CATEGORIES
Runs should be fun
The club run is an integral part of the old motorcycle scene. During 2020, a variation on the usual theme emerged, enabling people to ride in the company of like-minded souls.
Hybrid chicken
BSA Bantams come in many forms, and the ability to interchange parts between different models permits an almost endless number of variants.
Green WITH ENVY
Life aboard a 1950s 350cc British single is perhaps as good and as uncomplicated as it can get.
Worth the wait
Captivated by sight of one as a small boy, finally our man has the chance to try an NSU Max.And a ‘Spezial’ one at that…
The Motorcycle: DESIGN, ART AND DESIRE
The concluding part of a two-part feature, in which the history of motorcycle evolution is examined and a new book’s author interviewed.
Cream rises
There were several ‘star performers’ at Bonhams’ winter sale, as the choice machines achieved huge sums.
The Giant of Provence
With so few events to report from, it’s time to look back over a spectacular French event and look forward to its hopeful resumption.
Store cupboard special
A big box of presents? Must be Christmas! More deliveries keep the project on track.
By 1929, CJP Dodson was a bona fide top level road racer, pretty much unbeatable on the sand, too.
The diminutive Charlie Dodson was the last man to win a TT, the 1928 Senior, on a ‘flat-tank’ machine, then the next year became the first (and only) winner of a TT on a saddle tank Sunbeam, as well as recording the last ever success in the Island for the Marston maker.
Cassandra the Canadian Commando
After landing a new job and with time on his hands, a young man in Vancouver decided to restore a British motorcycle considerably older than him.
A brief chat with... Paul Goff
Interviewing for these ‘chat’ features has revealed a regular theme – the subject has become involved in fettling old motorcycles because of a personal experience.
Pitching a ride
The long-running sport of motoball arrived at Brooklands for the first time, in September 2020.
Muddled Tiger
‘Looks like it’s standing still when it’s doing 100mph’, rockers sneered. What’s the truth behind Triumph’s first unit sports 500?
Where does the passenger go?
Dictionaries inform the sidecar is: ‘a jaunting-car; small car attached to the side of a motorcycle; kind of cocktail.’ We’ll forget jaunting-cars and cocktails, but how did the world arrive at the sidecar? And what came before?
Training run
Sidecar ace and passenger, plus a future winner, learning the TT’s Mountain Course.
Store Cupboard Special
On to part six, and momentum is still being maintained, I though the shopping list is growing ever-longer.
Changing times
As the Roaring Twenties drew to a close, JAP focussed heavily on improvements, including to lubrication, though, happily, they still found time for the odd whacky engine.
Engine timing
It’s worth making sure your engine is timed correctly. Here, it’s explained and exampled on an engine which is all a motorcyclist really needs (according to some, anyway…) – the single cylinder four-stroke.
A brief chat with...Al Osborn
From crystal radio sets to current electrical affairs, Al Osborn has had a lifetime of understanding the mystical substance which ignites our engines.
Money Matters
In 1977, when this example was made, the 250cc CZ twin was the cheapest motorcycle of its capacity and class on the market.
Brotherly love
Colin Jansen built himself a BSA café racer twin just like he’d wanted in the 1960s – his brother liked it so much, he had Colin make him one too.
The brilliant Benellis
World title success in 1950 was the highlight for the family firm from Pesaro, on the eastern Italy coast.
Go with the flow…
... or not, as the current peters out, meaning that there’s some more figuring out required.
Store cupboard special
This is the fifth monthly instalment, t and we’re back on track – of sorts, at least.
Hero hacks
A rarely seen original Royal Enfield 250 Clipper on the Isle of Wight provides an interesting contrast with the writer’s side-valve BSA from the same era.
Five-studs
In double-quick time, the JAP speedway engine became the unit of choice if you wanted to win, a situation which remained for more than three decades.
Fitting tribute
This replica of the 1970 and 1971 British ISDT Trophy team machines is a testament to their creator, Eric Cheney.
Deeprose and Pertwee
Doctor Who tries out a rejuvenated Triumph.
A brief chat with... Patrick Bramman
Of the many reasons to join the VMCC, wanting to race isn’t perhaps the most common one – and once you’re in...
Top Level Twosome
The second and final part of our story on the racing careers of the New Milton-based Rickman brothers covers the glorious days of the 1960s.