Cape Town – Inspired by a number of reality TV shows, bike build-offs, where contestants are invited to build a custom motorcycle within strict time and budgetary constraints, and a winner is declared as per concours rules, have become popular in the United States. As far as we know, however, this will be the first to be held in Cape Town.
Starting from the announcement of the contest on Friday 5 August, the competitors have exactly 100 days to build a rideable custom motorcycle, without spending more than R80 000 on the basic bike, parts, materials and services. Labour is free; they can put as work into their entry as they want.
The finished bikes will be displayed in public for the first time at the Hells Angels Cape Town Poppy Day commemorative run to the Fort Wynyard military museum in Green Point on Sunday 13 November, where the announcement of the winner, and the presentation of the trophy, will be the highlight of the annual Poppy Day Run, which commemorates those South Africans who have given their lives in the service of their country in two World Wars, and in smaller conflicts around the world.
All bikers are welcome to join the run, which will start from the Hells Angels clubhouse at 21 Kings Road, Brooklyn at 9.30am. On arrival at Fort Wynyard each rider will be given a token, and asked to put in the box in front of the machine of their choice; at 3pm the tokens will be tallied to determine the winning motorcycle.
Indomitable courage
The theme for Poppy Day 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Delville Wood, the iconic five-day defence of a 1.5 square kilometre piece of woodland against constant attack by overwhelming numbers.
On 15 July 1916, 3155 officers and men of the 1st South African Infantry brigade attacked and occupied Delville Wood, under orders to hold it at all costs. For the next five days the Imperial German forces threw everything they had at them, in between almost continuous artillery bombardment, but could not dislodge the South Africans.
When they were relieved on 20 July, just three officers, two of them wounded, and 140 men marched out of the wasteland that had been Delville Wood – and their indomitable courage is the theme for the Poppy Day bike build-off.
The three custom shops that have been invited to submit entries are, in alphabetical order, Anvl Kraft, Cave Kustoms and Murdercycles. The winning motorcycle will be auctioned via the Hells Angels website, with bids starting at R80 000, which will go to the builder; anything above that will be donated to the Red Cross War Memorial Childrens Hospital.