We had heard about this rally from our old friend Jeff Murphy of Riverside Cycles as he was over with us on a shooting trip. He assured us it was one not to be missed and put us in touch with the right people as this is invite only and strictly pre 83 Harley but they did also tolerate the odd Indian or two. That was good enough for us. Plan was 2 Indians Liam and myself on our trusty Chiefs and to even things up two of the other unmentionable American motorcycles, brother Pat and Sidewinder Pan and Shovel in that order. And Harley riders being what they are one jibbed out before we even got on the way and then there was three!
9.00 ferry from Rosslare which is only 60 miles down the road-no problem! First breakdown half way to the ferry, Shovel cut out and couldn’t be started, problem diagnosed carb had to be removed completely stripped and rebuilt on the side of the road. To be fair Sidewinder knows his Shovels so the above was completed with help from Liam. Made the ferry with two minutes to spare.
Got off in Fishguard at 12.00 sun shining and route planned, stay on the Down the road like scalded cats it was about 200 miles to the rally destination of Tewkesbury in Glostershire.(The rally location was only revealed a few days before the event and after the fee was paid) Basic route was to stay on the A40 all the way which would bring us just north of the Brecon Beacons. This was an excellent route, lovely scenery good road surface with plenty of sweeping bends just made for our mode for these old motorcycles and the weather was good. We kept the pressure on and the plan was to go about 100 miles before stopping for lunch. We stopped at Landdew for lunch which took about an hour and just as we made it out on the road again it started to rain. It got worse the further we went but we pressed on. Then somewhere between Bishopstone and Heriford in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain the Shovel cut out again this time flat battery! We didn’t have a spare or a charger not good. We had a length of wire though. We took the battery out of my Chief put it into the Shovel and fired her up. Put the dead battery into my Chief, ran the wire from the Shovel to the dead battery on the Chief and left it charge for about 10 minutes enough to fire up the Chief. We were on the road again. The Chief charged up the dead battery in no length and with a full battery the Shovel was able to make it the rest of the way. Of course we got lost and it was getting dark at this stage so the Shovel stayed in the middle with no lights. We eventually got there at ten pm. I was never so glad to see the sign for the Duke Bar and the rally tent.
After signing in we were we were immediately welcomed by Dave Tucker (Red face) and Renshaw. They thanked us for coming and showed us where the food was being served. After that we put the tents up got rid of our wet gear and headed to the Duke bar. This was located in an old army tent on the entrance to the rally site. We only got to see a small number of the bikes and they looked impressive. The atmosphere was electric and you could sense the enthusiasm for old bikes and having a good time. I was never at a rally like this before. We met three of our old friends at the bar Pete Selby, John Hayes and Jeff Murphy of Riverside Cycles (A right rogues gallery!) So that was Friday night sorted. Some French gentleman started his Knucklehead inside the bar to rapturous applause. They had some strange looking contraption mounted on the bar which looked like a copper cylinder with pipes going in all directions and every so often it would emit a mist something like a smoke machine at a rave, very strange! I think Tim Berry was responsible for this and he was also the head bar man. The band was good and the beer and cider flowed until the early hours of the morning and considering our harrowing journey we lasted well. Time for bed.

 

Next morning the sun was shining as we headed to the bar for breakfast and good it was too. After breakfast we had a good look round the field. The quality of machines was excellent. Mostly Harleys in various guises from restored to original, bobbers to choppers. Flat Heads, Knuckleheads, Pan Heads and Shovelheads and Iron head Sportsters. Some British bikes as well and a few of our beloved Indians including one nice bobbed 44 Chief which a French gentleman had ridden all the way from south France with his wife on the back, very impressive. All bikes had to be pre 83 and mainly American and all bikes had to be ridden to the rally, which they were. I didn’t see one bike being brought on a trailer. As well as the impressive machinery the people were equally impressive. Really friendly and unbelievable enthusiastic, I never witnessed anything like it before. This was my kind of rally. There were still people arriving up to lunchtime just in time for the ride out.
All gathered in in the laneway for the ride out. The noise and the smoke were unbelievable and after several false starts we were on the road. It was an impressive sight all those old bikes roaring down the road. We headed out into the Gloustershire countryside with the sun in our faces and the music of old V twin engines in our ears. It don’t get much better than this. We kept to country lanes and these old bikes really came into their own. We stopped at a lay by in the hills and had lunch. This was excellent and really well organised. Everybody was given a brown paper bag with a bread role, big wedge of cheddar cheese, pickled onions, relish and a drink. All enjoyed this sitting in the sun and admiring each other’s machines.  Next stop the local pub.

The pub car park already had a few impressive machines waiting for us. A few local steam enthusiasts also used the pub for a lunch stop. Even the mighty Indian and Harley were dwarfed by these massive engines and their owners were eager to share any knowledge that anybody might like to acquire. One such engine was a stem lorry make redundant from the London docks about 1920 and was lovingly restored to its former glory by the owner. He did say that if had a particular hunger for coal to the tune of a hundred weights for every five miles! My chief doesn’t seem so bad after all. Anyway an enjoyable afternoon was spent before the ride back to the rally site. This was a somewhat more spirited ride compared with the earlier one and I don’t suppose a few pints and stories/lies about the merits of one’s particular mount of choice had anything to do with it! Back at the rally site all the bike types were parked in different types, Indians, Knuckleheads etc. this made life easier for the judges later on. The rest of the evening was spent chatting with old friends and some new ones and listening to Jeff Murphy’s stories of when he was in an outlaw club in Yankee Doodle Land, very entertaining. The prize giving began bang on time at six. The prizes were an excellent casting of a Linkert Carburettor mounted on a plaque.  Best Indian went to Tim Berry for his beautiful original paint 101 and all the rest of the prizes went mostly to Harleys, with a few going to British bikes. After the prize giving it was suppertime and a fine feed it was too. Then it was back to the Duke bar for the night’s entertainment, I know the band was good but I just can’t remember their name. More beer and cider. More telling lies. More smoke emissions form the strange contraption on the bar and more gentlemen starting their Knuckleheads inside the bar, excellent.

Unfortunately we had to leave early the next morning and miss the breakfast as we had to catch the ferry at 14.00 in Fishguard back to Paddy Land. The ride to Fishguard was thankfully uneventful and the Shovel easily made the 200 mile journey on a full charged battery.
Special thanks to all the organisers Tim Berry, Dave Tucker, Renshaw and  Yoshi (chief wrench at Riverside Cycles) and all the other guys that I have left out. You ran one hell of a rally and it’s a credit to all involved organisers and participants alike. Thanks to Pete Selby, John Hayes, Jeff Murphy, Tim Berry and Dave Tucker for your company. I just can’t wait for this year’s one in Frog Land and if the UK one is anything to go by it should be a good one. Check this out on U tube. Linkert Attacks 2011 Slideshow with Music.  

Jim Cuddihy