(Ganug Nugroho Adi)

The motorcycles were eye-catching because of their antique features, all belonging to the pre-1960 years of manufacture rather than those commonly found on city roads every day.

To be exact, they were vintage motorbikes originating in America, Britain, Germany and several other European countries like BSA, Matchless, Norton, Triumph, DKW, BMW, Indian and Harley Davidson.

Hanging out and displaying their old bikes have virtually become a ritual for members of Iron Buffalo, a club of antique motorcycle enthusiasts in Surakarta or Solo.

'€œClub members assemble here on Saturday nights for relaxation. Most of us with leisure time are gathering in this place while enjoying some drinks,'€ said Hendra Bayu, chairman of Iron Buffalo.

Iron Buffalo was set up in May 1994 as an offshoot of the Indonesian Antique Motorcycle Lovers Association (PPMAI), which had existed in Solo since the 1950s. In 1994, the community regenerated its leaders and changed its name to Iron Buffalo.

'€œThe name was inspired by the icon of Surakarta, an albino buffalo called Kyai Slamet and owned by the Surakarta Palace. We use the word buffalo because this ox is locally considered identical to a motorbike,'€ indicated Bayu.

Iron Buffalo kept growing especially after its affiliation with the Motor Antique Club Indonesia (MACI) then based in Central Java, increasing in membership from 15 to 60. Today it has 160 aficionados of diverse professions and backgrounds, coming from Solo as well as Wonogiri, Karanganyar, Sragen, Boyolali, Sukoharjo and Klaten.

'€œThis club aims at expressing our love of vehicles of historical value and preserving these heritage objects. So far many antique objects have been sent abroad including vintage motorcycles,'€ Bayu pointed out.

Besides weekend gatherings, they also have monthly meetings to exchange views, spare parts rarely found on the market, and tips about old motorbikes and '€œhunted components'€.

'€œMembers take turns to host regular meetings so that we know each other'€™s families. We also frequently organize family tours,'€ said Bayu, who collects over a dozen antique motorcycles of various products.

Iron Buffalo members indeed own very valuable collections of motorcycles, mostly manufactured before the 1960s. One of them, obstetrician and gynecologist Erwin, for instance, possesses a Harley Davidson WL of 1942, a BSA of 1922 and others.

The other member, Reo, even keeps an extremely rare motorbike, Bohmerland of 1871. Reportedly, this bike was the embryo of modern motorcycles. Its chassis resembles a round-tank and its engine is steam operated. '€œIts history shows it was a police vehicle at a sugar mill,'€ Reo said.

Most of the collections were not easily obtained by club members, though. Some of the vehicles were derived from family inherited property while many others were bought from unexpected places.

Bayu secured his Monet Goyon of 1940 and Ducati Cociolu 50 cc of 1930 from scrap dealers. For the Monet Goyon he got its chassis and engine while for the Ducati Cociolu he only obtained its engine, while its frame was bought from a scavenger in Klaten at Rp300,000.

The same was experienced by Joko when he found a Matchless 350 of 1956 from a scrap dump. '€œIts components were separated. I bought by the kilogram, totally costing Rp400,000. After being assembled, somebody wanted to buy it at Rp20 million but I didn'€™t sell it. It was my first antique bike,'€ said Joko.

Sulis even got his Ariel 350 cc of 1939 from the Brantas riverbed. He bought it at Rp100,000 from a sand collector in whole form, the chassis and engine. However, it was in very poor condition. After being repaired, he was proud to have his Ariel roadworthy, even riding it on a Solo-Bali tour in October.

Undeniably, old motorcycles are not free from engine trouble. But according to Iron Buffalo members, it'€™s just the art of maintaining antique vehicles.

'€œFrequent problems mean improper maintenance. Actually antique motorbikes don'€™t need special treatment. Never fail to run the engine and ride the vehicle at least once a week, not too far away but routinely,'€ said Joko, who also owns a workshop in Solo.

The difficulty most frequently faced by club members involves spare parts, which is usually solved through exchanges between them. '€œVintage motorbike lovers have a high sense of solidarity. We often buy spare parts because other members need them. So when we'€™re in dire need, other peers will help,'€ said Toto Supriyadi from the club.

In engine matters, the old motorcycle buffs needn'€™t be worried because they are mostly sharing their skills and often doing repair work together. They are also regular customers of some workshops if their services are required.

'€œWorkshop owners also have high solidarity. They will never deceive us or charge high service fees. We'€™re always poised to work on a mutual assistance basis,'€ added Toto, who mentioned Mas Imuh in Laweyan, Mbah Narto in Nayu, Mas Bre in Kartopuran and Mbah Gajah in Manahan as Iron Buffalo'€™s workshops.

To overcome the absence of genuine spare parts, motorcycle owners have to go to lathe workshops to replace damaged parts. The other way is the use of new parts that are compatible. For example, the piston of a Colt T120 or L300 car is fit for a 1956 BSA, and that of a VW car works well with a 1947 BSA.

Yet another predicament to be faced by antique motorbike owners is vehicle documents. They have difficulty in handling and securing the papers because their motorcycles have no purchase invoices required in the process of document handling.

'€œIt'€™s the rule and we have to follow. As a result, most of these antique motorcycles have no vehicle registration papers. We want to fulfill administrative requirements but the situation doesn'€™t allow us to do so,'€ said Bayu, who is a secretary in the District Court of Surakarta.

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