The MA Chapter of the British Iron Association is having their 16th Annual British Motorcycle Show and Swap Meet on Sunday May 21st.

I went to their Fall show last year and had a good time.

Maybe this year I will (in order of likelihood, not chronological):

1. Find the place where they sell beer straight off. Not through random discovery when searching for the loo before heading home.
2. Enter my bike in the show (they have a Hinckley era category) if it doesn’t get too messy on the way there. Anyways, you need to park it somewhere, right?
3. Be social. (There are probably some other items that I am not listing that would rank before this.)

Anyways, I have always like Vanson, ever since I was turned on to them and got my first motorcycle jacket from them when I was 15 or so. Yes, that was before I could have a motorcycle license, but the logic at the time and encouragement from older motorcycling friends (Hi Skerry, if you are out there) was that if I wanted a leather jacket (as all good punks do), then I might as well by something that will be of use if I ever had a bike of my own.
Back then that was the Thayer Street days of Vanson in Boston’s South End. Long before it started to become gentrified… back when there was still an elevated Orange Line rail system serving it. Sometime in between they ended up moving to Taunton, into some soulless industrial park facility. Now though, they are in a giant old factory in Fall River whose atmosphere harkens back to the Thayer Street warehouse… less the Boston Rock ‘n’ Roll part.
Either way, they have always been a true motorcycle oriented place. I will try to make it to the open house, weather permitting.

The weather was fairly good (just slightly overcast) and I found my way with only a little confusion… I pulled off of Rte 9 behind a group of 3 Triumph riders, so I figured I was heading the right way. Followed them and there directions must have been pretty much what I had except for one turnoff that I took before them… I probably should have just followed them, as that turnoff resulted in a wrong turn or two and a bit of confusion. I got there well enough though in the end. Payed my $7 to get in and parked the Speed Triple in the non-show bike area.
There was (in my mind) a fairly respectable set of bikes on show. Triumphs were in the majority, with about a third as many Nortons. Plus a smattering of BSAs (I counted two), Enfields (two again), and Velocettes (two again… breeding pairs?). Anyways, I took some pictures of what interested me and have linked them up in a gallery here.
I tried to take notes of what I was snapping pictures of, but not all bikes had show tags on them at the times. Nor am I the worlds best note taker. Feel free to send corrections/observations.
Not a whole lot else of interest to the show though. Th swap meet part was a little dodgy… a few odd commercial vendors with various stuff. The token leather shop booth with stuff that looked more along the right lines for a Harley guy. Someone with a booth with insanely loud fluorescent shirts that I guess were supposed to keep you visible while riding (not much good for road burn though). There was a lady there though that had some nice pins and badges. So I bought one, it rocks. I will have to scan it or take a pic of it another time.
So, that, a chili dog, a Coke, a cheeseburger, and a pretty mediocre cover band later and I was done. I ‘ll go again though (and hopefully next time I will discover where they are selling beer before I decide to hit the road).