2025 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend – this August!

The Antique Motorcycle Club of America – Australia Chapter (AMCA) have released details for the 2025 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend, along with the theme for this year’s event.

To be held on 22-23 August at the Bulli Showgrounds (20 min north of Wollongong on the NSW South Coast), the 2025 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend is open to all motorcycles 35 years old and older. It’s much more than just a bike show, with an auction, motorcycle-only swap meet, special guests, demonstrations and tech seminars. There will also be AMCA judging and awards, club displays and live entertainment, with camping available on site.

For this year’s Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend, the theme is ‘Period Modified’ motorcycles, ie. bikes that were customised when new or near new, rather than modern builds based on classics. So, if you have a pre-1990 motorcycle that was modified in period into a chopper, bobber, road racer, scrambler, hillclimber, flat tracker or anything other than its factory spec, bring it along to add to a broader display of stock classic motorcycles, scooters and sidecar outfits that’s expected to run into the hundreds.

One such period modified motorcycle that’s confirmed to appear is the 1928 Harley-Davidson JDH Two Cam ‘Sam Oppie Cutdown’ from Dave Reidie’s Harley City Collection. Back in the early 1930s, between 12 and 20 of these bikes were built by US racer and stunt rider Sam Oppie, but only three are known to survive today. The “cutdown” name comes from Oppie’s practice of modifying the frame’s front downtube to move the engine forward, shortening the seat post and bobbing the fuel tank, all to optimise weight distribution for improved performance.

In addition to its frame mods, Reidie’s Sam Oppie Cutdown had a stronger springer front end fitted, plus a hillclimb-spec flywheel, cam and cylinder modifications that increased the v-twin engine’s capacity from the factory 74 cubic inches to 86. Aside from a pair of later-model wheels, recovered seat and non-original paint job, this Harley is authentic to the way Oppie modified it back in 1932. This bike will be on show and running at Bulli.

The invite for Period Modified motorcycles to attend the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend this August extends to all pre-1990 motorcycles originally made in Europe, Japan, the USA and Great Britain. If it was modified in period, it’s welcome! Of course, stock motorcycles 35 years old and older are also welcome to display at the 2025 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend.

Activities get underway on Friday, 22 August, with set-up for vendors and stallholders from 9:00am, followed by a ‘Chopper Show’ for period-modified bikes that kicks off at 4:00pm and includes live entertainment.

Saturday, 23 August is the main day, with gates opening at 6:00am. Highlights include the motorcycle display, AMCA judging and awards, tech seminars and demonstrations. There’s also the popular swap meet (for motorcycle parts 35yo and older), trade stands and an auction of very desirable pre-1990 motorcycles conducted by Manshed Auctions, with early Harleys, classic Hondas and a very rare Rikuo (Japanese licence-built Harley) among the consignments.

Live entertainment will be running throughout the day, with a bar and food vendors on site, too.

A new addition to this year’s programme is Darrin Treloar, “the world’s greatest sidecar rider,” who will be the keynote speaker.

Entry to the 2025 Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend is free for AMCA members, and just $10/person for the public. Swap meet and trade stand sites are $45/site, which includes unlimited entry for two adults. Camping at the Bulli Showgrounds is free, with showers and toilets on site.

For more details, go to: www.amcaaustralia.org, or look for AMCA Australia on Facebook and Instagram.

Merchandise is available from www.amcaaustralia.org, but purchase early, as items are likely to sell out ahead of the event.