Manky Monkey Motors

Right. Bike Show South West. 28th - 30th April '06, Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
The Manky mob will be there.
We've got 5 unfinished trike projects on the go here in Basingstoke, 4 Reliants & 1 GS850 Suzuki & we've entered them as a job lot. Caused a bit of head scratching with the organisers. They haven't had bare metal rolling chassis on show before so weren't sure what class to put us in. We're going as a sort of unofficial club stand. I faxed the entry forms off yesterday so now we've got about 3 weeks to get organised & do as much work as possible on each trike.
I've rented a 16 x 7 foot tilt-bed trailer & Flap's gonna tow it with his Landy. We've got a stand in the indoor trike hall 50 feet long by 12 feet deep, backing onto a wall with the front & one end accessible to the viewing public. Entry was free & we get 2 free passes for each vehicle, although we compromised on the bare frames & got 1 pass each for them. The trailer works out at about 15 quid each from the 5 of us for 4 days hire so won't cost any more than going to the show as normal punters. Not planning anything too flashy -just thought people might be interested to see some works in progress as well as shiny mega buck show bikes & it's an excuse for a weekend away. Simon & Nigel might camp over but Flap, Rainbow & I all have to work on Saturday mornings.
So any ideas on a theme for the stand? 50 feet sounds an awful big space to fill! They've allowed 10 feet for each vehicle's length but we reckon they'd look better angled at about 45 degrees. Would be nice to arrange them in order from basic rolling frame up to more or less complete trike. Critch, if you read this, any chance of coming up & pinching your bare frame for the weekend? We could sit it up off the ground on a display stand. Not much in the way of props -thought maybe just cut out some big spanner shapes from MDF, spray them up & scatter them around the part built vehicles. Will take the MSVA manual with us cos lots of prospective builders still haven't seen it, maybe knock up a stand for it so people can browse it. We've already got some laminated poster sized prints of the MMMotors logo to lay beside each frame -if they get photographed we'll get our name in the shots! Could do with printing out a modified version of the homepage, with the logo rather than me in the car to explain who we are. As we'll be backing onto a wall I thought perhaps we could have some artwork -the monkey evolving into a man thing, with an ape holding a bone morphing into a bloke with a spanner, or maybe a crouching monkey evolving into one riding a trike? Anyone able to Photoshop that? Where could we get large sized prints done from computer images? The guy who prints our shirts has a printer that'll do about 2 feet by 1 foot, which is what the logo posters were done on. I've checked with the organisers & we're allowed to sell shirts & mugs so I've ordered a couple of dozen black outline Ts, (tan shirts for fellas & red for girlies), & I've got 2 dozen mugs here already, (the Merchandise page will be up soon). Not planning it as a money making venture but it'd help to pad out the stand a bit & get the logo & site address seen. Would love to get the Jag seat/leather sofa finished & take it down to lounge on at the back of the stand while we're there, but don't think we can get back to Steve's workshop & finish it in time. Steve, feel free to do it if you get bored with the race car!
So any ideas people? Suggestions? Or just come along & say Hi over the weekend, gawp at the monkies & poke 'em with sticks. Bring cake with you.  ;)
 
 

You suppose to be over Nigel's now finishing your frame  ???

Bugger, caught out again. I'm on my way right now. Honest.

We called up and entered psycho in the show, so we will be there. Ive got 2 old wolfrace slotmags you could stack about the stand if ya wanted to fill some space? Or anything you saw around the unit!
Will be there on fri(I think!) to drop the trike off and will be back up on sunday.
See you there! ;D

Well that's six trikes we've sorted for their show then. Any more & we'll be able to have our own show hall!
Steve suggested scattering trike components around the unfinished ones but I reckon we'd end up looking like an autojumble stall! I'd forgotten it's Simon & my weekend off, (not planned -very rare for it to work out the way you want it to like that). Flap's got the Friday off & Ska Man's taking Friday off too, so they can get the trailer loaded & we'll hopefully be on our way by 2 ish. Bank Holiday weekend so the road down to the West Country's bound to be packed. We'll look out for you on the way.
Let me know about that spare tank paintjob please mate.

Well, they do have a large autojumble so if you get bored you could just hoike everything into the next hall and flog it all!  ;D I'll probably be down on Saturday.

It's not the biggest show in the World & it's definitely seen bigger attendances in years gone by, but I still tend to go most years. Only 70 miles away for us, straight down the A303. Both the green trike, (Highly Commended), & the red one have been on show there in the past, plus Steve's silver Reliant, (also Highly Commended). Just makes a pleasant afternoon out -a nice way to start the season. Found out this morning I've got an odd day's holiday due so will take the Friday off too. Just as well cos I'd forgotten I need to be on hand to fill in the paperwork for the trailer.
We'll take a weekend's supply of cake with us then Wizz!

