MCL26 Show and Shine voting closes this Sunday!
Voting is nearly over for MCL26 Show and Shine, with The Biker Lawyers, with hundreds of bikes competing for one of just 10 places at this year’s show.
With MCL26 just eight weeks away (yes, it really is coming around that quickly!), we have just a couple of months to go before we get to make our annual pilgrimage to the NEC.
With a host of new and updated elements at this year's show, there is sure to be lots to see and plenty of new metal to swing a leg over. But there is one feature in particular that seems to have captured the biking public’s eye more than any other.
Show and Shine, with The Biker Lawyers, has given you, the Great British biking public, the chance to see your bike as a star at the show. The final twelve bikes, which include two of MotoBob’s Triumphs, will be viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors, putting them on the same billing as important race bikes from BSB, World Superbike and MotoGP.
It’s basically the mechanical equivalent of rubbing shoulders with the stars!
And the voting closes on Sunday 27th September, meaning the ball is in your court! MCL’s organisers need you to help them whittle down the hundreds of entries to just ten machines.
And it’s an eclectic old mix of stuff, from concourse sports bikes from the 80s, 90s and 2000s, to blingy customs and laid-back cruisers.
If you are looking for a snapshot of what UK motorcycle culture really means, this is it.
As you can probably expect, the Visordown team aren't averse to enjoying a well-built, original custom bike, so we’ve been looking through the entries and picked four we’d choose for the final. This rundown is in no particular order, and we haven’t taken any bribes in the form of chocolate, crisps or cash – Scouts’ honour.
Pepsi Suzuki RGV 250 vj22
If there are two things we’re all a sucker for, it’s two-strokes and late 1980s GP liveries. Back then, GP bike sponsorship was bold, uncluttered, and a million miles from the overcrowded mess we see on most modern MotoGP bike fairings.
And that brings us neatly to this little Pepsi-flavoured gem.
Incredibly, this bike hasn’t always been this sweet; it spent around three years rotting in a garden before its current owner rescued it.
The resto job was done around 21 years ago, and thankfully the owner had the foresight to keep it legit, maintaining the bike’s originality with some tasteful period updates, like the DEP exhaust system and silencers. We have a feeling that Mr Schwantz would approve of this one.
Blingtastic Yamaha R1
Not one for shy and retiring types, this rather unique-looking R1 features more chrome-finished parts than you could shake a tube of Autosol at.
The bike’s current owner bought it in 1999, and since then has covered some 75,000 miles riding through France and over to the Isle of Man. The bike has also been active at UK track days, including outings at Cadwell, Oulton Park and Donington.
The transformation of the machine has apparently cost £15,000, with the bike’s builder claiming that “nearly everything that can be chromed has been, including nuts and bolts”.
The wheels have also been given the Midas touch, thanks to a liberal coating of gold chrome. Mechanical updates include Öhlins suspension at both ends and chunky AP Racing six-pot calipers at the front, with a two-piston AP unit at the rear.
Honda CB750 Cafe Racer
If tastefully executed restmods are your thing, this clean-looking CB750 cafe racer will surely be catching your eye.
Originally set to be a zombie apocalypse bike, inspired by Daryl Dixon from the hit TV show The Walking Dead, the bike’s creator admitted that he dropped the zombie idea because "every bugger was building ‘em”.
We think the finished machine is all the better for it, thanks to the slick transition from a period-correct engine and modern chassis parts.
The bike’s builder admits that it took “three years and a s**t load of money” to complete, and that he loves riding it and has even taken it to a couple of bike shows since finishing the build.
BMW R nineT Aston Martin F1 tribute
While each bike on this list is special in its own right, this final bike has significantly more meaning behind it.
The bike was built as a tribute to the builder's middle son Jake, who was lost in 2022. Before passing away, Jake worked for the Aston Martin F1 team, which became central to the look of the bike.
The paint on the bike is from the AMR22 F1 car, while mechanical updates include Öhlins forks and a Wilbers rear shock, carbon wheels, Brembo brake calipers, and a seat unit that is inspired by the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
If you’d like to cast your vote in MCL26 Show and Shine, head over to the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
