No internet, no mobile phone reception, no credit cards — just a whole bunch of people enjoying a whole bunch of old-school cars and motorbikes, with beers, burgers and chips, and live music that suited the mood down to a tee.
The Bike Shed Times editor Peter Terlick summed it up when he said the 20-acre property in the middle of the south-western Australian forest was “like a great big time machine. We were all 19 again!”
Now in its fourth year, The Bike Shed Times Capel River Classic Show and Shine started as a lunch-time bolt-on to an annual dirt bike event, namely the Ironstone Adventure Riding Club’s Capel 200 Trail Bike Rally, in 2022.
For 2025, not only was there was a stunning display that attracted many of Western Australia’s most beautiful classic bikes, but also a stunning display of beautiful classic cars – plus an off-road rally for people who wanted to get their bikes dirty and a swap meet where collectors and restorers swapped bits, cash and stories.
Trophies were awarded to bikes ranging from a 1957 two stroke 125cc Ducati to a 1991 FXSTC Harley-Davidson, with a whole bunch of road and dirt bikes in between. (The full list of trophy winners is down the bottom.)
As always, we went for a long slow stroll with the trusty Nikon to get these photos.
Organisers (and returning spectators) were delighted to see a big turnout of new entrants for 2025, including this gorgeous 1957 Triton owned by Chris Spence. For those who don’t know, the Triton was never a factory-built machine, but a Triumph engine in a Norton frame. The Norton Manx engine of the day was very popular with lightweight racing cars, leading to a surplus of featherbed frames that were snapped up by Triumph-owning racers and cafe racers. Chris went home with a trophy – runner-up in the 1945-71 category.
Hang on a minute. That’s not a bike! The classic motorcycle show was complemented by a superb display of pre-1975 cars. There were dozens on show, including a stunning 1971 Chev Corvette Stingray (above) and not-so-shiny but way-cool old Chev below. For more details and pics of the car show, click here.
The Capel show attracted multiple motorcycle clubs this year, some local to the south-west and others making the trip down from State capital Perth, 200km or so to the north. The Velocette Owners Club was one of the latter, with enough bikes for a display of their own.
Western Australia’s Historic Competition Motorcycle Club also made the trip to Capel with a great display of historic race bikes. This Norton-framed Eso especially caught our eye. We’d never seen an Eso in the flesh before, but we recall that Yamaha used that same Czechoslovakia motor in the early stages of development of its XT/TT 500.
Greg Gleeson went to great pains in restoring his 1981 XT, and it showed. Beautifully done.
Entries ranged from pretty old to really old. Greg Revell has a thing for Nortons, and his really old (1929) Model 18 was a stunner. It finished in second place in the pre-1945 class.
Hands up anyone who remembers the Amen Saviour choppers? We do, and we were rapt to see John Kirchner’s Z1000-powered example on show. John told us he had plans to find appropriate spoked wheels to replace the camstars. Love those pipes!
Tim Lown burned several gallons of midnight oil to get this bike ready for Capel. It’s a HarleyDavidson sportster engine shoe-horned into a Norton featherbed frame – not the most common of marriages, but it was beautifully done and looked a million dollars.
Wayne Whisler’s 1991 FXSTC Harley-Davidson was a jaw-dropping show-stopper, with expert workmanship and stunning attention to detail. No surprise that it took home some silverware – first place in the Custom class and runner-up to Best in Show (Judges Choice).
Brian Ritchie found this 1957 Ducati 125 Sport at a flea market in Italy, some years ago. It didn’t look like this. An imaginative perfectionist, Brian has turned it into a work of art that wins trophies in show-and-shine events, beach races, and who knows what else. The baby Duke won the pre-1975 dirt bike class and was runner-up to Best in Show (People’s Choice). Thanks to Phil McCann for the pic. Our photographer reckoned the bike was forever surrounded by people when he tried to get a shot. Probably true …
“When I grow up, I wanna be a Ducati.” Simon Gie’s 1971 Honda Z50A K2 looked right at home in the marquee.Nev Hurring arrived early with a one-man-show of beautifully restored Japanese bikes from the 1970s. Among them (above), a 1976 YZ250C (they’re gas cannisters by the way, not a speedo and tacho!) and a sandcast Honda CB750 (below). The so-called ‘sandcast’ bikes were Honda’s first run of the big Honda Four, when they weren’t sure whether the model would sell well. Er, it did.
Glen Doust’s 1976 Kawasaki Z900 was a marvellous example of the breed, and very popular with the crowd. Glen took home the Best In Show (People’s Choice) trophy.
It’s hard to believe Lex McKinley races this 1996 Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport. Superbly presented, she literally looks better than new. The judges were smitten, awarding the big Guzzi their Best In Show trophy.
From a time when company founder Soichiro Honda dreamed of taking on Britain in motorcycle manufacture, came the Honda Dream. Earlier versions ran a 98cc engine which eventually grew to 305cc, like this wonderful 1964 example of Chas Morgan’s. By then, the dream was becoming a reality and the 305 Dream’s performance was closing in on Britain’s 650s. It should have been a warning that Soichiro was on his way!
Last year, Rob Winzar took out the Judges’ Best In Show trophy with his spotless 1979 Honda CR125. He added another trophy to the cabinet this year with his stunning 1986 Honda CR250, runner-up in the 1975-1999 dirt bike category.
Paul Marchant took a full trailer load to Capel; these four beautifully restored European motocrossers for the show and shine plus a 1978 Bultaco Frontera 370 and a 1981 Husqvarna 430WR to ride in the off-road “rustic rally”. The 1982 Husqvarna 500CR was known as the Silver Streak back in the day, but it took home gold in 2025 – first place in the 1975-199 Dirt Bike class.
There were some changes to the event layout this year, including a new spot for the off-road rally pits to enable riders to parade their bikes to the crowd as they headed out for a ride. It worked a treat, and added some marvellous noise and action. Once the bikes were clear of the crowd (below), they could open the throttle.
The most hotly-contested class in the show and shine was the 1972-78, and the competition was intense. Darryl Warner took home the gold with his glorious 1975 Norton Commando Mk3 Interstate. Neville Brown’s 1973 Triumph Bonneville alongside wasn’t too shabby either.
Rod Buckley has a soft spot for Ducati sports bikes. His 1975 900SS was a stunner. Rod also brought along his relatively modern and equally tasty Paul Smart Replica so the lovely old bevel had some company.
When Dan Talbot first took this 1939 Ariel to Capel (below) it was a pile of parts. He and it returned this year, fresh from racing at Lake Perkolilli, to win the pre-1945 class. Lovely.
Here’s how you do a bike show. Look at some bikes. Look at some cars. Grab a burger. Grab a beer. Listen to some funky music. Repeat several times. Go home. Very civilised.
