The classic motorcycles on display in Kent this month represent all the major marques plus machines from local manufacturers and Continental concerns too...

One of the classic bikes which is scheduled to appear at this summer's Hamstreet Show (on Sunday 19th July) is making a return visit to the event, but in a very different condition compared to its appearance last year. Visitors should look out for the 1963 Moto Guzzi Galletto which was snapped up by its current owner at the 2008 event and then restored over last winter. One of only six known examples in the UK, this bike is a recent import from Italy and will form part of the display of machines put on by the Cinque Ports Classic Motorcycle Club.

More than a dozen different clubs will be represented at the Hamstreet Show on Sunday 19th July 2009, including the Deal & District MCC, TOMCC Medway, Vincent OC, Indian Riders, various branches of the BSAOC, the VMCC Men of Kent, the London Douglas MCC, Norman Cycles Club, Norton OC and the AJS and Matchless OC. Their bikes will join the private entries ridden along to the rural site - the event started life in Rye in Kent but moved to its current location at Marsh Road in Hamstreet a few years ago - in a friendly concours competition for a range of awards across different classes which encompass the whole globe and some 80 years of motorcycle manufacture.

A 1951 Vincent Black Shadow is one of the other classic motorcycles among the entrants. This bike has been with its current owner for some 45 years and counts just one previous keeper on its logbook. The Vin has been lovingly modified over the decades with many cycle parts made by it s current owner from stainless steel. The electrics have been upgraded to 12-Volt which allows the use of an electric starter and indicators - those items, plus the panniers, reveal that this is a machine intended for travelling and not simply for show.

At the other end of the scale, a 1979 Suzuki GT380C with very low mileage has been entered. This bike has never been restored and the owner says it's 'not ridden too often'. However 'on the occasions I do get to stretch its legs, I always return home with a grin!' Another bike which has just rejoined the world of the living is a 1920 Douglas W20 which for many years was kept as a non-running showroom exhibit. The owner is currently in the middle of its ongoing restoration, so the 3-speed machine is something of a work in progress.

Classic(ish) Suzukis on eBay.co.uk

Another bike which has benefited from recent attention is one sporting middleweight Triumph T100R Daytona which hails from 1973. The owner explains: 'It's an old story! This bike fell in with the wrong crowd, drank fuel excessively and smoked too much. Wild parties eventually left it a sad wreck of its former self… So I bought it and rebuilt it over a three year period.' The Daytona was reckoned to be one of the friskiest bikes ever built by the original British industry it sounds like this one certainly led a wild life…

Perhaps one of the most expensive motorcycles on show will be the 1960 BSA Gold Star. This has been completely restored using new and refurbished parts including a brand new BSAF engine from the Netherlands (and those motors really don't come cheap!). The work was completed in February 2009 in just eight weeks - let's hope the owner is enjoying their first summer together.

These are just a few of the bikes which have entered the display, and they'll be accompanied by masses of spares and complete machines for sale in the all-motorcycle autojumble. There's also a free sell-to-display area for complete motorcycles, which is always very popular. Taking place in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside, the Hamstreet Show makes a wonderful run-out and the event is well-known for its laid back atmosphere - helped along by the live music and a real-ale beer-tent. Entries for the show have now closed but all riders are welcome to attend on the day, and the bike park is always packed with plenty of other machines to look at.

And if you miss the Show, then make a date for the next Bikejumble at the same site, which takes place on Sunday 27th September 2009…

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The Rye (Hamstreet) Classic Motorcycle Show & Bikejumble takes place at Marsh Road, Hamstreet, Kent TN26 2JD on Sunday 19th July 2009.

Gates open to the public at 10am and admission is £4, with no charge for children.

Call 01797 344277 or see www.elk-promotions.co.uk for full details

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Entries are now invited for the South of England RealClassic Bike Show which takes place on Sunday 25th October 2009 at Ardingly in West Sussex. Entry forms can be downloaded from www.elk-promotions.co.uk