The old saying “looks can be deceiving” is made for Invercargill’s Classic Motorcycle Mecca. While Bill Richardson Transport World might get more headlines, and the Burt Munro museum continues his legacy within a humble hardware store, the quite incredible Classic Motorcycle Mecca offers way more than its shopfront-style façade suggests.
Take a few steps inside, and the reward is 3.5 levels of motorcycle and motoring wonder, reinforcing Invercargill as a motoring enthusiast’s nirvana, via the three key museums, and events like the annual Burt Munro Challenge and the upcoming biannual George Begg Festival in April – at the world’s southern-most and NZ’s oldest permanent racetrack, Teretonga Park Raceway.
Right in the city centre of Invercargill, Classic Motorcycle Mecca is housed in two restored historic buildings that once were a clothing factory, sporting goods store and firearms shop. It’s now home to an incredible collection of 325+ classic British, Japanese, European, American and NZ bikes, for road, race and speedway.
There’s also the George Begg Bunker, a tribute to the man behind the biannual show, looking at his history, business, family and philanthropy.
The Mecca collection was started in 2008 by former US Marine and Harvard Business grad Tom Sturgess, who, with wife Heather, accumulated over 300 bikes in Nelson. Ill-health meant Tom sold the collection to Transport World’s Scott and Joc O’Donnell in 2016. After 18 trips from Nelson to Invercargill, the collection was fully relocated to Southland and open, neatly just one year after Transport World.
Our tour guide for today is none other than museum curator Malcolm Hodgkinson, who explains the bikes in the exhibition are lightly grouped into countries, brands, styles and even people; Mecca is simply a sight to behold once past the front desk, gift shop and entrance, when you find your eyes opening while wandering into the largest bike collection in the southern hemisphere.
Through a doorway, the floor and space opens out into a warehouse sized display area with almost any and every brand of classic bike made. While there is a huge variety, the core of the collection comprises bikes from the 1940s and ’50s, but there’s something for almost everyone.
From a CHiPs TV series Kawasaki 1000 police bike, to bikes and brands from Ariel to Bimota, Ducati, Harley to Honda, Norton and Velocette, almost every step reveals an amazing story of history, care and preservation. Bike brands as eclectic as Laverda, MotoGuzzi, Parilla, Royal Enfield and Henderson, the oldest on display is the 1902 Peugeot Perfecta, a 200cc single-cylinder with a top speed of 51km/h.
In the Vincent section is a 1953 Black Shadow, made even more famous by Richard Hammond’s Top Gear bike vs car vs train race. A few steps over is a 2000 MV Augusta F4, highlighting the diversity.
There is simply not enough space here to respect the efforts and details of the bikes and collection, and a walk-through could easily take between 2-4 hours or more, as there’s so much to see and do. Side exhibitions are everywhere, like the impressive and fun motorbike simulators that you sit on, twist the throttle and hear a selection of bikes including a twin, four and two-stroke.
On the upper floor is the Handle Bar, a perfect place for corporate or private functions, with floorspace for 100 seated guests, and the ability to place and display specific bikes.
With a section for scooters, speedway bikes and a tribute to Ivan Mauger and his 1977 championship Jawa, one of the collection’s highlights is both the number and quality of Brough Superior bikes, five sitting in a row, headlined by the 1937 SS100 that is as close to a million-dollar bike as worth claiming.
Right alongside is some Japanese goodness, the Honda CBX Super Sport 1000cc inline six-cylinder.
There’s a Burt Munro tribute area, including a workshop and even a nearby lemon tree – though it’s not to be used as a urinal…
Down into the George Begg basements, there are more bikes and a collection of cars: the Suzuki RE5 rotary greets guests, while there’s a sidecar room, a number of Morgan three-wheel cars, plus a collection of Begg’s open-wheel racecars.
Save the best for first or last, near the entrance/exit is the John Britten Exhibit, and the V1100 Cardinal Britten as a centrepiece, displayed in its own room dedicated to the man and bikes, along with its own cinema room.
The perfect complement to Bill Richardson Transport World and its own awesome themed café, allowing guests to plan a very full-day of car, bike and truck sightseeing - and a few good meals - while visiting Invercargill for the many other motoring sights and sounds.
The Invercargill George Begg Festival is on April 10-13, georgebeggfestival.nz.
