MOTORING a rapport and you become kindred spirits. By chatting to strangers in this way the conversation quickly turns to the activities we enjoy within the motorcycle clubs and often the other persons interest is kindled enough to get them to come along to club meetings. We all have to start somewhere and this is just how I got started in club life some 47 years ago. The fellowship of being a motorcyclist. I still miss going to the motorcycle shows and autojumbles. We always meet loads of friends and I stock up on all those consumables that we all need. The two Stafford Shows are going ahead with the first on the 3rd and 4th of July. I will be there as I promised to help on the VMCC club stand. I still get to have a look around but that show is so vast that I never see everything there is on display. There is always a huge array of machines for sale and a variety to suit all tastes and pockets. Club eligible machines can be purchased for little money especially if you are not afraid to put a bit of work in. It does mean that for a small outlay you can join this peculiar world of motorcycling and I guarantee you will make many new friends and have a lot of fun in the process. Also at Stafford will be the usual auction of machines put on by the Bonham's company. A good selection of machines will be offered and this time there are several private collections coming up for disposal. One collection contains five Vincent's so this will certainly be much sought after. As with everything else you pay's your money and takes your choice. I know one spectator who will be firmly keeping his hands in his pockets. After the dreariness and problems of the last 17 months we surely deserve a summer of sunshine and blue skies when we can all get out and enjoy using our old vehicles. It would be nice to once again enjoy the unrestricted company of fellow enthusiasts and the comradeship
that goes with it. I know the restrictions will have been lifted but we should all be aware that Covid is still with us and so we should still take care for ourselves in the hope that we avoid another spike of infections.
Easy Rider motorcycle comes to auction with no reserve
The world’s most iconic motorcycle is going on the auction block in Midland, Texas on June 5th … Captain America from the counterculture classic film, Easy Rider, part of the Gordon Granger Collection, is being offered without reserve by Dan Kruse Classics. It is estimated by the auction house to sell for $300,000 to $500,000. The ‘Captain America’ bike was named for its distinctive American flag colour scheme and known for its sharply-angled long front end. Easy Rider showcased the hippie movement and gave America an insight into the lives of those individuals who wander the highways on the back of a motorcycle and hence the motorcycles themselves became characters in the 1969 film. Designed and built by Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy, four former police Harley-Davidson motorcycles were purchased at auction for $500 and rebuilt into two Captain Americas and two Billy Bikes. Easy Rider is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American South West carrying the proceeds of a drugs deal. The success of Easy Rider helped to spark a new Hollywood era of filmmaking during the early 1970s. In 1996 the former owner of this bike, renowned celebrity vehicle collector, Gary Graham, sold the Captain American motorcycle at the Dan Kruse Classic Car Productions auction to Gordon Granger. Dan
The Easy Rider motorcycle is going to auction on 5 June in Texas, USA.
Haggerty was on site with Graham, his partner in the rebuild and restoration of the motorcycle, to authenticate, as it was, he that received the crashed pieces from Fonda and Hopper after the wrap of the film. Since then the motorcycle has resided in Austin, Texas where it survived a fire in December 2010. Easy Rider was released by Columbia Pictures on July 14, 1969, grossing $60 million worldwide from a filming budget of no more than $400,000. Critics praised the performances, directing, writing, soundtrack, and visuals. Hopper, Fonda and Southern were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Win an electric car every month with Auto Trader
AutoTrader has launched a UKwide prize draw – completely free to enter – with a brand-new electric car up for grabs each
month for a whole year. The first prize to be handed to one lucky winner is a Tesla Model 3 worth over £42,000. The Electric Car Giveaway launched its first monthly prize draw on Saturday 1st May which will close on 31st May. Following that, each prize draw will last a full month, with the winner randomly selected at the end of the month. Each month will offer a different car as its prize to show the range and variety of electric cars on the market, including a Mustang Mach-E, MINI Electric and a Renault Twizy. All you need to do is submit your name and email address to enter the prize draw. And remember, it isn’t a rollover, so you need to re-enter each month for a chance to win each month’s car. Visit the page to enter: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/cars /electric/giveaway.
The first prize up for grabs is a Tesla Model 3, whilst other cars will include a Mustang Mach-E, MINI Electric and even a Renault Twizy.
Yeovil Auto Tuning
● ● ● ● ● ●
CLASSIC CAR REPAIRS Repairs and Servicing Specialists Established OVER MOT Testing – Classes IV, V and VII also Motorhomes 30 YEARS Engine Tuning ● Brakes, Clutches, Gearboxes Competitive Rates ● Professional, Reliable, Friendly Service Specialising in VW T4 + T5 Vans Revo Engine Re-Mapping (VW and Audi Group)
9 Oxford Road, Pen Mill Trading Estate, YEOVIL Tel: 01935 426515 / 01935 411946
THE VISITOR June 2021 27
