Record crowds filled the halls of the Royal Dublin Society facility at the beginning of March (3 – 5) as the 2017 edition of the biennial Carole Nash Insurance sponsored Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show pointed to continued revival in the small but passionate and creative motorcycle market in Ireland.
That creativity was apparent again in the standard and number of custom bikes entered into the AMD World Championship affiliated Ireland International Custom Show.
With two winners (Best Irish and Best International Guest builders) winning expenses to represent the show at the 2018 AMD World Championship, a strong field would have been hoping to replicate the success of Mick O’Shea and Don Cronin who, after winning the ‘Dublin’ Show went on to scoop the AMD World Championship In 2013 with the much admired ‘Rondine’ – an exquisitely customized 1971 Moto Guzzi.
Last year they again spearheaded an Irish invasion at ‘INTERMOT Customized’ that saw Mick and Don take home the Street Performance class win with ‘Road Fever’, a 1987 Ducati 750, and saw Noel Connolly add to the Irish trophy cabinet with an 11th place in the Freestyle Class for the remarkable ‘Strom’ – the first ever E-Bike to compete at ‘The AMD’.
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| Don Cronin won the Irish Championship with his customized BMW 1000RS |
This year Cronin (Medaza Cycles) struck again, taking the Irish Championship win with his customized BMW 1000RS; followed by Noel Connolly second with a Harley - “Saltster 883” – a Bonneville interpretation of the venerable Sportster with which he also took Best Custom, and Harry Harrison, a new young builder emerging onto the scene in Ireland, was third with a Suzuki GSXR 750 Cafe Racer interpretation, with which he also took the Best Engineering award.
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| Paul Milbourn scooped the ‘International Best in Show’ prize with his Moto Guzzi “Titanium” |
The ‘International Best in Show’ prize went to Brit Paul Milbourn for his Moto Guzzi “Titanium”; his fellow Brit Larry Houghton (another man with an AMD World Championship “rap sheet” as long as your arm) was second with a re-envisioning of “Café Rouge”, his Sturgis 2008 AMD World Championship Freestyle entry; Ian Cushing of Second City Customs made it a clean sweep of international podium spots for UK builders in third place (plus the Best Mod Harley class win) with his FXR.
The event was generously supported by Deltran of Florida, the ‘Battery Tender’ manufacturer, who provided product contingency prizes for the top three Irish and international builders, and by Zodiac International and their Irish agent Bridge Garage, who stepped up with a cash prize fund of €7,300 (nearly $8,000) of cash prizes.
All ‘AMD’ entrants also received a ‘Goody Bag’ from Ace Café London.
Our thanks also go to UK builder and current Las Vegas winner Pete Pearson of Rocket Bobs, Blue Miller of 100 Percent Biker magazine in the UK, Paul Timpson of Zodiac International and AMD’s ‘ShowMaster’ Neil Blaber for judging and prize giving duties.
www.irishmotorbikeshow.com