As local councils and urban redevelopment continue to put pressure on local bike nights, Scottie looks back at his memories of the motorcycle meetups at the infamous Chelsea Bridge…
Friday bike nights at Chelsea Bridge:
Come rain or shine, summer or winter, Friday night was Chelsea Bridge time. Looking back I can see why some people thought it was a little dangerous. After all, what could go wrong when you mix crowds of young men and motorcycles?
The inevitable wheelie displays could often end with something going pear-shaped, occasionally involving wrecked bikes and flames. And like any gathering of friendly, sociable people, when there was a mishap the crowd would be sympathetically cheering and whooping. The lure of the Bridge was the tea hut, pulling in motorcyclists from around the metropolis like a magnet. Many a friendship was forged over bikes, banter and a cooling cuppa. Swiftly followed by the cold of the Thames forcing you to empty your bladder whilst admiring Battersea Power Station.
In the summer, the Bridge would be constantly filled with bikes coming and going. It was like a cross between the good bits in Mad Max, and the pit stops in a 24 hour endurance race. Winter months were less frantic, but a hot drink was a better choice than Friday night TV. And Chelsea Bridge was only half of the story, as after midnight all the little cliques arriving throughout the evening would set off for Heston Services on the M4. As the bigger bikes cleared off and the smaller machines brought up the rear, I don’t think the run ever slowed below 70mph the whole way.
Heston was a 24-hour kettle which reached boiling point when we arrived. I saw my very first Suzuki RGV250K there – just before my younger brother lost control of a wheelie on his GSX-R1100K and crashed straight into it. And there were new tales to tell every Friday, like riding an RG250 Gamma, complete with pillion, home from Heston to Dagenham with a snapped clutch cable.
I hadn’t been to the Bridge for a while, but did stop off there one recent summer evening. It’s now flanked by luxury flats and other new developments. To my surprise, the tea hut was still there, although the hordes of bikes weren’t. The most anti social behaviour was parking my bike on the pavement and the odd dropped plastic cup.
I left with a sad feeling. It was like going back to your old school to find they’ve bulldozed it and built an Academy on the site. I think it would be good though to maybe take it to the bridge just one more time? I’m in, is anyone else?
My brother used to live just down the road from there and I always used to walk up and spend some time at the Bridge on bike nights when I was staying there. On one occasion I got talking to two guys and we ended up back at my brother’s flat, talking about conrods, exhausts and stuff with my brother, til they left at about 1 am. I can’t remember their names and never met them again but it was just typical of Friday nights at the Bridge.
the guy who worked severing the tea have a new P reg brown cb500T on the 1st of august midnight he thought he was cool ? ,if you timed the traffic lights at the end of the bridge lights right ,you could pass the tea hut at well over a ton using the green traffic light to scrub off the speed with both wheels locked up ? crossing the junction !!!!! another stop off was the taxi pie stall outside the Westminster abbey at 2 0/c in the morning I remember decible dave racing around parliament square with open mega,s
I’d forgotten that spot. I swear the following this is true. I and a few others came back from Heston and it was empty at the bridge. Lots of cops all over so we took a VERY slow ride to the Westminster pie stall in a bunch, barely breaking 30 mph, visors up shouting jokey “abuse” to each other. I was on my GSX1100 and the others all had fastish bikes. Just in front of us was a kid on a FS1E. We got there and he turned around in shock and said “How could you lot keep up with me, I riding like a madman?”. We all pissed ourselves laughing and he got called a wanker and all sorts. We ended up buying him a tea and a pie I think as we felt badly for him after all the abuse he got.
(Ah it doesn’t seem as funny now when I write it down, I spose you had to be there 😀 )
I used to go to Chelsea Bridge back in 1977 on my BRAND NEW Kwak KH500,suitably modified by removing the baffle wadding,airbox restrictor, and re-jetting to H1E spec , along with ace bars & a twin disc conversion courtesy of one James Redmond Esq 🙂
Hope the pic comes out, I am the gormless grinning idiot with the flattened down long hair.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/31380744@N08/sets/72157634090864708/show/
I used to know some the Chelsea Bridge riders in the early 1970,’s
Often wonder if they still bike riders now.
Can only remember a couple of their names now was a lot of years ago John who,’s queen was Sue I believe t he was a red cross guy too
And Bob Mitchell blond hair good looking worked in Germany for a while on the building
I was a regular back in the early to mid 80s. I had a silver, 82 GSX1100 with a straight through Harris pipe. I loved the atmosphere and made a good few mates. Had a lot of adventures, including racing a V12 Jag full of senior police officers along the M4 on the run out to Heston (I lost on top speed) and nearly running over a policeman at Heathrow having blasted through the tunnel at a stupid speed on a late night group run. I was a bit of a celebrity after that. I found the whole thing very embarrassing and felt bad about the cop.
Some of the characters I remember are “Shab” who had a Honda 400-4, he always said “Thats not too shabby” hence the name. Some bloke with a gammy leg, I think he always rode pillion as he couldn’t change gear. I think his name might have been Ian. And some huge fat bloke with a massively tuned gs1000, that might have had a Turbo. We all used to go to run what u bring meets at Santa Pod. Great fun.
I don’t recall rows or fights between bikers that I saw. Some football hooligans came down and tried to start something once. They tried to nick a few helmets and were chased off by a mob of shouting, D lock waving blokes. One of them jumped over the wall to where the flats have been built and hurt himself.
