However, not so in this case, for here I’m referring to the owner and not the bike. It’s true, as Barry Meech really did come back from the other side to complete this tasty Buell. We’re very glad he did, and so is he…
Barry had bought the 2002 Buell Firebolt some years ago, but when his local pub, ‘Lily’s Bar’ on Hayling Island, was threatened with closure, he made the brave decision to step in, buy it and run it with his partner, the lovely Joolz. Sounds like my kind of guy. For three years Barry and Joolz took on the role of Publican and Landlady respectively. All good things come to an end, though, and eventually it was time to sell up and move on (the pub continues to thrive with the new owners by the way).
Figuring they needed a well-earned holiday, they made plans for a trip to Thailand in November 2018. All well and good—until the night before they were due to head to the airport for their dream holiday when Barry was suddenly taken unwell in the early hours of the morning. Joolz says that Barry is one of those guys that never seems to ail with anything, so to see him suddenly sitting up in bed in a bad way and complaining of severe chest pains, meant that something was most definitely not right. Describing his symptoms over the phone saw an ambulance on its way to Chez Meech and Barry was carted off to the local hospital pretty damn sharpish.
This story is from the Issue 254 edition of 100% Biker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 254 edition of 100% Biker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
There's No Place Like Chrome
When settling down to write a feature for a magazine, it’s necessary to have two things, nay, three things in front of you. A computer is useful, it saves all that messy ink and blotting paper that we used in those long gone school days, a strong hot mug of tea should also be on the desk (goes without saying), and finally, a set of scribbled notes that a couple of months ago resembled a detailed description of a motorcycle, but that by now, are largely illegible…
Spike And Bob's Big Swedish Adventure: Part 5
In 1979 Hasse took Caprice to the Norrtälje show for the first time, but he had changes for the bike in mind and, during the winter, he picked up a jammer frame and a set of 20-inch tubes.
Black Dog Custom Show - The Black Dog, Broadmayne, Dorset
Named after the only pub in the village of Broadmayne near Dorchester, nobody there can quite remember how long the informal get together that is the Black Dog Custom Show has been going
TWEETY
Over the last couple of years, very few if any motorcycles have inspired such bafflement and scratching of heads as Dan Duggan’s Honda CX500
THE DOUBTER
Every project starts somewhere and this one began at the Bike Shed Show at Tobacco Dock in London or, to be more accurate, when my mate Matt Donaldson turned to me and said, “I bet you can’t build a bike good enough for here.” Well, that set me to work!
JBS SPECIAL
Jarno comes from a family with petrol in their blood. His father races classic motorcycles and Jarno was raised on a farm where the barns are full of motorcycles instead of cows! This is his very first project, the Jarno Bastian Special
CUSTOMBIKE Messe Bad Salzuflen, Germany
Sometimes what is missing from a show is more interesting than what’s present. With the German show Custombike celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the event remains a showcase for European customising in all its diversity— with the additional benefit of a focus on parts that are homologated and approved for Europe
COVERT MISSION
It’s not often that I have to sneak in and photograph a motorcycle without the owner knowing anything about it—something that was made tougher in this case by the said motorcycle being kept at said owner’s house
Carry On Screaming
As is often the case, I first caught sight of Nige Biffin’s cool Honda CB750 at a local show last summer, standing out as it did from the stock stuff and the classics present. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t just the ace paint that grabbed my attention, but the obvious quality of the build throughout. I needed to know more…
Paul's Harley
Ensuring that a custom motorcycle will comfortably chew up the miles is perhaps not always one of the main priorities for every builder, but for anyone in the National Chopper Club, it’s essential. Never more so than when you happen to live in one of the far flung parts of this island which means that you’ve usually got a journey to do before you even start going anywhere, as Paul, NCC National Secretary and member of Chopper Club Kernow, knows all too well. This is the story of his latest chop.
