Forum

[Mark M]

This bike was on display at the VMCC Founder's Day event held at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire yesterday. Or was it? The bike that is being raffled by the NMCM was purchased from Hitchcocks a few months ago and according to the blurb has been restored in the museum's workshops. And a very quick turn around it must have been! The signage on the bike said 'win me' but on close examination the engine number is iB1000. Not only is that not the number that was on the Hitchcocks machine but it looks a lot like the number on the bike (first production Mk2 Interceptor) that used to be in the Museum collection. Hmmm!

REgards, Mark

[Dennis C]

Hmmm, indeed, we live in a mysterious world where not everything is what it seems.

[Alan R]

Hi Mark M ------ any more info on this ??........I know we on here are quick enough to point out a "ringer" on E-Bay in India for example but if true then this is too close to home ( Literally !! ) for comfort.....

[Mark M]

Alan, I'll be careful in what I say but when I looked at the "Raffle bike" at the Founders Day event I was accompanied by a Hitchcocks employee and he was of the same opinion as me. I think the bike being shown is actually the current museum display bike, I went back and re-read the article in The Classic Motorcycle magazine (I think it was,) in which Allan H explained how the first production bike IB 1000 came through their hands and ended up in the Museum. I have no doubt that when the NMCM workshops have finished with the bike it will be in excellent condition, in fact probably better than the display bike which has a number of things "wrong" with it. If it was a road bike I wouldn't be bothered but when rebuilding machines like this people do have a reasonable assumption that "it's exactly like the one in the Museum". Mind you, if I spent £5 on a ticket and won it, I wouldn't complain one bit!

REgards, Mark

[Hitchcocks Motorcycles]

I have spoken to the NMM to clear this up. Apparently at the shows there are some generic banners used which do say "win this bike" but there should be a specific Interceptor board (or whatever bike is being raffled at the time) which does have at the bottom a disclaimer stating "Machine shown may be a representative example of the prize, not the actual machine". This board is always on display alongside the bike at the museum and accompanies the bike to the different shows.


Some weekends, some shows clash with each other or the actual bike is still under restoration hence the occasional need to display a representative bike.


Allan

[Mark M]

There you go, the definitive answer. The Museum's workshop does a really good job so I'm sure the actual bike will be a cracker. Now, where are those tickets?!

REgards, Mark