About The Club
The friendly Yeovil based WESTLAND CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB recently celebrated the anniversary of its 1984 founding when it was originally set up as a section of the Westland Helicopter Sports and Social Club.
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After severing links with the Agusta Westland Aircraft company, but retaining the name and registered logo, the club became self supporting financially, mainly through the meagre £6 annual subscription and monthly club draw. We meet at least once a month, the club night being on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 8.00pm at Chilthorne Domer Recreation club. The club venue is situated behind the primary school which is on the main road through the village, approximately 3 miles out of Yeovil.
Our laid back, hardworking, chairman Mike Axe ensures the 70+ regular members enjoy a variety of events throughout the year including quizzes, demonstrations, talks, barbeque, annual dinner, bring a bike night, 50/50 sales and ride outs (usually with a food incentive, i.e. cream teas, fish and chips, or breakfasts). As a club we attend and provide 10 -15 bikes for the club stand at the Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show at the Shelton Mallet show ground in February each year, as well as other local displays.
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The 3 main charity runs organised during the summer months are The Coast to Coast (from Lyme Regis to Burnham on Sea), The Spirit of the Sixties and until recently The Sunflower Run (both of these are 100 -150 miles around the picturesque Somerset/Wiltshire/Devon/Dorset countryside incorporating outstanding views and places of historical or engineering interest). The routes are marshaled by volunteers who indicate the route and obviate the use of route cards or maps, thereby enabling full concentration on the roads. Riders are able to stop to enjoy the views, and after a brief introduction to sights or venues on the run can return another day for a longer exploration.
Our annual international trips, “Uncle Fester’s tours” run by Tony Haywood cover long week-ends in northern Europe and our intrepid explorer Mike Axe recently rode around South America for five months. On his return he volunteered several interesting talks/slide shows for charity, and displayed his “muddy BMW explorer” and route maps at the Shepton show.
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The club, like most clubs, has its own characters that possess, restore and regularly ride a variety of bikes. We encompass all capabilities from full time engineers to hobby tinkerers and those who (inadvertently) try to run a petrol engine by putting diesel in the tank.
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Although we are a small club, we are proud of the fact we have raised just under £170,000 for various charities since we were formed. We are always on the lookout for new motorcycling based experiences and new members; we are not restricted to ‘old’ classic bikes or owners; anybody with an interest in motorcycles is more than welcome to come along and sample our activities.
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Details of the club events can be found on the calendar.