Worth the wait
The Classic MotorCycle|February 2021
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…
ANDY WESTLAKE
Worth the wait
With the NSU’s shiny blue paintwork gleaming in the autumn sunshine, my thoughts wandered back to a cold February Saturday, six decades ago. I was aged six and a driving licence was 10 years away, but, as my big brother Rod had already taken to two wheels aboard a rorty Triumph Tiger Cub my interest was piqued; it was not surprising that sometime in the future I, too, would become a motorcyclist.

Accompanying my mother on our weekly shopping trip meant going past our local motorcycle dealers and while mum went into Cayford’s Butchers to purchase a joint of meat for our Sunday lunch, I decided to spend the time looking at the line-up of bikes in the Difazio motorcycle garage workshop next door.

Most of the showroom floor space was taken up by a range of British singles and twins, but, on that particular day, my eyes were drawn to an unusual looking machine with the letters ‘NSU’ on its petrol tank. I had never heard the name before but its sparkling blue paintwork, its unusual front forks and an oil-tight engine, it looked – even to my child’s untrained eye – obviously a top quality machine. For the rest of our shopping trip, I had a mental picture of me kicking the 250cc single into action and heading off to some far flung place…

Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av The Classic MotorCycle.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLESe alt
Runs should be fun
The Classic MotorCycle

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.

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2021
Hybrid chicken
The Classic MotorCycle

Hybrid chicken

BSA Bantams come in many forms, and the ability to interchange parts between different models permits an almost endless number of variants.

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2021
Green WITH ENVY
The Classic MotorCycle

Green WITH ENVY

Life aboard a 1950s 350cc British single is perhaps as good and as uncomplicated as it can get.

time-read
9 mins  |
February 2021
Worth the wait
The Classic MotorCycle

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…

time-read
10 mins  |
February 2021
The Motorcycle: DESIGN, ART AND DESIRE
The Classic MotorCycle

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.

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7 mins  |
February 2021
Cream rises
The Classic MotorCycle

Cream rises

There were several ‘star performers’ at Bonhams’ winter sale, as the choice machines achieved huge sums.

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4 mins  |
February 2021
The Giant of Provence
The Classic MotorCycle

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.

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8 mins  |
February 2021
Store cupboard special
The Classic MotorCycle

Store cupboard special

A big box of presents? Must be Christmas! More deliveries keep the project on track.

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6 mins  |
February 2021
By 1929, CJP Dodson was a bona fide top level road racer, pretty much unbeatable on the sand, too.
The Classic MotorCycle

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.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2021
Cassandra the Canadian Commando
The Classic MotorCycle

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.

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8 mins  |
February 2021