SickShooter News

VINTAGE RIDE
British motorcycle enthusiasts hit the road in 100-mile trek from Hansen Dam
By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/07/2010 05:55:01 PM PST

Scott Buehl of Upland says he gets bit of a draft wearing his kilt on his Triumph says "it's cool on hot days". Buehl arrved at the 31st annual All British Ride at Hansen Dam. British cycle buffs gathered for a 100 mile ride. (David Crane/Staff Photographer)
MORE PHOTOS

There's a special drill to starting a classic British motorcycle - turn the key, tickle the carbs, kick over the engine with a mighty lunge. And pray.

The ritual roar was repeated hundreds of times Sunday during the 31st All-British Ride out of Hansen Dam, one of the biggest gathering of John Bull bikes in the nation, if not the world.

Dubbed the "best ride by a dam site," an estimated 900 mostly leathery baby boomers from across the country lit out under drifting clouds for a 100-mile rumble through the San Gabriel Mountains on such mostly bygone marques as Norton, BSA and original Triumph motorcycles.

"If you show up with a Teddy bear on your back, you're thrown out," said Bill "Bib" Bibbiani, self-professed "dictator" of the Southern California Norton Owners Club, and host of the event who wore a Rule Britannia T-shirt. "The point is to get out there and ride - no pretense. No rules.

"The sheer joy."

They came on machines once the envy of every kid who'd seen Marlon Brando swing a leg over a Triumph Thunderbird in "The Wild One." Or Sean Connery as James Bond scream through "Thunderball" atop a BSA Lightning. Or who'd fallen for the Norton Commando poster girl.

They were fast, though they leaked oil. They could handle, for their day. And they were oh-so-cool, with names like Gold Star, Rocket, Super Meteor, Bonneville, Venom, Manx and the invincible Black Shadow.

"It's the sound of the engines. The look of
Advertisement
all the bikes. The period dress. It's 1964 all over again," said Craig Dillmann, 54, of West Hills, who rode his 1964 Triumph TR-6. "It's a throwback. It makes me feel like a kid."

"This is old-school, the real deal," added Walt Riddle, 57, of Winnetka, a Truimph guru whose restored Californian is on display at the Reagan Library. "Hundreds of years of riding experience. No wannabes."

The All-Brit ride was launched in 1980 by Pat Owens, Skip Van Leeuwen and Gene Cox, an executive of Triumph, as a way to encourage sales during the throes of a dying British motorcycle industry.

But what began as a Rose Bowl gathering with heaps of hot dogs and hamburgers soon moved to Hansen Dam, where hundreds of riders ogle English iron before sprinting toward the hills in clouds of rich-running motorcycle exhaust.

Van Leeuwen bought a brand new Triumph at 16, then became a lifetime racing legend.

"They're lighter. They're faster. They handle better.," said Van Leeuwen, 73, who has a parts business that bears his name, in Arleta. "And they're a lot of fun."

"It's a disease, that's all there is to it," added John Ebert, 59, admiring his black Interstate Commando, with its gleaming sand-cast primary cover, who'd driven all the way from of Phoenix for the ride. "If you park this bike next to a row of Harleys, they'll all come down and look at your bike. I love it."

Chris Tucker, of Moorpark, piled his Pomeranian into a tank-box atop his Bonneville and took him along for the ride.

Scott Buehl, of Upland, donned a kilt for his dash atop a modern-day Triumph. "This kilt has been tested at 130 mph," said Buehl, 44, of Upland, who'd been given the Scottish plaid on a dare. "There's a bit of a draft, but it's great on a hot day. Or any day."

There were even young women riders from the Eastside Moto Babes, who were among the interlopers who rode in on non-British classic or other bikes. "Nice people ride Hondas," joked Jeannette Mekdara, 29, of Los Angeles. "I like British bikes. And British bikers."

Meanwhile, across the San Fernando Valley, an estimated 1,000 riders of mostly Harley Davidsons gathered in Glendale for the annual Love Ride for charity. Riders then headed up to Calamigos Ranch, while sidecar motorcyclists gathered at Griffith Park.

When Gideon Kotler was growing up in Israel, Triumph was the two-wheeled Rolls Royce of the desert. Now he's riding a black-and-gold Bonnevile that took a full three months to restore.

"It's the noise, it's the oil on your feet," said Kotler, 56, of Encino, smiling. "The bugs in your eyes. It's two cylinders, when it works. You can't buy that sound anywhere. Even your ex-wife, she can't growl like that."

"There's nothing like going 85 mph down the freeway on a 60-year-old motorcycle," said Tom Gross, 63, of Redlands, who'd ridden his Norvin, a hybrid cross between a Norton and Vincent motorcycle. "It makes you feel like you're shaking to death. It's great."

Robin, one of the few younger riders who rode in on a newer Ducati, said the annual event was a scene that may not be around in distant years.

"It's the love ... the love these guys have for their bikes," said Robin, 34, of Studio City, who declined to give his last name.

"They remind you of your dad. Guys in the 1960s, a more innocent time, when guys were cool and girls were girls."