Classic & Custom

MINDFUL THAT MARCH in Scotland can mean ice, blizzards, floods or brilliant sunshine, the Scottish Motorcycle Show is now mainly contained in three large, heated halls.

- Marion Thirsk

Thankfully this year’s show broke recent tradition with uncharacteristically mild weather and no snow. As a result the stunt shows and bike fire-ups were very well attended, leaving many attendees more than a bit deaf the following day.

Catering for a wide range of tastes, there were plenty of new machines showcased. Triumph’s Street Cup with its very reasonable 30in seat height, potential 76mpg and 10,000 mile service interval proved extremely popular, as did Royal Enfield’s Continental GT and Himalayan. A wide variety of stands offered services ranging from tools, riding gear, spare parts and gel seat pads, right down to a beard trim and haircut! A rather small autojumble offered a brief glimmer of hope to those trying to source hard-to-find parts, but the classic displays were for many the obvious main attraction.

It’s always reassuring to see machines which are used and enjoyed rather than pure show bikes. Ingliston featured an interesting mixture of both. There was a good selection of club stands, enthusiastically representing most marques and models with impressive and unusual machinery, ancient and modern, to suit all tastes.