The Pioneer Run

 May 28, 2023

Pitiful breakfast, nice 25 minute ride to rally site, 2,500 yen entry fee and it looks like I’m the star attraction of the 39th Pioneer Run, which an organizer says is the major vintage bike event for Tokyo. Unlike the next few days the weather is fine, so in between starting up the engine for people to record on their phones, I walk around taking a million pics of all those motorcycle unknown in the West. Just like at the Iwashita Collection, but this time with more space around each bike.

Almost everything here has domestic origins, with a few European ones thrown in, plus of course some old Harleys too. Hondas of up to 450 cc occupy a full end of the gravel square, almost but not quite outnumbering the rest of us, and the opposite two sides have a couple of dozen Kei pickup trucks neatly lined up, each and every one with a running one-cyl. stationary engine. Counting all the freeloaders on the parking lot outside, I guess there's about 300 bikes in total.

I buy two sets of spark plugs for 500 yen/ $3.55/ 25 dkr., which is next to nothing, see that an MZ and a CZ - both old East European strokers - have arrived, and eventually learn that the owner of the MZ got his from England. (I always had an MZ or two, 14 in total over the years). Second most present brand is the Meguro/Kawasaki, with their twins and singles, most of them out on the regular parking lot. 

Around noon the sound of stationary engines changes to the sound of old bikes being started up and leaving, and soon I'm leaving too, with a powerslide on my way out. All the rear wheel spokes are there, so why not? Heading for the nearby hills, I stop at a convenience store for a tiny meal, which as now per usual is eaten at the edge of a river where a small bridge is crossing it.

Andreas suggested we eat dinner together, so riding back on a different set of beautiful roads, this time giving me flashbacks to my Norway trips, I make it into Utsunomiya, and after a bit of trouble with uncooperative parking lot attendants, I find an automated parking house. Automats don't cross their arms or yell at you. Take the Shinkansen & the subway down to Nishi-Kawaguchi, get a good Thai dinner (restaurant owner to Andreas: "He looks like Willie Nelson") and finally I'm off for the hotel and for writing this.

Center of attention, but then of course few, if any, of the attendees have ever seen a 
Nimbus before, or even a motorcycle with exposed valve gear.

Early Meguro twin, engine basically a metric version of the one BSA A7 used.

Meguro meets Rube Goldberg. 20 kg battery in sidecar trunk powers two 
fans up front, the reverse drive (car starter motor driving sidecar wheel) 
and a contraption between bike and sidecar, that gets the bike up to 
speed fast enough so that the rider can dump the clutch and 
sort of 'bump start' the thing. Technically it's a hybrid.

Two former motorcycle racers, 83 and 77 years old respectively. The guy in the blue jacket 
Once raced for Honda, with victories at the Suzuka race track.

2nd generation Honda Juno scooters with boxer engines.

Twisted iron bars, in pure 1970s style.

MZ ES250/2 and owner Keita Awano. It's his only bike, and destined to 
be a rare beast over here. Mph speedometer and license plates on the 
front fender shows it had a former life in England.

Above and below; 17 year old enthusiast on 60 year old Honda Cub. The strange rack is for 
delivering hot meals without spilling the miso soup.


Solar farms are abundant in Japan. This was one is the largest I've seen so far.

Ok, custom front end making Kei vans mimic the first VW transporter or 
US vans are ok, but a Citroen HY version? C'mon guys....


Small stationary engines huffing and puffing away for hours on end.




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