Motorbike clubs for vintage bikes could be dying out

Could clubs for vintage motorbikes soon die out? Leather jackets, loud engines and open roads.

The sight of a group of vintage motorbikes travelling through the countryside is a stirring one for some.

But a number of clubs say their membership numbers are dropping, and that they could disappear in the near future.

While they are trying to encourage a new generation to join and keep pre-war brands alive, spokespeople of clubs for Douglas, Ariel and Rudge bikes say few younger members are joining.

A 1960s Triumph is the pride and joy of Jonathan Little from Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

"When you go round the shows everyone is a lot older, and there is concern," he said.

"Nowadays, you can ride a bike in a game, and the graphics are far better than when I was growing up, so maybe they're finding that more interesting."

The South Wales Sunbeam Motorcycle Club is one group trying to increase membership - and so far, it's working.

"When I took over in 2019 we had about 20 members, and many weren't active anymore - currently we're close to 70," secretary Reiner Stecker told BBC Wales Live .

They've opened their club to all bike owners, not just exclusively Sunbeams - a brand founded in Staffordshire, and made between 1912 and 1956.

He said passing on technical know-how about vintage bikes is vital.

Mr Stecker added: "A lot of people say they'd like an older bike but aren't sure how to look after it, or fix it if it breaks."

The clubs two oldest members - Idris Jones, from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Kenneth Lewis, from Pencoed, Bridgend - have a combined age of 191.

They've been friends since school and competed on off-road bikes.

Mr Lewis said inviting new members has been important to keep it a thriving and active community.

He said: "It has brought in younger people. The club still retains its original purpose but it allows it to carry on.

"We've got to have youth or the thing will die away."

Clubs for brands such as Douglas, Ariel and Rudge all said members ages are increasing, with little to none younger people joining.

Instead they say the current generation of motorcyclists are purchasing bikes they wanted to own but could not afford when they were young - and that old British bikes are rarely on their wish list.

Annie Durrant is director of the Vintage Motorcycle Club , which has 10,000 members, and said: "Retain and gain has and always will be the question we ask ourselves.

"While some bikes are kept in the family, there are many in storage or a garage and never see the light of day.

"I would like to see more of these bikes ridden and enjoyed. Loaning bikes to other enthusiasts and young people is a great way to enthuse people, I would personally like to see happen more."

One vintage bike brand which has made a comeback is the Wardill - after a hiatus of nearly 100 years.

Mark Wardill, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, discovered two glass black and white slides featuring his great-grandfather's 1927 motorbike design at the bottom of a wardrobe.

Mark's great grandfather, Henry Wardill Snr ran The Wardill Motor and Cycle Works in Surrey repairing cars and motorcycles in the 1920s.

Along with his sons, they designed and built a motorcycle with a patented "supercharged" two -stroke engine, which officially saw the start of the Wardill Motorcycle Company.

It was a bike that took part in public trials along with names such as Harley-Davidson and Triumph.

But the brand faded out.

However, Mark didn't know about the bike and its history until he did some research after finding the glass slides.

"I took them to be developed and could see the name Wardill on the bike tank, and I thought, hang on this is a brand," he said.

"So I started trying to find out more."

After speaking to various bike museums, he discovered that four were built in total and decided to recreate the design.

"I think I was really shocked that someone in my family had created something like that, it's a massive achievement - especially 100 years ago," he said.

Mark doesn't have a background in mechanics but says he's always had a "hands-on approach".

"I didn't know what I was letting myself in for, I didn't even know how to register a bike to use it on the road," he added.

"There were days when I thought, 'what on earth am I doing?' It challenged me every step of the way."

The original engine would not now pass modern safety regulations, but inspired, Mark went on to build a similar bike as a tribute to the first design.

He's since created and sold four bikes - and had enquiries from around the world, as far as Australia.

"My hopes for the company are that we sell bikes and grow, and I'm passionate about making sure we use as many Welsh companies for parts, so it's very much a Welsh brand," Mark added.

He said the reborn business is aiming to take the bikes to new and younger generations.