John Thompson Classic Gathering 2024

John Earp has sent a report for this event. I have added a few words too. Ed.

Thunderstorms early evening - that’s what my trusty BBC weather app was telling me - I said to my wife - ‘Isn’t that just typical’.
However 6.30pm approached and it was actually sunny and a bit of blue sky overhead so hedging my bets I put all my water proof gear on and set off for Marston’s club.
I wasn’t the first to arrive and by 7.00 pm there were 10 bikes including run leader Mick Dughan ready to go.
After a quick chat Mick led us left out of the car park up towards the Acorn Inn where we turned left for Tatenhill and Barton.
Left turn in Barton by the Shoulder of Mutton pub and over the A38 and Bailey Bridge to Walton, Cotton-in-the-Elms and Overseal.
Across the A444 turn left towards Moira, Blackfordby to Boundary where we turned left after the water tower and carried on until we joined the Ashby/Ticknall Rd.
In Ticknall we took a right then a left towards Ingleby and the John Thompson pub.
I was relieved to see plenty of bikes on the car park as the pub had opened especially for us - someone mentioned there were over 50 bikes assembled but I never counted them.
Unfortunately it was now starting to drizzle - but not enough to stop us having a drink and a chat until the light began to fail and rain became more persistent and we decided to make our way home. Three of us took roughly the same route to Willington where we split and went our own way.
Thanks to Mick Dughan for leading us, the guy on the Harley who rode at the rear (I never got his name) and Nick at the John Thompson for opening especially for us.
It’s good to get out on the bikes again and next weekend on Saturday 25th we have our annual ‘Meet the Neighbours’ run with the Notts and Derby Section to be led by our chairman Andy Roberts, leave Ashbourne Road at 2.00 pm and on Sunday 26th it’s our annual visit to Clay Mills Victorian Pumping Station from 09.30 am.
More details about both these events can be found on our website at: https://burtonsectionvmcc.co.uk/calendar/calendar.html

Cheers John
P.S. I forgot my phone so photos have been kindly supplied by Mick Dughan, Malcolm Bridges and Eddy Grew.

As I live in Hinckley I went straight to The John Thompson Pub rather than ride to Burton first to join the run led by Mick Dughan. I left home around 6:30 pm. The weather was fine and dry. I had a steady ride along the A447 to Ibstock then towards Ashby de - la - Zouch before turning towards Smisby and Ticknall. The weather forecast mentioned showers so when I arrived at the pub it was good to see quite a few bikes there already.

The car park has lots of good hard standing for bikes and is in a quiet spot overlooking a nice view of a bend in the river Trent. I parked up and bought a drink before having a wander around the car park. This meeting is one where I often bump into someone I may not have seen since the same event last year. It's a good chance to catch up on what they have been doing since the last time I saw them.

One of the first people I spoke to was Bob Higgs who was riding his Velocette special with his leading link type front forks. Bob posed the question that although Moto Guzzi had used leading link type fork on their race bikes, had they ever fitted them to their production road bikes? I said I thought not. My brother John who has three Moto Guzzi machines joined the conversation. He said he didn't think so either. (Who knows? Answers in an email if you know otherewise.) This led onto some of the different, unusual and sometimes unique design features that Moto Guzzi used. That is the way conversations often go, start on one thing and then branch off into other areas before sometimes coming back full circle to the original topic. All very interesting and the time flies by, easy talking when we we are all interested in motorcycles.

Later, odd spots of rain began to fall at which point a few bikes started to leave. A group of stalwart Burton Section members remained talking until the odd spots became too regular spots and with the light starting to go we rode off on our various ways home. Eddy

There is usually a great variety of bikes at this meeting. A few of them in the photographs below.

Malcolm and Brenda were riding this Vincent up to Hull the next (very wet) day to get the ferry to Holland. Hope they had good watewrproofs.

Some more photos added below from Malcolm Bridges