Thousands of bikers descended on Brighton yesterday for the annual Ace Café reunion.

Proud owners of Vincents, Nortons, Kawasakis, Hondas, Harley-Davidsons, BSAs, BMWs and Triumphs showed off their gleaming machines at Madeira Drive.

An estimated 15,000 motorcyclists turned up for the event on the city's seafront with many thousands more on foot.

Many of the bikers were part of an organised group which left the Ace Café, the famous biker's haunt in Stonebridge, North London, yesterday morning.

The packed out Madeira drive was a hive of activity as leather-clad bikers soaked up the petrol fumes and proudly displayed their machines.

Paul Bedford rode down to Brighton with the Chichester and District Scooter Club on his LI Skelly.

The 43-year-old Rolls Royce worker, who neither a Mod nor Rocker but a lover of scooters, said: “It's nice to get together with others from the club. It's a good crack and a great ride along the coast.”

Carl Garner, Ace Café's events manager, said: “It's been a very successful day with very large numbers.

“The weather has been exceptionally good and everything has gone relatively smoothly.

“Our best year was in 2005 when we had the Orange County Choppers down but this was a close second.

“People have parked their bikes up and everybody's been walking along having a good look and taking pictures.

“We've had bands on stage playing live Rock 'n' Roll and people dancing in the streets. There's loads of club stands where people can celebrate their particular makes of bike and stunt shows.

“We've even had an area with a wheelie machine where people can learn how to wheelie without falling off.”

Mr Garner said the organised ride down from the café went without a hitch and that he was disappointed to have missed out on it as he was already in Brighton setting up.

He added that planning for next year's event was already well under way with the second weekend in September 2010 already booked.

The Ace Café is a famous bikers’ café built in the 1930s on London’s North Circular Road.

It closed its doors in 1969 but in 1993, Mark Wilsmore had the idea for the Ace Café Reunion.

Thanks to the popularity of the annual event, which was first held in 1996, the café has since reopened.