VÄTTERBYGDENS MOTORCYKELKLUBB was founded in 1969 at the Old Motel in Barnarp. Already the year before, motorbikes had occured again in the streets of Jönköping, especially in Storgatan. (Do you know that there were motorbikes in the fifties too? Tales are told from that time).

The chase for a clubhouse started immediately. Otherwise we loitered around the town most of the time, except for going to a motorbike-meeting or to some party somewhere. Vinnebroa (the Drawbridge) is where it all happened.

Actually we have two members from that time still active. You may ask Modén or Klöken how things happened in '69. They will answer you willingly and for long. Mostly it will be about this and that garia (gipsy for girl).  

Clubhouse no. 1 burnt down or was burnt. Nobody knows.

Clubhouse no. 2 was like finding a treasure. Domsand is the name. The year was 1974. The place has its own history. In the fifties it was known as a haunt of dancing adolescents, later it was a café with a golf course.

Then the number of members increased rapidly. At the most we were about 250 members.  

In 1976 the first Tändsticksträffen took place.

In 1977 we opened the Camping for motorcyclists, for a long time the only one in Sweden.

For some years we arranged Vätterrallyt, in the month of June.

In 1984, in cooperation with SMC and SVEMO, we realized the gigantic international arrangement the FIM Rallye in Jönköping. The place was ELMIA. It was quite an experience for all participants, especially for those of us who worked 24 hours a day for one week.

Jubilees we have had a few. The 20 Years Jubilee is probably the one that we remember the most. We went by boat to Warpa Skans and Ingvar Oldsberg was toastmaster and gameleader.

On some shelves in the clubhouse we have all the trophys and meeting prizes that we have brought home troughout the years.

During the mc-season a lot of people is passing through here. We have made friends with lots of them, we have shared a lot of road descriptions with others and many we have helped to a motorbike's workshop. Others have only learnt how to eat fermented Baltic herring or tasted a swedish dram.

Travel far away we gladly do; the FIM Rallye, meetings in Sweden or Denmark, holiday travels to different places in Europe. The mix of motorcycle makes in the club is total, but touring bikes are most frequent.

In 1999 we will celebrate our 30 Years Jubilee. This will probably be done with thunder and crash. We are worthy of that, we think.

Kicki Uddén
Former chairman

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