Saturday June 13 2015: another edition of ´Koning Zelfbouw Dag´ ('King Bikebuilding Day'). For the fourth time in a row Goos Bos, owner of Motoport Hengelo, gathered garage builders in his shop. Like previous two years I was asked on the jury of the bikeshow. The Netherlands hardly has a stage for private bikemechanics and -designers, so of course I agreed.
Aim at the picture to see more information on the show. In Dutch language.
No luggage on the handle bars so I accelerated once a while. The rain didn't catch up with me.
Even better: it was sunny all morning. Which is very important because rain keeps a lot of bikers at home.
As I entered the shop I saw a remarkable wooden machine. I spoke to the owner: it's a replica of the first motorcycle ever, the 'Gottlieb Daimler Reitwagen' (1885). You find more information on this extraordinairy project on this site; don't forget to take a look at the movie!
About thirty bikes entered the competition. The following selection is just ... a selection.
One of the first bikes that caught my eye was this classic racer, based on a boring eighties bike, the Yamaha XS850 three cylinder.
Another eyecatcher: this bobber Harley called 'Slapeloze Nachten' ('Sleepless Nights'), with spoke wheels, springer fork and oversized front wheel (23 inch!). Nice job by Bjorn van der Weide.
Most bikes had a specs sheet, which were often read by men ...
... and women.
This brutal V-Max was at the show last year as well. It proved one can make an impressive bike even more scary. Big and bad in every detail, upto the tyres: 180 front, 330(!) in the back.
If you almost close your eyes you see Easy Rider, don't you? But this one is powered by a classic Honda single-overhead-cam fourcylinder.
Far more modest: this cafe racer, based on a Suzuki LS650 Savage. A beautiful bike ...
... with very convincing paint job. Owner/builder Gerrit Aanstoot did all the work himself, construction ánd paint.
Not finished but certainly one-of-a-kind is this Honda CB650C, built by Arjan Eektimmerman.
Brutal, hard-edge, Mad Max, all these all keywords that come to my mind. More on this bike here.
Like last year Joost's GT750 was present again. At first glance not a real eyecatcher but a very special bike nonetheless: USD fork, GSX-R wheels, custom fuel injection, custom exhaust. You can follow his build here.
This bike made me smile: it doesn't always have to be impressive, a bike can be 'funny' too, or 'cute'. This XJR 400 was.
Fuel tank detail: owner/'builder' Astrid Jol decorated the tank with Spongebob stickers.
Back to the serious builds, like this XS650 bobber twin. Built by G&M Choppers, which sounds very commercial but is not: G & M stands for Ger and Marga, two plain bike enthousiasts, as you can see on their website. On their site I found the proverb Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul. So very true: this bike has soul.
Beside bikes Thunder & Lighting was present, like last year. Totally focussed on taking the ultimate picture of showbikes.
As I said before: good weather attracts bikers ...
... and swapping knowledge with other bike builders.
A new generation shopped for a new outfit ...
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
... small businesses presented their goods ...
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
... The Ugly Twins made some music ...
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
... and no one had to be hungry.
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
After a few hours of heavy rain the weather cleared. All washed-off fingerprints were replaced immediately. ;)
In the meanwhile organizer Goos Bos counted the votes for the public award. Goos's character is a nice mixture of modesty and authentic enthousiasm.
"Goos...?"
"Say 'Cheese' please, Goos..."
"There you are!" ;)
Onno 'berserk' Wieringa (on my left) and myself again compared apples and oranges. Like last year we had some quite specific criteria though, like first impression, unicity, engineering, attention to detail, and paintjob. No deduction for signs of wear due to use. Finding the winners didn't take us too long.
First Goos handed out the award for the public votes; Bjorn van der Weide got it for 'Slapeloze Nachten'. Well deserved!
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
Third place was for the XS650 bobber, built by Ger Voetman. Quotes from the jury report: timeless concept, timeless engine. Complete in every detail.
Runner-up was Gerrit Aanstoot's LS650 café racer. Quotes from the jury report: compact bike, simple clear lines. Industrial look, perfect paintjob: fooling visitors as the painted pop rivets look very real. Consequent styling. One point for improvement: make a matching casing for the battery.
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
Winner, and 'Koning Zelfbouw 2015', is Maarten Poodt with his XS850 classic racer. Quotes from the jury report: every year Maarten builds and presents another Yamaha. Last year his succesful GTS (third place), now a winner based on a lazy XS850, in racing trim; ever seen a race bike with cardan? And again a bike you can pass without noticing it as it looks like it came directly from the factory: on one hand that is a disadvantage but, on the other hand, shows the design- and production skills of Maarten. This bike will not stay in showrooms: it will be used in street competition. Finally: this is a bike in which every XS850 wants to reincarnate.
Picture: madnessphotography.eu
Again it was a successful event. I'll be there next year for sure, at the first lustrum. Keep up the good work, Goos!