A Feast of Motorcycles

Walking around the village of Aylesford I discovered that I was missing out on a treat. There was a major event going on and I was not part of it. Motorcycles and plenty of them - more than the eye and ear could handle. I decided to be a part of it.

A DOT motorcycle with a Villiers two cycle engine typical of the early 1920's

Place: Aylesford Priory
Date: July31 -August 2 2009
Event: The International West Kent Rally.


I came upon this accidentally and wallowed in nostalgia for half a day. I saw bikes that once were common when I was a lad (as they say) and others that I had heard of but only seen in NZ. I took many pictures and spoke with a number of the rallyists who mostly seemed to be older men and women with time to spare (and the cash) restoring their machines to pristine original condition. This is not a cheap hobby with basket case bikes starting often at an asking price of £12 000 to £14 000 and after spending much on the restoration (you have to be dedicated) keeping them maintained and running is expensive. The rewards are that you have something unique - as far as can be - or at least you can claim membership of an elite fraternity that has worldwide appeal. The attraction is the amazing camaraderie that is usually present amongst motorcyclists and although the competition is fierce when it comes to showing off and racing the vintage or classic bikes there is a feeling of belonging.

As I wandered around I talked to rallygoers about their bikes and learned a lot but most of all I enjoyed the indulgence of seeing so many bikes in one place. I was told that there were to be 482 entrants for the rally on the Sunday and about 300 would be taking part in the two runs on Saturday.

Walking to the site I heard a familiar sound, among many familiar sounds of Triumphs, Nortons, BSA twins and BMW's and that was the unmistakable purr of the Ariel Square Four commonly known as The Squariel and I wanted to see one. A fine examole of the Ariel Square Four is pictured top.

Opposite is pictured a fine, and notice securely locked, example of an Indian Scout. I admitted to the owner that I once owned an Indian Brave and when I told him which model it was he giggled. The Indian Brave in the USA was a small machine and a two cycle - this one was a 250 sidevalve model made by Brockhouse Engineering and nowhere near the standard of a 'real' Indian.

There were some interesting machines around and on the right I caught an owner polishing his 1933 Triumph model XO. This was a 150cc machine made to catch the Minister of Transport's measures to help the motor and motorcycle industry which was struggling as a result of the Depression. They made Road Fund License concessions for machines of 150cc and under. A mild version of scrappage. Unfortunately the bikes were overpriced and few were sold. This one survived because it only had a few owners - the present owner looked happy when I asked him about the bike and I should say he is one of a line of a few careful owners. He was polishing a bike that was already gleaming.

There were too many machines on show to put all of them here but as I am an enthusiast myself not enough for me. Opposite is a BSA that is typical of the 'Flat Tank' style that dominated the early motorcycles - I suspect this one was made in 1919 -20.

And just to show how dedicated some enthusiasts are on the right is a cut-away BMW R25 engine. The single cyclinder BMW 250 has a following of fanatics and I was told that there will be 2o arriving altogether - all members of the BMW Mono Club. In all there are 21 R25's - theer is a cut-away display model once used by the German police department to train their force in basic maintenance and understanding of motorcycles. Nicht Var?

Next year trot along to the rally and see them for yourself