – and, as usual, our cars are given pride of place. However, as a diehard motorcyclist, I again elected to present and demonstrate a few of the interesting bikes in our collection.

While the honour of being this year’s oldest vehicle on display went to the 1916 Ford Model T Speedster, the amazing 1917 Triumph Model H is only fractionally younger while both being more than a 100 years old. The Triumph boasts a basic internal combustion engine, exposed valve gear and a total-loss oiling system, which amazed a few interested spectators who stopped me to have a closer look.

Another motorcycle that drew a lot of attention was ‘Captain America’, the 1964 Harley-Davidson tribute machine from the movie Easy Rider. This hero bike is always a crowd favourite just because of its sheer scale, long forks, abundance of chrome and the unmistakable sound of the 1340cc V-twin ‘thumper’ engine.

We also had the opportunity to present two of our latest acquisitions, a BMW RT80 donated by Alet De Hart, and a 1983 Honda XL 500s. These motorcycles made their way to the museum during lockdown and both have been reported on in previous newsletters. The BMW was running for the first time in public since its donation late last year. ‘Rhonda the Honda’ is a stunning example of a street scrambler and is 100% original. It’s not often that a bike of this vintage is still in such great condition.

Another first was the presentation of the Yamaha FZR 1000, the motorcycle that was sent to South Africa for the development of the Sasol racing fuel during the years of Jordan F1 and Sasol collaboration in early 1990s. This bike has only travelled 75 kilometres and is an exhibit that we don’t run too often as we want to maintain the machine’s low mileage. So, I really enjoyed the rare opportunity of being able to exercise the Yamaha for visitors.

Next up is the replica Manx Norton 500 GP bike, the likes of which was so successful in the Isle of Man TT races of the 1960s. It is a regular at Father’s Day parades, and with the engine being run on good old Castrol R, it only takes a few laps before the parade ring has that classic racing scent associated with Castrol’s classic oil, adding some sporty atmosphere to the demo runs.

Another racer on the runs was the Mike Hailwood replica Ducati 900, a motorcycle that also shot to fame because of its wins at the Isle of Man. The Ducati is a work of art on wheels with a sound to match.

Finally, we presented a motorcycle that was many a 1970’s schoolboys dream machine – the memorable Suzuki AS50.  I was pleasantly surprised at how many people are still captivated by two-stroke engines, and lovingly remember scooting around on small-capacity bikes in the ’70s and ’80s.

In conclusion, I must say that it is always so rewarding to see and hear visitors’ joy when we do the Father’s Day parade. Roll on next year…

(NB: The Triumph is currently on display in Hall A while the Suzuki can be seen in Hall B. Captain America, the BMW RT80, Rhonda the Honda, the Sasol Yamaha, the Manx Norton and the Ducati are all on view in Hall D.)