Shipley Rally - August Bank Holiday

[Fingers]

[quote=Maggar;705990]
I am not defending anybody's right to go to Shipley instead of Walesby as that shouldn't need defending. I think the right to talk about going to Shipley instead of Walesby should be defended.

"You got to fight - for your right - to PAAAARTY!"

Hope you all had a great time - wherever you ended up.

[MMA]

The missus and me went to walesby then then rode up to harewood on the Sunday and caught the toy run up just as they got to the gates of Harewood house, nearly the best of both worlds . To my way of thinking at the moment, the probability of both rallys being on seperate dates from now on will be a benifit to all who like a good craic, but time will tell.

[AmV Andy]

I suppose we should be used to history being muddy, living with bikes from a company that reinvents its own history every few years, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the first Shipley event held a year before the Riders' Club turned up, or is that just folklore? Granted, the reported eleven people in a field hardly constitutes a rally in the modern context, but there weren't as many Harleys on the road back then either

And while the Riders' Club did hold their last international there in 2003, its worth remembering they made their long term plans pretty clear with a one-off departure in 2002 leaving the Wreckin' Crew to host it, and it was only when the Wreckin' Crew didn't take up the opportunity to run it in 2004 that local Harley riders, supported by friends and some of the traders of Shipley, took it upon themselves to make sure it continued.

I appreciate that some will never go for geographic or personal reasons in the same way that some will never go anywhere else, but it's time to draw a line under this, surely? Despite many years living in York, I only went for the first time myself this year, after a couple of nights at Walesby, so don't go thinking I'm defending Shipley against all-comers - although the chips (and scraps) from the chippy on the corner made for a pretty strong case.

What we should be celebrating is that Walesby had a record turnout for the International event marking its sixtieth birthday, and it will stand as being one of the most memorable Internationals of recent years - as much for the friendly welcome from the locals as the infamy of the on-site catering (which mustn't be allowed to extend to the waffle man, who did a cracking job).

But we should also note that Shipley played host to its biggest crowd of its independent years to mark its thirtieth anniversary.

And both of them were set against a backdrop of potentially piss-poor weather that thankfully didn't do anything more than threaten Walesby, and which didn't dampen the spirits at Shipley.

And apparently - I have it on excellent authority - that Dunedin HOG's Thunder in the Glens event in Aviemore on the same bank holday weekend, was a classic too.

THREE well supported, successful - and I suspect very different - events based around a passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles can only be good news, not just for those of us who ride, but for the lives of the communities that host them who I'm sure will be only too glad of the trade in hard times.

Congratulations to all those involved in the organisation of all the August bank holiday rallies, and indeed all those that we've attended this year: it's frequently a thankless task against impossible odds - and the odd bit of sniping - but I can't recall a better rally season.

Screw petty politics: life's too short.

Sorry to waffle, but I thought it needed saying.

Andy

Originally Posted by BaZa®

What does Andy Hornsby know? He is only a club member....LOL

Or was it an advert from the organisers?

No offence taken but it's a bit like walking into Morrisons and shouting where's Asda?

[MacHarry]

You said the right words Andy, you must be a wise man

See you friday or Saterday at the gate of the Centrum rally

Harry

[Budgie]

We are looking forward to another ride into Europe and will see you at Centrum Harry, seems like the Hull boat will be pretty well packed on Thursday with a lot of riders doing Centrum and some Wrecking Crew heading into Germany for a funeral of one of their long standing members, Bolle.

Seems like Centrum will begin one night early on the boat for all us ' european invaders' .....

Budgie & Kath