Make that date with a dream machine at Bike Shed London

Hand-crafted motorbikes and entertainment at heart of family-friendly event
Pride and joy: as well as viewing customised bikes, event-goers will be able to chat to like-minded people
Tom Horna

Thousands of devotees are turning to the “new wave” of café racer motorcycle custom movement for fun, freedom and transport.

Now you can see some of the best and most original at Tobacco Dock, when Bike Shed London returns this weekend. This year’s show promises to be bigger and better than ever, with more than 150 hand-crafted custom motorcycles on show — some awesome, some mind-boggling, all thought-provoking.

Besides the bikes, lovingly created in sheds, garages and by small commercial enterprises, there will be specially curated art, photography, handmade accessories — and the chance to talk over your favourite subject, at length, with like-minded showgoers.

This year, the organisers are laying on street food, barista coffee, several bars, cigar & whisky lounges, live music, tattoo artists and a traditional barbershop. According to organisers Dutch and Vikki van Someren — founders of The Bike Shed Club at Old Street — it is definitely not a motorcycle trade fair. They claim showgoers will want to hang out all weekend, and there is plenty of space to enjoy the entertainment and the atmosphere.

In addition to the machines, there will be special guests from the US — and all without ropes or barriers to ruin the view. The organisers also promise a family-friendly event that will appeal to non-bikers, too. The event will be supported by Ohlins, Rev’It, Triumph, Indian, Ducati, Yamaha and BMW, all exhibiting alongside other manufacturers, pro-builders, amateurs and

shed-builders. Motorcycle clothing specialists Motolegends, of Guildford, will be showing their latest lines in stylish clothing for on and off the bike.

“We have taken on much more space and we have been even more picky about the quality of the exhibitors, retailers and hospitality,” says Dutch van Someren. “We will keep our home-grown feel throughout. In response to feedback, there will be even more food and drink, more space for kids, more music and entertainment, and every single bike will have earned its place.”

The wacky world of motorcycles

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For the second time this year, bikers have ridden on City Hall to protest against the number of riders continuing to die in road accidents in London.

London Motorcycle Action Group said it acted “because TFL and Sadiq Khan have ignored the fact the motorcyclists are vulnerable”, claiming that more than a billion pounds was budgeted for cycling safety compared with “almost insignificant amounts” for motorcycle safety. They are demanding “simple cost-effective measures” to make roads safer for bikers.

TfL says it “takes the safety of motorcyclists very seriously”, carries out a “wide range of work to improve it”, and that it continues to address motorcyclists’ concerns.

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