Monday 1st March - A Day at the Races

We head off to Daytona early to display our bikes at the classic races.

The number of Harleys on the road is so great now it causes a traffic jam on a 4-lane highway. We enter the track through a tunnel under the banked corner and once inside the size becomes clear – it’s a gigantic oval, so big you could locate a small town inside. At the display area we find Harris has done it again.

Posing on the winners' podium for one of many photos

We’re on a grass triangle flanked by palm trees with the grandstand as a backdrop - it’s the best seat in the house. Beside our display area is the BSA ‘corral’ where people turning up on BSAs get to park them under the palm trees for communal admiration. Joining us are Ken Rosevear from Canada with his ’54 Daytona Goldie and George Nance from Detroit who has a beautiful repro ’54 Daytona Goldie.

The riders turn up and if I was star-struck before today we’re cracking jokes and telling stories from the start. I begin to get a feel for the characters. Tom McDermott has a wry sense of humour, Gene Thiessen is more serious but a goldmine of BSA stories and Kenny Eggers is

We’ve arranged tables under the palms for the riders to sit, sign posters and chat to people. I plan to talk BSA history with them when the autograph queues tails out but I never get the chance. Before we get the display bikes ready people have arrived, buying posters, getting autographs, taking photos, asking questions and congratulating us on our restored bikes and this continues until 4 in the afternoon in 85 degrees of heat.

Don discusses a solution to the Klamfoth problem with George Nance

The turn-out of people and bikes has been tremendous and I’m surprised by the number of Gold Stars… and they’ve been ridden! At the end of the day we congratulate ourselves on our success. Kenny Eggers is grinning like a kid and tells me he didn’t sign that many autographs when he was racing. Gene Thiessen looks overwhelmed by the whole thing but his wife gives me a reassuring smile. And we still haven’t come clean with Dick Klamfoth about the bike!

Back at our motel at night we find George Nance is staying there too and working on his Goldie under a streetlamp in the car park. He’s riding in the parade but his clutch has gone. Since we won’t need our clutch a deal is offered - he can have our clutch if he lets Klamfoth ride his bike? Done!

Picture an un-silenced Goldie doing clutch burns in a motel car park around 11 at night. Were the management bothered? Hell, no – it’s bike week! And the Klamfoth problem has been solved!!

What Happened Next - Another Day at the Races.
 

GALLERY
Entering the track	Best seat in the house!	Even the display material looks good	The ever smiling Bobby Hill
... he's STILL smiling!	All-sports Gold Star	And they were all ridden there!	Don and Nick discussing the Klamfoth problem