Attending one of these events is like taking a trip back in time to when the British bike industry ruled the world with such glorious names as Triumph’s Bonneville, BSA’s Gold Star, Vincent’s Black Shadow, and the Triton. It’s also fantastic to see all the scooters and their owners in period dress. Some of the scooters are modified and the paintwork on them is as good as any chopper that you see on TV today.

You can talk to many of the old Rockers that were involved in the punch ups through the years and listen to their stories of the events that took place. It’s really interesting to listen to them and reminisce what it must have been like to be part of the wild and whacky Mods and Rockers scene. Many Rockers will tell you that they always seemed to be outnumbered by the Mods, but they would still get “stuck in” and give as good as they got.

But today the Mods and Rockers are friends (of a sort). They mingle at Brighton, Southend, and Margate, but the two groups still park away from each other. There’s never any trouble at these events and everyone has a great time. Even The Old Bill (A non-derogatory terminology for the British Bobby/Police officer) seems to have a great time policing it.

One of the many stories that a friend of mine would tell me was that back in the ‘60s most small towns in England would have clubs that you could go to. The thing that stuck my friend more than anything was the fact that when a bike turned up in the car park from a neighboring village, nine times out of ten, you had to take a good look at it to figure out what it was. Money was tight back then (No change there now) and my friend would often try to figure out what modifications had been made to a person’s bike. It was always a pleasure to look at everyone’s bike and to talk about what they’d done. And, when you were finished talking, there was always a possibility that you might get a race out of them just to see if the other person’s bike was up to what they’d said it was.

But when did this all start? I don’t think that anyone can put a precise date on when the Mods and Rockers were born. However the events of Bank Holiday Monday, March 30th 1964, in Clacton-on-Sea could be attributed to making the British public aware that the Mods and Rockers had arrived. This was the day that it all kicked off between the two groups as the problem was that both groups decided to go to the same seaside resort. You could say a right royal punch up ensued for most of the day.

The Old Bill had a hell of a time containing the battles that were taking place, so much so that reinforcements from neighboring forces were drafted in to help out. Needless to say, in the papers the next day it was blown out of all proportion, just like Hollister. This then sowed the seeds for the next few years, of battles between the two rival groups with the police in the middle trying to contain it all.

During this same period, cafes sprang up to cater to the British biker like the legendary Ace Café (www.ace-cafe-london.com) and Busy Bee Cafe in Watford (a town north of London). Many times the Rockers would leave the Ace and race to The Busy Bee Café (All good fun). Unfortunately you can’t do this today for a couple of good reasons, the Busy Bee Café no longer exists (although the Busy Bee Motorcycle Club does (www.btinternet.com) and there are numerous speed cameras to contend with.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Ace Café, don’t pass on it. It’s a brilliant place to visit especially on the many themed bike days that the Ace holds. The food is great and you won’t go away hungry. And as a bonus you’ll get drunk as a skunk on the terrific atmosphere you’ll experience. BM