By JESSE GRAHAM
MOTORBIKE enthusiasts from around the country will be riding down to Healesville this weekend, with a gathering of vintage motorcycles available for the public to peruse.
Oz Beamers, a group of Sunbeam motorbike enthusiasts, will head to Healesville from 19-23 November, with about 30 bikes and their riders coming through the valley.
On Sunday 23 November at 9am, the riders will assemble at Coronation Park for a quick display of their bikes, before continuing their rally.
The motorcycle rally is being organised by Croydon’s Andrew Westmore, and he said that choosing the area to visit was a no-brainer.
“It’s a fairly loose group of people, and usually someone at a rally puts their hand up to organise a rally in their home town,” he said.
“I decided Healesville because it, and the Yarra Valley, is such a wonderful tourist destination that it was worth having it there.”
He said that residents had no reason to worry about hoon behaviour or riders taking over the Black Spur, as the vintage motorbikes weren’t made for racing or high-speed adventure.
“These motorcycles aren’t renowned for speed – more cruising along and sight-seeing,” Mr Westmore said.
He said the bikes were referred to as “the gentleman’s motorcycle” because of their comfort, rather than speed, and were more expensive than other bikes during their production run.
Sunbeam’s S-Model motorcycles were only manufactured from 1946-’56, and only two different types were made – the S7 and S8.
Mr Westmore said that both varieties would be at the rally, along with earlier models of Sunbeam bikes that dated back to 1912 and were powered by single-cylinder engines.
The riders will gather at Coronation Park on River Street and Mocha and Lime on Green Street from 9am-10am before heading off on a jaunt.
Mr Westmore urged residents, visitors and motorbike enthusiasts to stop by and check out the different bikes.
