Museum People: Geordie Steve

This month, we caught up with Geordie Steve, one of our dedicated museum volunteers, to find out about his love of motorcycles and his journey from buying his first bike at 15 to owning five motorcycles today.

Steve is one of our team of volunteers who meet at the museum every other Thursday. Alongside fellow volunteers, he helps to polish and clean the bikes and lends a hand with whatever jobs need doing around the museum.

A £25 BSA Bantam

Steve’s love of motorcycles started at just 15 years old when he bought his first bike, a BSA Bantam, in Newcastle for £25.

At the time, Steve was working as a bus engineering apprentice. But it wasn’t long before the arrival of the colourful Japanese motorcycles caught his eye.

“Every Saturday, me and my friends would go to the bike shop just to look at the bikes,” Steve recalls.

He soon set his heart on a Suzuki, eventually buying one in 1972 for £310. It was a huge commitment on an apprentice’s wage, but for Steve, it was love at first sight.

The Suzuki quickly became part of his life. He even honeymooned on the bike, travelling all the way down to the Isle of Wight, and later enjoyed road trips to Cornwall with his wife.

But as the family grew, the cost of running the bike became difficult, and eventually the Suzuki was parked up in the garage, where it remained for many years.

Back on the road

During Covid, Steve retired from his engineering career and decided it was time to bring his beloved Suzuki back to life.

It wasn’t long before motorcycles once again became a big part of his life. Steve became a Friend of the Museum and then started volunteering at the National Motorcycle Museum.

Today, he owns five bikes and regularly rides all five with the VMCC.

His passion for restoring bikes has also become a family affair. Steve bought a BSA Bantam to refurbish with his grandson – a project that took more than 18 months to complete and, as Steve admits, cost “more than he would like to admit!”

But for Steve, it was never really about the cost. It was a fantastic project to share with his grandson and another opportunity to bring an old motorcycle back to life.

Favourite bike in the Museum?

With so many incredible motorcycles in the National Motorcycle Museum, choosing a favourite isn’t easy.

After some thought, Steve eventually settled on the Triumph Bonneville.

It’s perhaps fitting that, after a lifetime of riding, restoring and enjoying motorcycles, Steve’s favourite is a bike that represents such an important part of British motorcycling history.

And when he’s not admiring the bikes in the collection, you’ll often find Steve helping to look after them – making sure they continue to look their best for the thousands of visitors who come through the museum doors every year.

A huge thank you to Steve and all of our wonderful volunteers for the time, knowledge and enthusiasm they give to the National Motorcycle Museum.