KICKBACK CUSTOM & CLASSIC SHOW —Malvern 13th/14th April
‘KICKBACK is an expression of nonconformity and in a world saturated with second-rate copies a display of rebellion and individuality rocks’.
It all came about when Steve Cribbin received an invitation to this event awhile back. ‘Shall we do it’ he said—’Why not’ I replied.
This is an established show, and it was very well organised but also quite relaxed, Its main focus is Custom bikes and custom building awards but it is now including Classics too.
At the Bristol show we had been fortunate enough to chat to some HOC members who were willing to bring their bikes along and help with the show which made life a lot easier for us.
Ian T brought along his pristine CB 400/4 and Trevor J brought along his mint 1976 CB750 K6. Dave T brought his 1964 C102 electric start US model and a 1982 CX 500 turbo along and Andy S brought his Honda ME 250 Dream 1957.
The bikes selected drew a lot of interest and many photos were taken. The plinths set up by the show organisers made for an attractive display and our bike mats looked great on them. A tip from Lorne—the organiser—don’t put lots of info on and around the bikes as it spoils the look.
Ian’s wife Victoria came along too and proved to be an absolute star at regalia sales. She has a lot of experience in this field, and it showed. Much better than my attempts!
We had more space than we had expected at the show and a prime position right by the doors of the Classic Hall. The backdrops worked well and provided space out of sight for storage and our kitchen. The sail flags looked quite small in the vast hall and the bike mats looked professional (we need some more)
Remember—when we do a classic show, we will always provide free tea/coffee and biscuits for any member. Just ask! Thank you to the branches who made the effort to come and support us—we had folk from Gloucester, South Wales, Wiltshire and West London Branch visit us. It’s always nice to see a friendly face.
During the two days of the show, we had great fun talking to members and prospective members and even managed to sign up a few—2 joint memberships and 4 single which gained us £142, and we sold £187.25 of regalia which gives a total of £329.25. And, most importantly, a whole lot of new people now know about the HOC GB! Not too shabby
We had a lot of people who hadn’t heard of the club and were curious about what we could offer, and we were delighted to tell them.
Whilst we were there, we had a chance to look around the various stalls and many amazing custom bikes along with the 5,500 visitors and watch the mad stunt show!
All in all, a slightly different event to attend and there is even a campsite a few minutes’ walk from the site if you want to stay over and many hotels in the area if camping isn’t your bag.
A HUGE thank you as always to the Classic Team for this show (and hopefully future ones too)
Steve Cribbin, Dave Thomas, Andy Smith, Graham Gull, Charles Deakin, Trevor Jones, Ian Troughton, Victoria Troughton and Jon Stone
Jude Browne & Steve Cribbin
