Back Street Heroes

December 1996 Issue 152

Assorted members of the VOC prepare to leave for Box Hill (pic)

Starting this month, the Fart-well Echo brings you a profile on a major British or Irish bike club. This month, it’s the turn of 

The Virago Owners Club, one of the most, if not the most, popular one model factory custom clubs in the country, with a startling 800-1200 members at any onetime, and a core of 400-500 dedicated members – pretty impressive, considering’ they’ve only been going for three and a half years.

The VOC was started in the spring of 1993 by dedicated rider John Bryning as a way of bringing like minded factory custom owners together for riding and socializing Members  receive the club magazine ‘Clatter’ twice a year, plus regional newsletters, and enjoy dealer discounts with various after- market and accessory suppliers.  The club has twenty sections around the UK, each

running their own events, meetings, ride outs and rallies.

There are four nationally promoted rallies per year, plus other locally arranged rallies which tend to Attract around 200 punters, with attendance growing all the time. Club members ride everything from the new 250’s and Royal Stars to 535s, 750s and 1100, with outfits,  trikes,  and heavily customised Viragos as well as standards. Members them- selves vary widely,

including born again bikers and ‘dyed in the wool sleep in ditches types’, with a high ratio of women riders. In 1997, one of the clubs four national rallies’II be international, and plans are being made to visit Denmark and  Holland for two more international events during the summer. So if you’re interested in joining, contact John Bryning, River Green House, Great Stampford, Saffron Walden, Essex CBIO 2RS or 01799 586578, or if you’re a net head, check out their web page (yes, really!) at

http://netlink.co.uk/users/bryanp/virago.htm. And if you fancy seeing your club featured in this new monthly spot, send details plus a coupla good club piccies to us at the usual address.