On any Sunday

Triumph Scrambler, Royal Enfield 500-T, Kawasaki 250TR and Suzuki Van Van take to the beach for this retro review

Without putting too fine a rose tinted point on it, the 70s were the greatest. No decade comes close. When they started I was five, didn't rate girls (because they were rubbish), and was obsessed with bikes. By the time they ended I was 16, and obsessed with bikes and girls. Starry-eyed codgers like me love to bang on about how everything ruled OK, but it's true. If it was cool then, it'll still be cool today. Magic.

I'd carefully selected my heroes and had every intention of idolising my own Fantastic Four forever. But by the end of its first year in office, the 80s had already taken Lennon and McQueen away from me. With their precarious chosen employment I remained ever anxious for the well being of the remaining two: Sheene and Knievel thankfully failed to destroy themselves in the pursuit of their daredevil dreams.

As part of his legacy Steve McQueen left us with On Any Sunday. I saw the movie and was instantly inspired to ride off-road. Driven by the need to emulate my hero, and maddened by scurvy - brought on by a failed attempt to consume my own body weight in sherbert fountains - I banged on doors and washed enough cars to buy my very own McQueen/Husqvarna replica, though being a C90 this particular model had not seen much sand action. Anyway, my mum had just bought me my first pair of long trousers so I was fully equipped to face Surrey's awesome sand dunes. My dunes were probably flatter and muddier than McQueen's, but that's not how it seemed then. I was a legend in the making.

"Fook me, we'll never get this fooking thing over there." Whitham's wake up call was neatly timed. My flashback is over, it's 30-odd years later and it's very, very cold. The 'thing' he refers to is the Triumph Scrambler and 'there' is the beach. We're huddled in a car park at Camber Sands, here to emulate the stars of the film. This a bit like the famous Mint 400, which used to run around Las Vegas and was covered by such enthusiastic journalists as Hunter S Thompson. Except Camber is smaller than Vegas, and colder, more deserted, derelict and depressing. We're also looking at a section of sand about 400 yards across, as opposed to 400 miles, but the On Any Sunday spirit is with us. We're chomping at the bit, but to get to our destination we have to cross 60 yards of deep soft sand, followed by another 60 of quicksand. By the time we're all ready for the off, Whitham has already buried the Triumph. We're in hysterics, and it's not even 10 o'clock.

Also on the casting couch are Jon and Daryll, both sentimental enough to appreciate this bygone era and collection of quirky bikes. One of my neighbours had a collection of off-roaders, among them a DOT, a Greeves, a couple of Bultacos , a Royal Enfield and a Triumph, much the same ours. It was 1974, and that rich kid at the end of the road had a monkey bike that he never used, like a tiny version of Suzuki's Van Van. The silly arse who drove the mobile fruit'n'veg van and winked at my mum had a trail bike just like the Kawasaki TR250, although it was painted a heavy metal-flake silver and covered in amusing stickers.

The Enfield Bullet 500-T reminds me of the BSA Bantam I rode when I was nine and I instantly take a shine to it, despite it being slightly before my time. It's too charming for words so I decide to take it under my wing for the day and allow it to amuse me. James has claimed the Triumph and shot off like a nutcase after being dug out of the sand. Jon is frightened of everything except the Van Van, so that gets his vote, while Daryll jumps on the agile looking Kawasaki.

Within moments I can recall the smiling, tanned faces of our Californian heros, Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen. We've made it to our sandy playground and are behaving like kids, laughing, shouting and crashing like proper movie stars. Only James really knows what he's doing - straight in with massive, but controlled, power slides on the handsome Triumph. But it makes no odds, we're all on the same level and he's managing to fall off more than the rest of us combined.

It doesn't get any better than this. The sun is shining and the beach is all ours. If I wake up tomorrow as the Bionic Man next to Farah Fawcett-Majors, it'll be an anti- climax. After 30 minutes of pandemonium we start to get the hang of riding the bikes properly. The urban cool Van Van is low on power but high on buoyancy, and fizzes across the water on its fat tyres with a shrieking giant Urry monkey atop it; Daryll is busy spinning round, impersonating a crazed ballerina, seemingly inexhaustible. As Whitham proceeds to circle us like a motorised collie, I hum the movie theme tune and make a tidy pile of bits on top of the Enfield motor - bits that have just fallen off, bits that have fallen off the one bike here I'm falling in love with. It's the real McCoy, and the only bike here not making a come back.

The Triumph's smooth delivery makes it far less intimidating to ride than its 210 kilos might suggest. It's the only bike here fit for prolonged road use and James loves it, though scores it second for beach work after the Suzuki. In fact, the Suzuki is top dog today, having won three golden gongs for its surprising beach ability. We'd argue into the night about the merits of each, with Daryll defending the low, manageable 250 Kawasaki. But they're all winners, and so are we. Grinning and sweating contentedly, we know we've just had a very special day, one that ended with us gracefully power-sliding across the sand like demented, turbo-charged swans. We're in heaven. And McQueen's at the bar, getting the beers in.

STEVE McQUEEN 1930-1980

Women wanted him, men wanted to be like him

AFTER A PARTICULARLY tough childhood and a stint as a marine, the King of Cool studied acting and got his breaks in the early 50s, appearing in (now hilarious) hits such as The Blob. The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape put him on the map, but it was the Towering Inferno that made him a global superstar, while Papillon (with Dustin Hoffman) brought respect for his acting abilities.

Of his 30 films, us petrol heads will always remember Le Mans, On Any Sunday, The Great Escape and Bullitt, as these roles showed his exceptional talents in control of two and four wheels. He even waived his fee for the first two (and financed OAS) to help them come in on budget.

His love of cars and particularly motorcycles was well documented. In many respects he preferred the simple life, and was happiest racing his biking buddies on the weekend. When not competing, he'd load his trail bike on to a pick-up and head off into the hills to mess about. 

Ten years after the release of On Any Sunday, McQueen died suddenly from a double heart attack, brought on by mesothelioma - a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos and undoubtedly not helped by years of heavy smoking. The Hunter, his final film for which he commanded a $3m fee, was released in 1980. He was scheduled to star in the role of a character called Rambo before he fell ill.

ON ANY SUNDAY

AFTER PRODUCING SEVERAL surfing  documentaries, notably the cult hit Endless Summer, filmmaker Bruce Brown turned his talents on the world of motorcycling after watching Steve McQueen in The Great Escape. He teamed up with the film idol and bike nut, who duly financed the project and used his name to publicise the finished movie, which opened to critical acclaim. In 1971 it was nominated in 1971 for a 'Best Documentary Feature' Oscar. To this day, On Any Sunday remains the quintessential insight into the world of motorcycling.

The film stars Malcolm Smith, a hard-core addict in the world of off-road competition and a huge riding talent. We follow his progress through several events along with co-stars Mert Lawwill and Steve McQueen. All the madcap elements of biking are showcased in a light-hearted, glamorous and absorbing romp, in the days before safety was invented.

It's very easy to get hold of a copy so, if you don't already own it, go and treat yourself. It's truly inspirational and is an instant repair kit for those who think they're bored with biking.