I seem to remember that's where I first spotted the red trike...

Aye, you mentioned it in AWOL I think. A few years ago now. Another show, another Mankymobile. Some things just don't change -not sure if that's good or profoundly depressing!

Hi Mankey Matey, we are going down for the saturday. my trike is being reassembled but not sure if it will be ready for the show though. just had call from my "seatman" he has just finished my new riders seat. the wiring is going to be done this next week, the "tins" are away being painted and could be back this w/end. Hopefully it wont be too long before we are back on the road. take care, see you their :)

Hi Pete,
Not worked out who's going to be there on which days yet but I'll definitely be there on Sunday. I think your seat man is the same guy I plan to ask to cover the exposed foam & springs on my Jag sofa thingy. If I'm lucky I might just manage to get my frame powder coated in time for the show but it'll still be way off being finished. Who's doing your wiring for you?
Just spoken to the T shirt printer about getting another couple of poster sized prints of the website logo done. Turns out he's waiting for a new toy to arrive. A printer that'll do huge prints. Banner sized. Supposed to turn up within the next 10 days so if he sorts the software out in time we might have some sort of banner on the walll behind our little corner of the show. Any suggestions as to what should be on it?!!

Good on ya mate go for it

should see ya down there, havnt decided on day yet

Yoda

andy if you wish to borrow the frame thats sound but its a hell of a lot of fuel money to pick it up and drop it off again its not had any more work done as im scrabbling around finishing three bikes and my newly aquired landy...... ::)


tooooooo many projects

Yeah, tell me about it! Thanks Critch. Will be in touch. Rainbow's just passed her test & bought a little diesel Corsa. The frame would probably fit in the back with the seats down.
Yodie, any ideas for artwork?

could probably do something with the inmage of the car from DS but would need it to be very high ris and with flat lighting

the evoloution thing may have been possible (ish) if i had a very high res image but again i aint, and am not very good a freehand drawing mate

Yoda

DS?

Yeah, he lost me there as well !? DS?? :) ;D

Maybe something about "evolution", if you show trikes at various stages of construction, "monkey to man" ?? "mankey-monkey-motors to man-i-mankey-motors" :) dont ask me were that came from  ;D   

Pity I won't be there, I'm working that weekend.

It's a show I've only been to a couple of times, wasn't impressed but that was during the 'no camping' years.

dave satan

Ahh, now I understand  ;)
Yeah, I really like the Monkey on the little van he sent me, but it's a bit late to change our logo now isn't it. Maybe if we were starting out now I'd have thought about pinching it. Mind you, I don't want to make my first million then get sued for every penny for breach of copyright. I don't know what sort of resolution this new printer the T shirt guy's ordered will need. I'll ask.
Would be happy with our normal logo if nothing else, but can post you the van if you fancy a go at creating something. Still fancy the evolution thing although it's not very original.

It used to be a great show, the one that everyone used to try and finish their new projects for - in fact, I believe it was the first big show I went to, more years ago than I care to remember, and when I had the most horrible Bonnie chop in the world. It was also somewhere which had an interesting music line-up, not big names then but it was the very first time I saw the splendid Gutter Brothers, and also the very first biker gig that Bad Manners played. But those days have gone.

I've always held the show in great affection, and it's been disheartening to see how the Sarf West has slipped away over the last few years, and the year they did away with camping sounded its death knell (primarily because they didn't advertise that there would be no camping - I found out about it by accident and put a bit in news, but I believe there were still a lot of folk who were turned away). Regardless of anyone's standing on clubs and the politics therein, it was a helluva better show when the HAMC ran it instead of the Bath & West Showground who currently organise it.

All shows go through a process of rise and fall, and only a few manage to actually turn that around and rise again (especially with more competition from a lot more events these days), and it gives me no pleasure to say that the Sarf West isn't one of those. With all respect to the Manky Travelling Show, the fact that it's able to get a very large indoor pitch this late on is an indication of that - ten years ago all trade and club space was taken months before the event.

True, true, true. I've said here myself it's not the show it once was, but we're just going along for a day out -well, several days out. We were there last year & we'll accept it for what it is now. I agree, the Angels did a better job of managing it -though I always felt their presence was a bit -heavy; menacing at times, but they did attract the top bikes of the day.
We'll just go down, park the trikes up, eat cakes & generally enjoy ourselves. 
Only saw the Gutter Brothers once. busking at Covent Garden & thought they were brilliant. Bought their albums but thought they never sounded the same recorded as they did live. Didn't they reform recently?

They've reformed for a couple of gigs recently, and one in the quite near future but I'm damned if I can remember when! Splendid band. I found my incredibly ancient Gutter Brothers t-shirt when packing stuff yesterday and couldn't bring myself to throw it away.

