Public voting for MCL26’s Show and Shine closes on Sunday 27 September, with organisers asking motorcycle fans to narrow hundreds of entries to the machines that will appear in one of the show’s most prominent features. MCL26 is due to take place at the NEC in eight weeks, where the event is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The attraction is designed to put privately owned motorcycles in front of a much larger audience than a normal bike-show display. The selection includes concours-style sports bikes from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, heavily customised machines and relaxed cruisers. The chosen motorcycles will also share the show’s spotlight with race bikes from the British Superbike Championship, World Superbike and MotoGP.

The entries offer a broad snapshot of the tastes behind the competition. Among the bikes highlighted for consideration are a Pepsi-liveried Suzuki RGV 250 VJ22, a heavily chromed Yamaha R1, a Honda CB750 cafe racer and a BMW R nineT connected to the Aston Martin Formula 1 team. They are very different builds, but each has a clear story beyond its parts list.

A restored two-stroke with period character

The Suzuki RGV 250 VJ22 combines the appeal of a two-stroke with a livery inspired by late-1980s Grand Prix racing. Before its current owner rescued it, the motorcycle had reportedly spent around three years deteriorating in a garden. The restoration was completed approximately 21 years ago, with the owner retaining the bike’s original character while adding period-appropriate updates. Those include a DEP exhaust system and silencers.

A Yamaha R1 built for maximum impact

The Yamaha R1 takes a much more extravagant route. Its current owner bought it in 1999 and has since covered approximately 75,000 miles, including journeys through France and to the Isle of Man. The bike has also been used at UK track days at Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Donington.

The transformation is said to have cost £15,000. According to the bike’s builder, almost every part that could be chromed received that treatment, including the nuts and bolts, while the wheels were finished in gold chrome. The mechanical specification is just as serious: Öhlins suspension is fitted at both ends, with AP Racing six-piston calipers at the front and a two-piston AP unit at the rear.

Two very different interpretations of the classic build

The Honda CB750 cafe racer is a cleaner, more restrained restomod. Its creator originally planned a zombie-apocalypse theme inspired by Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead, but abandoned the idea after deciding that too many similar motorcycles were being built. The finished machine instead pairs a period-correct engine with modern chassis components. Its builder says the project took three years and substantial expenditure to complete, and that he rides it and has displayed it at two motorcycle shows.

The BMW R nineT carries the most personal meaning of the four. It was built as a tribute to Jake, the builder’s middle son, who died in 2022. Jake had worked for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team, and that connection shaped the motorcycle’s appearance. Its paint comes from the AMR22 Formula 1 car, while the equipment includes Öhlins forks, a Wilbers rear shock, carbon wheels and Brembo brake calipers. The seat unit draws inspiration from the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Voting is available through the official MCL26 website until 27 September. The result will determine which of the many privately built motorcycles receives the chance to stand alongside major race machinery and be seen by the event’s large NEC audience.