Choppers, bobbers, all manner of customs, a good sprinkling of new Triumphs, a 2003 Indian, and more classic British bikes than I’ve seen in a long time.

Nearby was a neatly constructed and very solid portable burnout pad, and all along the street were bikes, bikes and bikes. Out in front of the clubhouse were a few stalls, including Feral Frog who generously sponsored the show and who proudly claim to sell 90 percent of their goodies - clothing, pipes and so on - below the recommended price. There’s a few other well established clubs within 15 minutes hard riding, and relations are cordial.Ī number of neighbouring businesses made their carparks freely available for entrants to display their machines, although one not too far away apparently needed a $1000 cash deposit before it could be used just as a carpark! No telling what damage might be done to an unsupervised carpark, I suppose, so it’s probably best to play it safe. This part of Melbourne’s always been home to motorcycle types, with the Iron Horsemen starting their days at a pub in nearby Kew before moving on to Fairfield and eventually settling here in West Heidelberg. There’s rock ‘n’ roll playing and you find yourself smiling. There’s a cage of leering animal skulls, an 8-ball table complete with club colours, and the giant TV to the side of the bar showing a motorbike show. There’s pictures on the walls, and memorabilia stretching back to the club’s early days, even original colours sewn by a member’s mother back in 1969. Everything’s functional, nothing’s fragile. There’s a corrugated iron ceiling, a wood stove, sofas and armchairs, concrete and chunky wood flooring. Like the club that houses it, this bike has pedigree.

All restored and fully functional, it was a desirable bike in its heyday, comparable in performance to the original Triumph Speed Twin, and featuring a neutral selecting device unique to Royal Enfields - you could pull the clutch in with your hand, use your heel to kick a little lever and it would automatically go into neutral. THE FIRST THING you see as you walk into the Iron Horsemen MC’s Melbourne clubhouse, poised above your head in all its glory, is a 1950s Royal Enfield.

Iron horse bike week 2021