2018 Shannons Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza
Based on auction results and enthusiast reverence, Vincent is one of the two pillars of collectable classic motorcycles today. The other is Brough Superior. Both are British and both are brilliant, but while Broughs have an aura of exclusivity and are rarely seen, let alone seen in action, Vincents seem more attainable and somewhat more “usable” despite their elite status.
That may not be the reality, but it was certainly the impression gained after time spent at this year’s Shannons Insurance Broadford Bike Bonanza (SIBBB), where Vincents of all types, ages and conditions turned out in force, providing a ‘Stevenage Spectacle’ for attendees that’s unlikely to be repeated.
Now an Easter institution, this year’s tenth annual Bonanza (held from 30 March to 1 April) was big, and the appearance of so many Vincent motorcycles in one place was a big part of what it so.
An Irving of Vincents There’s no known collective noun for a group of Vincents, so JUST BIKES decided to invent one. We’re calling it an ‘Irving’ of Vincents in honour of Phil Irving, the Aussie-born engineer who was so pivotal in Vincent development.
After Vincent (and Vincent-H.R.D., to be inclusive) was announced as the featured marque for the 2018 SIBBB, the call-out for bikes resulted in 85 Vincents taking part, covering the company’s 1927 beginnings, through to its end in 1955. The Vincent celebration was far from ‘static’, though, with many examples cutting laps on the Broadford road race circuit, while a clutch of seven Vincent-powered speedway outfits howled around the dirt track, too.
Many examples of the highly-collectable Series A through D pre- and post-war Vincents were present, with a trio, spanning the A, B and C Series, coming from one man’s collection; specifically that of enthusiast and regular JUST BIKES advertiser, Franc Trento of Eurobrit Motorcycles.
Neal Videan had his supercharged, highly-modified ex-Bob Satterly Vincent drag bike on show, while a machine to rival the auction record-setting Jack Ehret Black Lightning (a competition special version of the Black Shadow) for ‘cool’ factor, if not price, was another Black Lightning.
Found in Tasmania by a member of the Vincent Owners’ Club and returned to running condition for the first time in 48 years just prior to the SIBBB, this particular Black Lightning was a clear highlight amongst the Vincents.
“If it wasn’t for days like the SIBBB, you would never see bikes of (this) calibre – they would just sit in sheds collecting dust, (but) now people get the chance to see them up close,” said Vincent Owners’ Club president, Bob Allan.
Along with the authentic Vincents, there were a few hybrids. Too, including a handful of Norton-framed ‘NorVin’ machines and even a Ducati-framed ‘VinCati’ that’s been with the owner for almost 50 years.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Vincent celebration without the Irving Vincents, and the Horner brothers duly obliged with five of their singles and the black-and-beautiful outfit, with Beau Beaton and Noel Beare on the latter.
But the 2018 SIBBB wasn’t all about Vincents. BSA Bantams were also celebrated, with a small brood of the baby BSAs enjoying their own display area, while another feature was a look back at the life and career of Neil Street OAM. The Aussie speedway legend was recognised by a pair of more recent legends in Phil and Jason Crump.
Another special treat for attendees this year was the presentation of Ron Angel’s amazing collection of more than two-dozen rare and significant race bikes – but more on those later.
Keeping it Real For all its celebration of significant marques, special models and motorcycling heroes, the SIBBB is far from an elitist event. In fact, it’s about as ‘grass roots’ as it gets, with anything on two wheels (and sometimes three!) welcome, as long it’s pre-1990.
And the Victorian State Motorcycle Sports Complex location for the event means that no matter what your pre-1990 machine was – road bike, track racer, motocross, trials, enduro or speedway -there was a place to ride it. For spectators, they could wander from track to track, sure of finding something different in action each time.
The motto of the event is “no racing, just riding”, so there’s no pressure to cut fast laps or spend big bucks preparing machines to within an inch of their lives. The enthusiasts on small-capacity tiddlers that look like they’ve just been dragged out of the shed are just as welcome - and have just as much fun – as the guys and girls sliding a knee on booming big-capacity sportsbikes and gleaming restorations.
There are always a few customs, hybrids and other Frankenstein creations that warrant closer inspection, too, with this year being no exception on that front.
Good Friday, Super Saturday The 2018 SIBBB kicked off on 30 March, Good Friday, with the road race and MX tracks opened up in the afternoon - for those who just couldn’t wait for the weekend!
