Well that's that then! We were all talking about Christmas and counting down to the Big Day, trying to get jobs planned, bikes picked up and delivered, and then before you know it, it's gone and the New Year is on the horizon.
December kept the Bike Bus really busy, with three Buses out and about, and they were ably assisted at times, by the Girl in the Office in Bus number 4. One of our regular customers, the Grampian Transport Museum, booked us to transport 7 classic bikes from the west of Scotland back to Aberdeenshire for part of the new season display in 2017. Driver #1 took the Big Bus (aka the Crafter) and the GITO drove the Original Bus (aka the Transit) because she absolutely genuinely loves driving it. It's got a beautiful motor, purrs along in top gear and pulls like a train. Plus it's got an arm rest, the Crafter doesn't, and it's got a fancy 6 disc CD player! It was an early start that day, alarms were set for 5am and we were away while it was still dark. The first task was to return a vintage bike and sidecar from the Museum back to the owner up in Morayshire. It was thick freezing fog on the journey north, but a lovely sunny and crisp day when we got to the house. With that carefully unloaded and parked in the gentleman's garage, we set off west, stopping for fuel and breakfast at a handy Tesco on the way.
The next stop was at Harry fairbairn BMW in Inverness to deliver a BMW and then we could get our heads down and make progress. We arrived at the House of the 7 Classics by early afternoon, after a stunning drive through autumn colours and alongside Loch Ness. This late in the year, this far north, the leaves have usually long since disappeared from the trees, but this winter has been mild, by comparison. After a welcome coffee and a chat, the paperwork was completed and we set about loading the bikes. In the GITO's little Bus went a 1923 Francise Barnett, a 1954 Manx Norton Triton and a 1925 ex-works Levis racer, whilst Driver #1 took the big beasts. Much of the drive back was in the dark, and we finally got some hot food just bofore the chippy shut in the village, so I guess that must have been around 9pm. A long day in the wheel house, as Driver #1 would say, but very enjoyable too.
Because we know how much hard work it is, we thought that Team Bike Bus deserved a bit of a Christmas get-together, so we arranged for our franchisees, Ian and John, to bring their wives and join us at the Ythan View in Methlick for a pre-Xmas meal. The food was fab, the open fire and decorations twinkled beautifully, and we all had a good catch up about each others favourite bike they've moved, hardest place to find, all that sort of stuff, rounded off with a bit of a competition. All the Drivers like to think they've moved the Biggest Bike, so the GITO compiled a few stats for the boys.....
HEAVIEST BIKE
Goes to Driver #3, John, for the Indian Roadmaster he transported from Edinburgh to Aberdeenshire, weighing in at a whopping 428KG.
WIDEST BIKE
Goes to Driver #4, Ian, for the Kawasaki VN which has bars stretching to a massive 39.6" and after unloading he had to help the owner get the bike into the house....with a doorway that, shall we say, wasn't quite as wide as the bike.....
FLASHIEST BIKE
Was of course won by Driver #1 with the splendiferous Honda Goldwing bedecked with over a million flashing disco lights. Transported from Dundee to London, collected in the dark and delivered in the dark, quite some spectacle.
LONGEST BIKE
Well of course, the GITO wants to win an award too. The Steam Bike that we transported to the Grampian Transport Museum in the Transit, measured around 10' long....did we measure it? Nope, we just know that the load area is 10' long and the bike used all of the available space!
And so to the Serious Stuff. Without you, our loyal customers, the Bike Bus would be nothing. Without our two franchisees, we would not be able to offer the tremdous service covering the whole of the UK in the manner that we do. In 2016, we have moved bikes for Guy Martin and Niall Mackenzie, we have been involved in charity events, worked for our local transport museum on a repeat basis, set up two franchises, and quadrupled the Bike Bus fleet. We look forward to working with all our trade and private customers again in 2017, best wishes, Tony & Jacqui.
December kept the Bike Bus really busy, with three Buses out and about, and they were ably assisted at times, by the Girl in the Office in Bus number 4. One of our regular customers, the Grampian Transport Museum, booked us to transport 7 classic bikes from the west of Scotland back to Aberdeenshire for part of the new season display in 2017. Driver #1 took the Big Bus (aka the Crafter) and the GITO drove the Original Bus (aka the Transit) because she absolutely genuinely loves driving it. It's got a beautiful motor, purrs along in top gear and pulls like a train. Plus it's got an arm rest, the Crafter doesn't, and it's got a fancy 6 disc CD player! It was an early start that day, alarms were set for 5am and we were away while it was still dark. The first task was to return a vintage bike and sidecar from the Museum back to the owner up in Morayshire. It was thick freezing fog on the journey north, but a lovely sunny and crisp day when we got to the house. With that carefully unloaded and parked in the gentleman's garage, we set off west, stopping for fuel and breakfast at a handy Tesco on the way.
The next stop was at Harry fairbairn BMW in Inverness to deliver a BMW and then we could get our heads down and make progress. We arrived at the House of the 7 Classics by early afternoon, after a stunning drive through autumn colours and alongside Loch Ness. This late in the year, this far north, the leaves have usually long since disappeared from the trees, but this winter has been mild, by comparison. After a welcome coffee and a chat, the paperwork was completed and we set about loading the bikes. In the GITO's little Bus went a 1923 Francise Barnett, a 1954 Manx Norton Triton and a 1925 ex-works Levis racer, whilst Driver #1 took the big beasts. Much of the drive back was in the dark, and we finally got some hot food just bofore the chippy shut in the village, so I guess that must have been around 9pm. A long day in the wheel house, as Driver #1 would say, but very enjoyable too.
Because we know how much hard work it is, we thought that Team Bike Bus deserved a bit of a Christmas get-together, so we arranged for our franchisees, Ian and John, to bring their wives and join us at the Ythan View in Methlick for a pre-Xmas meal. The food was fab, the open fire and decorations twinkled beautifully, and we all had a good catch up about each others favourite bike they've moved, hardest place to find, all that sort of stuff, rounded off with a bit of a competition. All the Drivers like to think they've moved the Biggest Bike, so the GITO compiled a few stats for the boys.....
HEAVIEST BIKE
Goes to Driver #3, John, for the Indian Roadmaster he transported from Edinburgh to Aberdeenshire, weighing in at a whopping 428KG.
WIDEST BIKE
Goes to Driver #4, Ian, for the Kawasaki VN which has bars stretching to a massive 39.6" and after unloading he had to help the owner get the bike into the house....with a doorway that, shall we say, wasn't quite as wide as the bike.....
FLASHIEST BIKE
Was of course won by Driver #1 with the splendiferous Honda Goldwing bedecked with over a million flashing disco lights. Transported from Dundee to London, collected in the dark and delivered in the dark, quite some spectacle.
LONGEST BIKE
Well of course, the GITO wants to win an award too. The Steam Bike that we transported to the Grampian Transport Museum in the Transit, measured around 10' long....did we measure it? Nope, we just know that the load area is 10' long and the bike used all of the available space!
And so to the Serious Stuff. Without you, our loyal customers, the Bike Bus would be nothing. Without our two franchisees, we would not be able to offer the tremdous service covering the whole of the UK in the manner that we do. In 2016, we have moved bikes for Guy Martin and Niall Mackenzie, we have been involved in charity events, worked for our local transport museum on a repeat basis, set up two franchises, and quadrupled the Bike Bus fleet. We look forward to working with all our trade and private customers again in 2017, best wishes, Tony & Jacqui.
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