I remember a good few very nasty accidents including two LC350s hitting each other head on, blood and bone everywhere, a big wreck on the elevated section of the M4 where a bloke died and his passenger got off scott free and another time when a bloke (IIRC) on a Duke was rear ended on the bridge by a bloke in a BMW car who then panicked and fled the scene. A huge mob of bikes chased after him and he ended up crashed and bleeding in a shop window north on Chelsea Bridge road. He was a big lad and he came out fighting and gave the police a hard time and ran towards the assembled mob of bikers, he thought better of this and surrendered to the Police.
All in all very good times and I miss them.
My fondest memories were on that bridge on Friday and Saturday nights. And I believe the guy with the GS1000 with the turbo his name was Mick Tucker. I used to run with these guys too. I now reside in another country. But I will never forget the Bridge.
The run to Heston, the pillion passenger had to have a long coat to cover the number plate, yes the police used to go mad on the bridge, hiding behind lamp posts or stopping the parking until they got fed up, stories abound of bikes going over the bridge to d3estroy evidence, I used to walk my Dalmation and chat away to the lads, a wonderful atmosphere, never saw a ton up from the roundabout but apparently it was possible, RIP Chelsea Bridge
If any of you were there when the Police finally closed friday nights on Chelsea Bridge and are interested in being in a documentary I am making, then please reply.
Pete
Hi Pete
Cannot really help, now live in southern Ireland, however the bridge was a great place on Friday night, I usually took my dalmatian up to enjoy the great comradeship of the bikers, remember one night when the police hid behind the lamp posts, they eventually went away, it is still a great memory, thanks and good luck ted
Thanks Ted, it looks like it was closed down by Cops and wardens in summer 2006. I have been told the action was not legal and there seems to be a mysterious wealthy American behind it. There is also an interesting blog by Wolfiewiseguy on the bridge shooting in october 1970 of a Nomad who were battling the Road Rats,Nightingales,Windsors and Jokers.
The Mayor of London, Kensington and Chelsea Council, and The Met police closed it.
i used to go to the bridge every friday night on my suzuki gs1000 from bedford it was fantastic .went recentley but you cant even park there now so went on to the pavellian pub where up the junction was mad and meet up with the 59 club for music and a buffett fantastic .gs thou pat
Pavillion now closed but the Battersea Rockers drink at The Queen which is off Queenstown Rd near junction with Wandsworth Bridge, The Tea hut is still open but not late friday by order of fuzz so we dont go back.The only other thing left is the Chelsea Cruise which is great but is mostly cars but is at least petrol heads Rock n Roll it happens once a month in the car park from 9pm in the park not sure tho wether its last or 2nd saturday of month?Will be on a forum.I have a documentary on all this if anyone wants to talk?
Pete
1980s. Me and my mates used to meet up with a load of other bikers at the tea hut on Blackheath. Then in a big convoy we would all head to Chelsea bridge. Brilliant times, will never forget……..
Used to love going up there in the mid 90’s. Mostly on my RD350YPVS, then on various Katana’s and yes, flipping my ZX6R in front of the crowd. Best night I remember was a barmy summer’s evening, 2 guys were doing burnouts on Gixers, either side of the road with everyone pulling wheelies through the smoke! Used to go on till gone 1:00am. The Ace Cafe still doesn’t really substitute…
Just finished my tribute Triumph to Chelsea Bridge. Finish in Satin PPG. They were the funnest days of my life. Going wild on Friday and Saturday Nights. But then again we were all young once.
https://scontent.ftpa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/21015714_1603352483030532_5673060904002851177_o.jpg?oh=f4e36e3ab042af896fe45055358594ff&oe=5A1C3CD3
chelsea bridge any one remember the meat wagons cruising by and everyone flicking 2 pence pieces off of them great evenings gs thou pat
The cops / council told the hut not to open fridays until midnight so in theory saturday is a good time to go.If you want to reminisce the Chelsea Car cruise which attracts some bikes is on every month in the park.See Google the details will be on some car club site. It is still a place of pilgrimage for bikers and they can never take the heritage away from us.The Ace Cafe does a run where they go over The Bridge but look at their site for info. I would like to see a procession on an annual basis, if we have Carnival with all its inherent crime then why not a Chelsea Bridge day, any interest????? It only takes a few then it snowballs,dont let the bstds grind you down!
Right , I’m going to try & leave some pics of ancient history ..my mates & myself , me owning a Brand New Kwak KH500 in 1977 lol ..I was a bit of a show off but crap at wheelies in those days (nothing has changed ) ..One night a Canadian (maybe American ) little guy on a 350 S2 Kawasaki triple was wheelying over the Bridge ..when he stopped I thought “My turn” , pulled away noisily so people started looking , rode to the South end of the Bridge (roundabout ?) turned around & accelerated flat out over the Bridge ..in between cars etc..very foolhardy but stopped everyone talking about the Canuck for a while..well , I couldn’t have a damned foreigner steal my local show could I ?? Sod it , I’ll do the pics later lol ..
Whoops edit.
Wow this is great, there was a big gang of us used to meet up at Chelsea bridge (Dave Martin was one) on Friday nights – and then a crazy run to Heston afterwards, and either a trip into Leicester square or back again to Chelsea bridge at about 3am. late probably mid to late eighties – lost touch with everyone now… I was trying to find some video footage but sadly not found much for that era at all. Tech just wasn’t really there.
you could not better the bike meet at chelsea bridge use to meet my mate marc shortland at 10.30 pm after work go in the pavillion where movie up the junction was made watching this very evening then on to heston sevices till nearly day light could not do that today lol super times
super times loved it every friday
would love to ride back to chelsea bridge sometime again but we wont see the likes of the place in its hayday 1980/90 dont think its a bike meet anymore shame ay
No don’t think it is been across there on a Friday night and no bikes in sight sadly