Ace Cafe, London.

 

Words and Pics by Mike Copeland.

 

If you find yourself in London and feel the need for a shot of biker's nostalgia, make your way down to Ace Cafe on the north Circular Road.

 

First opened in 1938 as a 24-hour roadside cafe on the then outskirts of London, it naturally attracted early motorcyclists. The business steadily expanded into a fully fledged service station with banks of petrol pumps and a workshop until WW II bombing badly damaged the buildings. In 1949 a grand new complex was constructed and, over the years, as the fortunes of the garage waned, only the cafe has stood the test of time and is still a petrolhead's beacon.

 

I was in the city visiting biker friends Martin and Glenn and was determined to ride to the Ace on a bike. Fortunately, Martin had a spare bike to lend me - a BMW F650GS Dakar which he had ridden from Cape Town to Cairo on. His newer, much faster ride was an Aprilia RSV Factory, a 1000cc twin that had been tricked out with Olin suspension, titanium pipes, a power commander and dyna tuning to boost the already heady figure of 147 bhp to 150! Glenn was astride an even hotter Ducati Multistrada 1200 Sport with power settings of between 100 and 150 bhp. Not only can the engine be managed, but suspension and traction controls adjust accordingly. Good for 270 kph, I was going to have to pedal like hell to keep up with these two!

 

Fortunately the roundabouts and speed cameras kept them within sight as our day run sped through country lanes and motorways. The M3, A406, heading towards the M1, we battled the traffic until we spotted the Ace crowd where there was an amazing selection of types and sizes of bikes parked out front of the cafe. Classic, retro, naked, street, trailies, cruisers - take your pick! Guys and their girls in leathers, chatting, checking and generally revelling in the bike atmosphere. For this is where the original teddie-boys did their ton-ups to impress the birds.

 

The cafe's interior is dominated by a long, shiny stainless steel bar, serving not only alcoholic drinks, but tea and sandwiches, fry-ups and foot-long hot dogs (with drink-driving laws so strict in the UK, I saw a lot of tea being drunk!). A juke-box was blaring 60's rock-and-roll, Stella Artois was on tap and posters on the wall advertised Hot Rod Nights, Spring Riots and Margate Meltdowns. The long tables and benches were packed, helmets and jackets littered the place and some customers had carried chairs outside to survey the scene better. A classic biker's joint!

 

There's always something going on at the Ace Cafe - Italian Bike Day, Harley Night, Rockers 'n Classics - and it's not just about bikes. When the garage was still open, their’s was a proud history as agents of old marques such as Austin, Standard, Triumph and Daimler. Their mechanics were involved with Aston Martins, Ford GT40's, Porches and Bugattis and famous racing drivers of the day popped in regularly. So it's natural that the Ace Cafe also hosts Nitro Nights, Old School Ford Days and All-American Cruise-Ins.

 

Once Martin, Glenn and I had drunk our fill of the atmosphere, we saddled up and cruised sedately home via the backroads. Through quaint hamlets, past men in white playing cricket on village greens and old low-ceilinged pubs drawing us in we rode the winding, narrow lanes. Astride a bike through England in Spring - riding doesn't get much better. For more info visit: www.ace-cafe-london.com, hop an overnight plane, or start planning a three month epic overland trip!