Friday also saw Roscoe Holden’s ‘Mini bike Reunion’ return in a fun feature that’s becoming a regular part of the event. This year’s gathering also raised more than $10,000 for charity.
On Saturday, 31 March, all tracks were in ‘go’ mode from 9:00AM, with the road race circuit particularly busy this year. Hardly surprising, really, as this year’s tenth anniversary SIBBB saw the campgrounds near capacity, a record entry list and huge visitor numbers, too.
With the road race course open to various classes of novice, intermediate and expert riders, as well as three different race bike categories and sidecars, the crowd always had something cool to eyeball; even moreso when they went down to the pits for a closer look at the machinery.
Angels High Speaking of a closer look, those who ventured to the upper pit level were treated to a very special – and very rare - display of vintage race bikes from the collection of Ron Angel.
Most of these bikes rarely leave Ron’s secret storage facility and it’s even rarer for them all to be on show at once. True classic enthusiasts recognised this and in JUST BIKES’ brief chat with Ron at the event, he said handshakes and words of thanks for bringing the collection out had come from literally dozens of people.
Ron’s display showcased famous and forgotten marques, with the Honda, Norton, Kawasaki, Bimota and Yamaha race bikes you’d expect, but those familiar names were outnumbered by rarities, like a Matchless-engined Seely Mk3, Aermacchi ‘Ala D’Oro’ 350, Rotax-engined oddities from Saxon, Baker and Waddon, plus an MBA (the result of a collaboration between Morbidelli and Benelli), MZ 250 and a Paton 250 built for the ’64 Isle of Man TT that was described by Ron as not only the only one in Australia, but the only one in the world, as it was the sole example built.
However, the king of Ron’s collection had to be the 1969 Jawa 350 ‘673’ V4. A water-cooled two-stroke GP racer, the 673 featured four cylinders in tight 35-degree angle and was fuelled by a quartet of Amal or Dell-Orto carbies and could produce 72hp (around 53kW) and rev to 13,000rpm. A competitive machine when it debuted in 1967, the Jawa suffered regular seizures and as such, never achieved the competition glory of its main rival from MV Agusta. Within a few years, it was being outrun by Japanese two-strokes and quietly faded out of grand prix racing. Ron’s example, like virtually all is machines, has been restored to running condition.
Speedway (Very) Special For fans of speedway, seeing legends Phil and Jason Crump up close was treat enough, but when Phil fired up his game-changing Street Jawa, we reckon a few trousers ‘moved’.
Engineered in 1974 by Ivan Tighe from ideas developed by the late Neil Street while he was still competing, the Street Jawa – or SR4, to give it its correct name - was essentially a DOHC conversion of a standard Jawa 500 2V pushrod engine. The design required casting new heads with four valves and the addition of two overhead camshafts, chain driven and tensioned by an eccentrically-mounted idler gear.
A running prototype was produced in just four weeks and saw its first real race in the hands of Phil Crump in 1975, resulting in a victory. Street took his design to the UK the same season and was so successful there were calls for the SR4 to be banned from competition. But within a few short years, both factory and aftermarket 4V and DOHC conversions were being offered.
A beautifully restored example of an SR4-engined speedway bike was provided for Phil to fire up and cruise the track with, creating the aforementioned euphoria that was just one highlight of the Saturday afternoon’s ‘Speedway Spectacular’; one of the others being when triple World Speedway Champion Jason Crump and Jason Stewart ran the speedway track on a pair of Street Jawas.
Unfortunately, accidents from some entrants shortened the program, but there’s no doubt the punters got their money’s worth.
Fittingly, Street was one of the recipients (posthumous) of the Motorcycling Australia Museum and Heritage Committee ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards held at the SIBBB dinner later that evening. Other recipients included Phil Crump, IoM TT winner Barry Smith and track announcer Bob Johnson.
Sunday Funday The final day of the 2018 SIBBB continued the pattern set on Saturday, but with such a big program the day before, it’s fair to say Easter Sunday’s action was a little more subdued.
With long journeys ahead - interstate in many instances – some entrants pulled the pin early and relaxed watching those who were still keen to wring every last minute of track time out of the day!
In declaring this year’s SIBBB a success, Event Coordinator, Rachelle Wilkinson, extended her thanks to the those who took part and made the event so great, as well as the hard-working volunteers, from flag marshals to cleaners and ticket sellers, who are pivotal to the success of enthusiast events like this.
Plans for next year’s SIBBB are underway – watch this space for previews and event details.
Words & Photos: Mike Ryan
