Buddy Club members love their classic motorbikes, even though they can be grumpy old machines

Among the various groups taking part in the recent 32nd Vintage Car Concours was the Khao San Road-based Buddy Club, whose members are all fans of vintage motorcycles from BMW, Triumph and Harley-Davidson.

Club president Pornthep Pornsiva-lert admits that owning a vintage motorcycle is a time-consuming hobby. He has a 1948 Harley-Davidson Pan Head, which is powered by a 1,200cc engine and comes with a foot clutch and gears on the handle.

This is a bike that's often seen in movies, he says.

"If you have a vintage motorcycle, you need to spend a lot of time with it. You need to start the engine and warm it up every day to let the engine oil flow to all the internal parts. Some of the parts are difficult to find and expensive, and have to be ordered from the US."

Pornthep says another important job is tightening the nuts every time before riding.

"These nuts loosen easily because of the large amount of vibration, which is a result of the hard rear suspension. There are shock absorbers only in front," he says.

The rainy season isn't the best time to ride a vintage bike either. "Rust is the No 1 problem for vintage motorcycles," Pornthep says.

"Bangkok's traffic isn't good either since the engines are air-cooled. If I get stuck in traffic, there's so much heat from the engine that my pants get cooked. You can notice that we often wear boots as heat protection." The best time to ride is at night, when things get cooler.

Pornthep invites vintage bike owners to join him at the Buddy Bar on Khao San Road.

"You don't have to own an American bike. We welcome owners of vintage bikes from any country, and we're happy to share any useful advice."