The South of England RealClassic Bike Show looks set to be bigger than ever before, and RC readers can save money on admission...

The autumn South of England RealClassic Bike Show takes place on Sunday 28th October 2007 and, as usual, RealClassic magazine subscribers can claim a quid off at the gate (you'll need to show your blue RC Club card to get the discount). This means even better value than usual, because organiser Mrs Elk has drummed up more entries for the SoE Show than ever before. Entries closed last week with a record number of classic bike expected - so if the weather is kind to us then we can expect the Queen's Jubilee Hall to be full to over-flowing.

The list of classic motorcycles entered for the show runs into the hundreds, and there are some which we very much hope to see including a 1968 BSA Bantam which has been transformed from a road machine to enduro spec, which the owner reckons is 'something BSA could have done if they'd chosen to'. It'll probably be near a 1961 Greeves Scottish Trials 24 which has been owned since 1968 and used for work and competition until 1970, when it was stripped and put into tea-chests for the next 32 years. Then in 2002 it was rebuilt to the last nut and bolt and is now only used on the road. Another classic entered for the show which was has been resurrected from storage is a 1965 Triumph T90 350. It was 'stored in a friend's shed in pieces since 1974; a true basket case! There were lots of parts missing and lots of rogue parts - quite a jigsaw! My father worked tirelessly to restore the bike over a year.' Or perhaps you'd be more interested in a 1953 Vincent Rapide which has travelled over half a million miles with its current owner. This bike has been in the same hands since 1963 and has been all over the UK, Western Europe, North America and Australia, and it's still used regularly. Or if you'd rather inspect something a little more unusual then how about a 1954 Hoffman Gouveneur? This is an extremely rare machine, one of only four known to be in the UK and of 80 remaining worldwide. It's OHV 4-stroke, shaft-drive bike designed by Richard Kuchen, the designer of the Zundapp Grun elephant and the Victory Bergmeister and it was only in production for 30 months.

Random Greeves Stuff on eBay.co.uk Amazon Classic Bike DVDs

All being well these bikes will be joined by around 150 others, which means that organiser Mrs Elk has made some changes to the Show's format. 'After the success of the March event' says Mrs Elk 'we've reorganised the Queen's Jubilee Hall to make more space for the show bikes. The Robins Hall will again be full of motor-cycle only jumble and - new for this show -- outside jumble stalls will be on hard-standing.

'We're hoping to see a good entry from local clubs, too, including the BSA OC East Sussex; BSA OC (Kent); BSA OC (South London); Cinque Ports CMCC (Kent based pre-65 club); Indian Riders MC; Mid Sussex British MCC and the VMCC Grasstrack and Speedway section.'

The show bikes will be judged during the course of the day, with a prize-giving ceremony at around 3pm. All show entries will receive a commemorative award and will feature in the show programme. If you haven't entered your classic for the awards then you're very welcome to ride along anyway and park up outside -- the RC Roadshow will be setting up inside the hall and we'll be sharing HobNobs out among RC readers. There will be other refreshments on offer at the show, plus trade stands, autojumble, and a free bikemart if you'd like to sell your machine.

There's still some space for genuine garage-clearance stalls - so if you'd like to bring the car along with a bootful of bits you should contact Mrs Elk (01797 344277) or elk.promotions@virgin.net.

The South of England Show opens at 10am, but remember that the clocks will have gone back by one hour the night before! So synchronise your watches before leaving home…

-----------

The South of England RealClassic Bike Show is on Sunday 28th October 2007
At: The South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TL
Opens: 10am onwards
Admission: £5 adult, £4 OAP and RC subscribers. Children FREE
More details: www.elk-promotions.co.uk