WELCOME TO THE SPONDON OWNERS CLUB WEBSITE
THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO MOTORCYCLES BUILT USING FRAMES MANUFACTURED BY SPONDON ENGINEERING LIMITED, OF DERBY, ENGLAND. MANY SPONDON CHASSIS' ARE CONSTRUCTED USING 7020 ALUMINIUM EXTRUSIONS ALTHOUGH EARLY SPONDON FRAMES WERE BUILT USING REYNOLDS STEEL TUBING. THE FIRM BECAME REKNOWNED FOR THEIR ALUMINIUM BEAM FRAMES BUT ALSO BECOME THE LEADING MANUFACTURER OF BESPOKE TUBULAR ALUMINIUM CHASSIS'. MANY DIFFERENT ENGINES ARE CATERED FOR, FROM GSXR'S AND FIREBLADES, THROUGH HAYABUSA'S, CBX1000'S AND ON TO HARLEY'S AND DUCATI'S, WITH THE ODD TRIUMPH THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE. THEY EVEN CATER FOR TWO STROKE FANS WITH CHASSIS' FOR RG500'S AND TZ/RD'S, AND EVERY ONE IS A WORK OF ART. IN FACT, IF YOU'VE GOT AN ENGINE AND WANT A FRAME BUILT AROUND IT, SPONDON'S THE PLACE TO GO.
WHY BOTHER?
IN THE OLD DAYS, JAP BIKES MADE BIG POWER BUT HANDLED LIKE PIGS ON ROLLERSKATES. SPONDON FRAMES WERE A SOLUTION TO HARNESSING ALL THAT POWER AND OFFERED VASTLY SUPERIOR HANDLING. NOWADAYS, THINGS AREN'T SO CLEAR CUT. BIKES ARE SO GOOD NOW THAT IT IS A TALL ORDER TO IMPROVE THINGS MUCH. PEOPLE NOW BUILD SPONDONS SO THAT THEIR BIKE STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD, TO BE DIFFERENT. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE GSXR1000'S AND R1'S OF THIS WORLD GET, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO WRAP A PIECE OF SPONDON ARTISTRY AROUND THE ENGINE.
THE S.O.C.
THE SPONDON OWNER'S CLUB WAS FORMED ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO BY A GROUP OF LADS THAT MET OVER THE COURSE OF BUILDING OUR BIKES. WE RECEIVED GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SWEARY BOB (BOB STEPHENSON, ONE OF THE PARTNERS IN SPONDON ENGINEERING) AND HE ATTENDED ALL THE PISS-UPS (ERMM, MEETINGS), AS HE LIKED THE ODD BEER OR TWO! MEMBERS WERE DOTTED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THERE WAS A HARDCORE OF ABOUT A DOZEN LADS WHO MET EVERY THREE MONTHS OR SO AT VARIOUS PLACES IN THE UK, DEPENDING UPON WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED TO BE THE HOST FOR THE NIGHT. IT WAS A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT EACH OTHER WAS UP TO AND TO MEET NEW PEOPLE. I MADE MANY NEW FRIENDS FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE COUNTRY, NOT TO MENTION NUMEROUS HANDY CONTACTS. WE GOT RAT-ARSED IN PLACES AS DIVERSE AS EDINBURGH, LONDON AND A WHOLE LOAD MORE IN BETWEEN. HOWEVER AS TIME WENT ON SOME SOLD THEIR BIKES, PRIORITIES CHANGED AND INTEREST WANED. THERE ARE JUST ABOUT HALF A DOZEN OF US THAT STILL REGULARLY MEET, SO I DECIDED TO DO THIS WEBSITE TO TRY AND DRUM UP A BIT OF INTEREST AMONGST YOU NEWER SPONDON OWNERS OUT THERE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE SPONDON OWNERS CLUB, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ME VIA THE FORUM AND I'LL ENDEVOUR TO GET SOMETHING ORGANISED. I WILL REPLY TO ALL THAT INQUIRE.
SWEARY BOB RETIRED TO CYPRUS A FEW YEARS BACK AND UNFORTUNATELY LAST SUMMER (2012) HE PASSED AWAY. THE WORLD IS NOW MISSING SOMEONE THAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS AN ENGINEERING GENIUS, A MAVERICK OF THE MOTORCYCLE COMMUNITY WHO CAME UP WITH ASTONISHING DESIGNS AND IDEAS, TOLD IT LIKE IT IS AND WILL LIVE LONG IN THE MEMORIES OF ALL THOSE THAT MET HIM. I AND ALL THE LADS ASSOCIATED WITH THE S.O.C. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS MISS THE OLD F*CKER GREATLY, R.I.P. BOBBY, GIVE ‘EM HELL AND KNOCK BACK ANOTHER BOTTLE OF THAT QUALITY COSTCO WHISKEY YOU ALWAYS DRANK MATE, WE’LL NEVER FORGET YA!
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