A Meeting of the 'Boys' and their Bikes!

Saturday afternoon was a perfect day for the boys to meet - to lift a glass and tell a few tales from the road. It was a meeting of the, let's call them the Kingston Motorcycle Club. They're a pretty casual group with no real name, no membership fees and no real agenda for their meeting except to talk a little motorcycle and enjoy the company. They didn't seem to mind at all when Barbara and I showed up to crash their party at the Creekside where they meet - every now and then.

Most of the group has known each other for years, their pasts tied to British motorcycles. New member or old, they all have something in common, they all appreciate vintage British motorcycles. Some have been involved with British bikes as racers or connoisseurs for many years while others have more recently taken up the passion. Some still ride their classic bikes, some ride more modern bikes and others just remember when. Several are collectors some restorers and on Saturday they met just because - because every once in a while on a Saturday they do that.



Mother Nature was on the 'clubs' side on Saturday and a lot of the boys took advantage of her gift - a rare, mid November, perfect riding day. Who would believe 15 degrees C. Barbara and I walked the 3 km just to soak up the sunshine. When we arrived I was thrilled to see that not everybody was riding British and my favorite picks in the parking lot - the 70's something Yamaha 650 and the pristine vintage Virago (Okay, the others were 'nice' too).

The topic at the table where I sat seemed to be of modern,'ethanol' containing gasolines and whether all modern grades of gasoline include ethanol and how ethanol contributes to rust inside a tank (think I'll coin that 'tank-rot' talk). There were a few tales of crashes and talk of where to buy vintage parts and who was the best painter when it came to bikes and gas tanks especially. My friend Ron's name came up as a fine 'craftsman' in the bike restoration world (Ron's restorations took a first and second place in the vintage show at the 2010 North American International Motorcycle Super Show). All in all - it was a pleasant afternoon, well worth the walk there and back.