Restored Motorcycles Club vie for best in Concours d’Elegance competition Coffs Coast Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 26, 2022 An eye-catching pair: Shane Barns’ 1961 Triumph Thunderbird with a Watsonian sidecar. THE Motorcycle Restorers Club of Coffs Harbour is holding its Concours d’Elegance competition at the Botanical Gardens on Saturday 8 October. The bikes will gather just outside the gardens and then enter at 9.30 as a parade, a feast of sight and sound, into the gardens. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The annual members-only competition sees prestigious bikes displayed and judged. “Members bring out their bikes polished and presented to the judges who are looking for superior condition and originality,” Shane Barns, Motorcycle Restorers Club President told News Of The Area. The judges for the 2022 Concours d’Elegance are club members Don Sonter and Neddy O’Brien. “Last year’s winner, a Honda CBX 1000, a 1980s model, stood out from the crowd,” said Shane. “It had original paint and the original exhaust pipe, a lovely bike,” he said. The classic motorcycle enthusiasts are vying for the Stanley Phelps Perpetual Trophy which is awarded to the owner of the winning bike. “The history of the Stanley Phelps trophy is that it was donated in the late 1980s by the English friend of a now-deceased club member. “Stanley created a wood carving in the shape of the English county of Essex and sent it over to the club as a trophy. “It’s a club thing.” The event was created as a ‘club thing’, too, for members only. “It was just decided amongst the members to do the Concours d’Elegance in the late ‘80s so the fellas could display their bikes and have a trophy so there was something to win.” Past years have seen 30-40 bikes displayed, but the weather can be a deterrent. Don Souter told NOTA, “It can be a lucky dip with numbers, depending on the weather. “If the weather’s a bit iffy they won’t bring their bikes out. “If the weather’s good we are expecting a big roll out.” There’s many a ‘club thing’ with the Motorcycle Restorers Club in Coffs Harbour, as the guys have built a club that offers a range of motorcycle specific events and things to participate in. Email coffs.motorcycle.restorers@gmail.com or visit https://coffsharbourmotorcyclerestorers.com/ for more information. By Andrea FERRARI A treasured bike in Shane Barns’ collection, a 1972 Suzuki 750cc two stroke bike. A 1968 Triumph TR6P, an ex-NSW Police bike, a prized piece in Shane Barns’ collection. Shane Barns’ 1977 Seeley Honda 750/4.
