Perfect Prescott!

Who better to send to the ninth annual Prescott Bike Festival than the man who attends every ruddy year? Yup — Allen Millyard.

- Allen Millyard

I have been coming to this festival for a number of years now, but this year had the added attraction of the Kickback, the National Custom Show and UK Championships showcasing 80 finalists – and I was to help judge it!

I was pleased to be asked to help, along with a number of other luminaries, including some-time CMM contributor Steve Parrish, so this kept me occupied for most of the Saturday. I have to say, there was a high standard of entries and chatting to the owners was a joy. It was great to see so many young entrants because this will ensure the continuation of custom building motorcycles into the future. And that’s a good thing!

I took three of my bikes this year to ride the hill: the RC374 six, the Flying Millyard V-twin and my recently completed Velocette V-twin, which is serialized in CMM. In addition, my son Sam took his Kawasaki S3 666 five, which I made for him a few years ago. When it came to the riding, our great British weather is always unpredictable and there was initially some concern over the forecast. However, it turned out sunny at times with just a few showers, so the rain certainly didn’t get in the way of a good time!

The paddock was full of amazing machines, ranging from authentic racing bikes, replicas, specials, mopeds, choppers, supermotos, monowheels, and standard road bikes. I was first on the track on Sunday morning with my RC374 six and at this point, the sun was shining and the track was dry. This was its first real test ride and I was quite apprehensive, hoping it would run well under load on a hill and wondering if I would be able to make the tight hairpin with its limited steering lock and outstretched riding position.