Kenneth BAIN Obituary

We have known Ken for over 50 years after shifting next door in Hunter Street during the early 60's. He was a character right from the start and always had time to tell some motorcycle yarns, or help with mechanical problems we had with our various bikes.
Before he went to the UK on his big OE he sold his AJS 7 R to a local club member who then road it around the valley for a couple of days before returning it to Ken to get his money back, saying that it was not such a good idea to own the racing machine. Ken then took it to the UK with him.
When restoring my Yamaha YDS3 he always seem to be able to produce rare parts for the restoration when I would visit him at Hunter Street, never wanting money for them, he would just say if I see a certain part for his YDS6 he would be grateful to get one, I duly obliged. That was Ken , a good bloke, with a good sense of humour. Rest in peace our friend
Tony and Chris Waldegrave, (Greytown and Auckland)

Back in the seventies I got to know Ken quite well just after returned from the States. I was involved with running the Gracefield round of the Marlboro series through the HVMCC and Ken surfaced when we put out a call to help truck some of the overseas riders around the country. Kens massive beast of a pick up, something like a HiLux on steroids, had just arrived by ship into NZ, complete with fishing rods hanging in the back window. I think he may have ditched the pump action shotgun under the seat! It was a General Motors brute of a truck and turned heads wherever it went. Ken stepped in and carted Freakie Phil, a hippie American rider in sandles and a 750 Yamaha, no tools and no spare parts, but a perfect match for Ken and his no worries, no fear approach to life. A bit later on I found out Ken was a keen pilot and I had just joined the Wellington areo club out at Paraparumu. We shared a lot of flights around the country including one to Neil Diamond's first concert in NZ at Western Springs in 1976. We also ended up getting stranded on the West Coast and sleeping under the wings at Hokitika.
I left NZ in 1977 and spent most of the next decade in Europe so drifted out of touch. We met on the odd occasion since and Ken never changed. An affable and good humoured guy who never let much bother him. Its been said he had the perfect retirement putting decades of accumulated motorcycle knowledge to good use in the classic's scene . He'll be sadly missed by many who relied on his encyclopaedic grasp of technical and spare parts trivia that was delivered with his trade mark camaraderie. Rest in peace Ken.

Steve Flaunty
Lower Hutt

I have known Ken for 30 years and am lucky to be able to call him a friend. Conversations at Ken's house, often accompanied by a beer or red wine, included hearing tales of his next bantam development, the rallies coming up or updates on our current projects. You are missed Ken.

Our condolences to all of Kens family in this sudden loss . My( LATE ) brother Peter Serkin knew Ken Bain well and would often visit Ken when Peter came to Wellington from Wanganui .I have located a photo at a party in my Upland Road flat 1973 .

Kathy and I spent many a happy hour at events run by with HVMCC with Ken.
Most memorable evening was on the way home from the Last meeting held at Levin. Graham Stott was towing the "Club" trailer and Ken the "Club" caravan behind the GMC.
Ken got stopped by the Police for speeding down the Plimmerton Hill past the Old Winstone factory

I have great memories of Ken while staying with him in Toronto Canada in 1967, including falling off his Bike on the way to Niagara falls. No one hurt, parked the bike up and hired a car for the trip, RIP Ken.

Ken was a stalwart of the Matchless and AJS Motorcycle Club and will be sadly missed at this years rally which he was helping with.

I met Ken when he was a very young man in the 1950's at motorcycle meetings proudly working as a volunteer for St Johns ,he became shortly after a motorcyclist himself and a very keen member of the Hutt Valley Motor Cycle club.
I remember a time ,following Ken across Desert Road to be startled and having to avoid his bike battery bouncing toward me . Ken often with being a pilot -flew many passengers motor cycle races, many a time they had to train home due to flying been curtailed due to adverse weather.
He adventured at the same time as I in the late 1960.s in England and the USA, and had many tales to tell ,such as having a shotgun under his vehicle seat, overhearing from outside his windows plans to rob him, leaving his vehicle windows down in the hope of less damage if ransacked.
In the early days he loved to pull things apart to see how it worked, for example in England he had a Vanguard car with a Ferguson Tractor motor, reputedly indestructible, so just before leaving for USA decided to try to destroy the motor, but I think he did not succeed as I feel he left it at the airport.
On his return flight to England, Ken arrived back carrying the largest bottle of Bourbon I had ever seen,yes it has been a pleasure for my wife Merril and I to have had his friendship for well over 55 years--Ken retained a friendship with my wife's brother Bill Wetzel so she met and known Ken since 1960 .
We are thankful for the many memories. Dennis and Merril Slater-Pahiatua

A great guy who helped my late husband, Paul Lamb (died 2014) many times with our motorcycles. I saw Ken last year when he came with Graham to help take away our BSA & sidecar. My thoughts and very best wishes are with his family and friends. I know he will be missed. Judi Lamb, Carterton.