May 25, 2013: the second edition of ´Koning Zelfbouw Dag´ (King Bikebuilding Day). Location: Motoport Hengelo. A great initiative by owner and bikebuilder Goos Bos because there is never enough exposure for the individual 'shed builder'.
To support the initiative I enlisted the CBX. Not for the competition (I've won enough awards) but for promoting the event. Goos placed the bike on his blog koningzelfbouw.blogspot.nl.
On Saturday morning I got up at 5:30 AM to get the bike at the show before it opened.
At 06.45 AM I was on my way to Hengelo (blue line). Those were 116 damn cold kilometers: on departure the thermometer showed 2 degrees Celcius. But: it did not rain, and that was exceptional in this soaking wet month.
I met enthusiastic organizer Goos Bos, and the CBX got a nice spot at the entrance of his shop.
The bike got quite some attention ...
... as did the specs sheet.
Like always and everywhere, looking turned to touching and squeezing.
There was a miscellaneous aftermarket.
I met Wall of Death rider and local phenomenon Henny Kroeze.
No less colorful is bike photographer Onno 'berserk' Wieringa. With him and Henny I would judge the bike show.
That promised to be no easy task. The number of bikes wasn't overwhelming (27 of them) but the diversity was. This had to be the proverbial comparison of apples with oranges.
A small selection: tiny and charming was this Jincheng. Builder Bram Norp transformed a bauble Chinese motorbike into a delicate design. Parts from Honda, Kreidler and even the port light of a ship are incorporated. Sounds messy but it all fits wonderfully well together.
Nice detail is the 'clutch shifter' (sometimes called 'suicide clutch') that shifts gear with a grip at the left of the handlebar. The term 'suicide' makes sense: it's not very a very good idea to shift gears with only one hand at the handlebar.
An old friend: the 1186cc four-cylinder Alfa Romeo Alfasud by Frank Rooderkerken. Still a splendid piece of engineering, and nerve.
Nice mix of classic and modern: this GSX-R 1100 called 'Twisted Synergy' by Michiel Hartemink. High-tech in oldskool trim.
Also a very nice bike: the WL 900 "Joe Petrali", named after the legendary speed demon.
Talking about 'legends': the Yamaha VMax is certainly one. A powerhouse, even more in this version. Big, bigger, biggest, ending with the huge 330 rear tire.
Picture: Onno Wieringa
In the course of the day my beloved sister Cécile came along. For many years rode together. Some time ago she stopped but there's still a residue of gasoline in her blood.
She was very fond of this two-stroke Suzuki GT750 from 1971. Builder and student (!) Joost van der Wiel showed this beautiful combination of low-budget and high-tech. It has a custom made fuel injection system, which is very useful for this type of engine: in two-stroke engines the air-fuel ratio is even more important than in four-stroke engines. A two-stroke runs bad if the fuel mixture is too rich and breaks down if the mixture is too lean. The trick is to run it as lean as possible without destroying the pistons. This three-cylinder two-stroke is known for the burned hole in the middle of the center piston: with fuel injection you can adjust the amount of fuel per injector so the outer two can be leaner and the middle be richer, enhancing performance and the engine's life.
Cécile spent a significant part of the afternoon persuading the jurors. Unsuccessfully: the GT did not win an award.
The unexpected good weather attracted a lot of bikers. This event deserved it.
There was this beautiful Norton ...
.. a Liberator from World War II ...
... and this bizarre sidecar. A striking specimen.
Probably because bad weather was expected they served pea soup.
Back inside we had to start judging. To be able to compare apples with oranges, and because bike builders deserve more than 'beautiful' or 'ugly', I listed a number of criteria by which we could assess the bikes both optical (first impression, overall look, uniqueness of design, paintjob) and technical (amount of DIY, technical solutions/innovation, workmanship, paintjob).
As Highlander said: "There can only be one!"
For me there was a convincing winner: the BMW R1100GS by Edwin Mensink. I'm not exactly a BMW lover (to say it mildly) but the brutal looks of this bike convinced me instantly: the high fat tank, the wide engine and the narrow tyres, the extremely short seat, the angle of the subframe, the carbon fibre design on the tank, the color scheme and finish. And, not to forget: it's an unclassifyable bike. Exceptional.
From every viewpoint a beauty.
Yes, I know, it's a BMW. But a very different one.
The jury agreed on the second place as well. I'd never before experienced a jury of three that agreed on the first two places without consultation.
Maarten Poodt's Yamaha-TR1-to-cafe racer is just an expertly built bike. Not as surprising and innovative as the BMW but wonderful to see how much beauty and style he transformed out of a hideous original.
Picture: Onno Wieringa
Because they were certainly ugly, these original TR1's from the early eighties.
As I forgot to make decent pictures of this bike (yes, shame on me), I asked Bart (BDGpictures.com) to send me some. Which he generously did.
Look how slim this bike is ...
Foto: BDG Pictures
... the perfection in detail ...
Foto: BDG Pictures
... and how consistent the paintjob evolves into the leather seat. Nice.
Foto: BDG Pictures
The jury strongly disagreed on the third place. The discussion in the office was intense and interesting, and continued next to the candidates.
Eventually even CNJ * Goos Bos joined in.
* Conscious Non-Juror
Nevertheless, no one was killed.
Okay, third place then. We eventually chose Erik Wieringa's VF Sabre. Not really an inspiring engine but excelling in ingenious solutions like the adjustable rake and the construction of the rear fender. And all 'shed made'.
Back in the office we worked out a report so the winners would hear the jury's motivation.
The prize giving ceremony was entirely in Henny's hands. Give that man a microphone and he transforms into a true entertainer. He improvised without ever referring to the jury report. Still he did a fine job.
Winner Edwin 'King Bikebuilding 2013' Mensink got a bit emotional, which was nice to see. He said that each participating homebuilder was a winner. A cliche of course but we all know that cliches are very true.
After the ceremony I did a couple of demos, and then rode to Erwin.
(see red route on the map)
The navigator led me through the inlands of Twente, through villages with names like Reutum and Rossum.
In Vasse I was welcomed by Erwin and his son Mees who also caught the bike virus.
Together we rode north to biker camp The Rose in Hoogstede (D).
(see green route on the map)
After the tasty pea soup there was space enough for a hearty meal. We remembered that Gert and Sylvia are very good at preparing that. Healthy and colorful food ...
... combined with nourishing food.
It ha'd been nice weather all day but finally there was the promised rain.
Focused as I was on my inside, I remembered too late that my tent, outside, was still open.
We drank beers ...
... so fortunately we were properly anesthesized as our hosts suddenly started karaoke at 02.00 AM.
We had a good time with the ten-headed Dutch-Moluccan biker family called 'La familia'. At 3:30 AM we called it a day.
It rained all night so as I got up, at 07.30 AM, the world looked quite desolate.
Alas, even such conditions can lead to a fairly nice picture.
After a regal breakfast (again: praise!) I was back on track. Direction: home.
(see purple route on the map)
The 171 kilometer way back was ... dry! Unbelievable how much luck as I've had in terms of rain. The gusty east wind made it nasty cold though. Late May, 11 AM, 7 degrees Celcius; say no more.
The weekend gave me 345 cold and windy kilometers, but fortunately at the right moments it was dry and even sunny; the initiative 'King Bikebuilding Day' deserved no less. Will I be present next year? Certainly think so!