I have a selection of old T shirts for sleeping in-my MMMotors shirt will one day attain Sleepy Shirt status. Oldest, tattiest & most prized is a green embroidered one from the "Old Trout" pub in Windsor. Now, sadly, a trendy wine bar, it was once a fabulously grotty pub & music venue. Saw many a great band in the back room there -none of which I can remember the names of. 

This Shepton Mallet jaunt doesn't mean that you will be doing the four-letter 'C' word does it, Manky?  :o

That will be the day

And we'll both be there with cameras to record this momentous event... ;D

Yep there will be no escape

I can see him now
Picture the scene
its Been pissing down all night,
and monkey attempts to get up and dressed in a dignified manner
he has his paddington bear pyjamas and fluffy slippers on.
he tries to stand but fall on the front of the tent, the zip bursts open and flat out into the mud he goes
Edward is equally plastered.
A loud scream is heard across the county.
 ;D ;D

The four letter C word? Cute? I do that all the time.  :-*
Edward expects nothing less than 4 star accomodation, but has got some rather natty rainwear.

Synchronise your flash guns and shutter settings now, Mr Yoda...  ;D

 ;D
Shepton's only an hour & a half's run from here, (except it's a Bank Holiday weekend so probably 3 1/2 hours), so I'll nip down both days & be home again in time for tea, but if it were further I'd book into a little B & B somewhere or a TravelInn. Can't understand why anyone would willingly sit in a muddy field all weekend when you can have a nice comfy bed, a hot shower & a big fried breakfast.

And you've got that at home??? Yoda, our accommodation worries for the Sarf West are over!!  :D

woo hooooooooo

Yodie's already visited Manky Mansions. His tent is probably bigger than my flat.

Nothing stopping you having a nice comfy bed in a nice big tent, I have a very comfy bed when we travel with the big tent.
Hot showers and fried breakfast both available at Shepton.
Can't understand why anyone would want to stay at home when they've got the opportunity to go away for the weekend!

Tell you what, you turn in to work for me, and I'll go to the show!

I like my little home! Love doing shows but hate roughing it. Never pretended to be a ruffty tuffty biker. As committed to biking as anyone else & done my fair share of foul weather riding & laying comatose in fields full of sheep poo, but realised it's not compulsory!  :P

Dont forget that infamous night on Dartmore when the cattle wandered between the tents while we were all comatose on booze and one of them left a wonderful surprise for you outside your tent.  HAR HAR HAR!!! But hang on a minute....was it really a cow ;D ;D ;D

Aah, the joys of camping! Yeah, it's left me mentally scarred for life. Was that the trip where we camped next to a graveyard & were woken in the night by the sounds of movement & heavy breathing outside the tents, only to discover in the light of day we'd camped in the middle of a herd of cows? Or the one when we asked the locals in the pub where we could camp & woke up the next morning in the middle of the village football pitch? Yes, I love camping.

The very first time I camped (apart from in my bivvy in the garden when I was a kid) was on Dartmoor in a big thunderstorm in a tent that turned out not to be waterproof!

If that didn't put me off, nothing will!

I've never owned a tent that was waterproof.

Why am I not surprised?





No wonder you don't camp!

I'm not waterproof either.

This Shepton Mallet thingy sounds like fun - not been before.  I'll mention it to Jacko, see if he fancies coming with me.

How much are the pokey sticks, to poke fun at the monkeys?

I'm sure Wizzy will happily lend you her pointy stick Janie!
Bring lots of cake with you.
We're not going all corporate. Not a trade stand, just us & a bunch of half built trikes, but we thought it'd be a laugh. Lunatic will be there too with his Dad's VW trike, (see "Phsyco Triko" in the Motors bit), so he & Jacko will be able to compare notes. I reckon the show's a good afternoon's worth. About 80 or 90 miles from your place straight down the M3/A303. Plenty of outdoor trade stalls plus an autojumble, as well as the show halls. For the last couple of years the trikes have had a hall to themselves while custom & classic bikes are in the main hall. Bar & restaurant, live music etc.
Weekend camping too if you want it -I'm told some people actually enjoy that sort of thing.

if you need a barrel of summer lightning to make the night go smooooth it's yours for £65 quid, that's wot it costs me.
4 or 5 and it don't matter any more LOL
i luv campin. shame this bloody place takes it away

Ha! Our own resident publican! Just a Diet Coke for me please, I'm driving.
Not sure what the  rules are on taking alkeehol onsite at the Bath & West, but personally I'll just be there during the day both days. SkaMan & Simon are talking of camping though.

mmmmmmm summer lightning ;D

i shall have to visit your boozer next time im down south....

Do we get a forum member's discount?!! ;)

*%$£*&%^ it !! am working that weekend, would have been nice to see some faces, shake some hands, eat some cake, but above all show some support to MMM. sorry guys, next time eh.

That's very kind of you mate. We'll raise a slice of cake to you.