We were on such a high after the last launch, at Paradise Tap & Taco, Harrogate, we wanted to do another for SB47. This was going to be different. It's now winter, the clock's have gone back, but we were undeterred.
The Gasket, in Appley Bridge, near Wigan, Lancashire, were happy to host us. The Gasket is a shipping container turned into a café, by a couple of bikers, Emma and Lee. Being a shipping container, there wasn't a lot of room, but being winter we weren't expecting a huge crowd. The weather did behave, by staying dry at least. Massive thanks to those that did come.
And there were bikes. Our mate Ryan didn't have far to come on his Dyna.
CCM Spitfire Bobber edition, one of the many different iterations the UK manufacturer has built of their popular Spitfire single. CCM are based just 40 miles away in Bolton.
Road bike Beezer (or is it Beesa?)
Race bike Beezer. Odgie brought this and his 486cc Can-Am two-stroke for display. We featured Odgie in SB29. Fascinating character who was in one of the first punk bands in the UK, The Worst. He's a former drag racer, magazine editor and publisher, and is now mad into dirt track (having been turned onto it by Dirt Quake). A proper survivor. His book, Confessions of an Esoteric Engineer, is worth a look.
Jane's helmet sticker caught my eye, being from Sideburn stockist, Jane Motorcycles in NYC.
Another helmet sticker caught my eye. Thanks to everyone who rides with an SB sticker on their lid or bike.
Same fella (Paul?) showing off his Kriega Messenger bag, the luggage of kings.
We had some gear for sale.
And some people bought it. Thanks Ed!
Cool couple 1
Cool couple 2
Cool couple 3 (Tanya and Ryan)
Cool couple 4 (Soph and Sideburn's art ed, Andy)
We had some prizes to hand out. Odgie won best bike (for his BSA); Jules won for furthest travelled (80-mile round trip from Liverpool, but he's won furthest travelled before, when we had a launch at Edwin in London about ten years ago, and he travelled from Liverpool to that too); and Gracie, above, won Most Striking Individual (and not just because she turned up in a Sideburn Panther T-shirt). She was also skating down the steep hill outside, main road, in the dark...
Gracie is one of the Dave Skooter Farm-mentored all-girl skate gang, Yoyo's Pool Kats.
Talking of Dave Skooter Farm, he was hanging out (prompting one wag to announce skateboarding is bad for your eyesight) and...
...playing records.
The Stags and johnny Alpha were playing 7ins too. There was probably at least £10,000 of vinyl sat on a picnic table, under a gazebo on a damp November evening. These fellas don't mess when it comes to rare records.
'Act natural while we have our photo taken.' The Gasket's Emma and I (SB editor). Thanks to Emma and Lee for hosting us.
Visit The Gasket for great coffee and cakes if you're in the area.