The Classic MotorCycle

Welcome Welcome to to lockdown lockdown issue issue number number two two ! ! Although Although we we ''ve ve seen seen some some easing easing of of restrictions restrictions, , we we are are of of course course nowhere nowhere near near back back t

The Triumph Owners' Club rally, at Meriden in 1958: riders are, from left, K Wakefield, E Dyson, B C Barrow and G Cooke. The eyes of Wakefield and Dyson are focussed on the starter's raised finger, while, out on the right, Cooke looks, literally, to

Owing to the ever-changing nature of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the latest proposed date for the 'April' Stafford show remains August 15/16. The official statement reads as follows: "Following the recent announcements from the UK Government, M

Hope you're well in these 'interesting' times. What a pity we can't all be out enjoying this lovely spring weather on our bikes, but it's a sacrifice we have to make. What we are grateful for is guys like you who continue to provide our monthly magaz

The Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) has come to the decision that, given the UK Government guidelines for exiting the lockdown, the 2020 Festival of 1000 Bikes is not going be viable and could not be safely run for participants, staff and spectators,

The history of the British motorcycle industry is littered with innovative and radically exciting designs that promised much but failed to deliver, an example of which is this month's test bike. It's a 500cc twin with the name of Sunbeam on the petro

The long blonde hair and celebrity image may have been replaced with a more sober look, but the appearance of 1980s track race star Egon Millier stirred enthusiasts' memories and created plenty of interest at the annual Anniversary of Speedway, celeb

Rubbing handlebars with 315 GRP in Steve's well equipped workshop is an example of the stripped-down S8 model, which, during its production run between 1949 and 1956, outsold the S7 by nearly two to one. Kindly, Steve gave me the opportunity to take

That I've always thoughtAMC's mid-to-late 1950s single cylinder competition offerings are among the best looking motorcycles of all time, hardly makes me unique. Because, quite simply, they are. But, to me, the Matchless GsoCSR takes it to a whole ne

The 1930s ModelX (TCM, September 2016) defied all expectations when I was given the opportunity to ride one. It's no way a big, ponderous ploddy side-valve, in fact quite the opposite. I thoroughly enjoyed it; whisper it quietly, but I preferred the

This 1928 AJS K8 of my dad's has been owned by him 10 years longer than I've been alive, having bought it in around 1968 for 'a fiver' - which actually isn't the whole story, as in fact he swapped it with a flat-tank Model 18 Norton (which his mate A

I nearly put down a Jl2, but, actually, I'll plump for a Rocket III, one of half a dozen BSA and Triumph triples I rode in a day (January 2010 issue). The Rocket was the nicest of all of them, just a willing, lovely thing to ride. I didn't really exp

That I've never ridden a postwar Sunbeam is something I hope to rectify, so I'll plump for my own Long-stroke, a scruffy 1927 side-valve that goes ridiculously well for 'only' a 492cc side-valve. I adore riding it, with its lever throttle and spindly

Tricky, as I've probably ridden more Velos than any other make. The Mk.I cammy belonging to a friend, John Mundey, deserves a special mention, likewise the two Indian Velos, several superb Venoms, though I'd plump for Mark Huggins' Thruxton (December

Specifically, Peter Rosenthal's DBD34, which I rode as part of a feature about Peter in the June 2008 edition. That I've been lucky enough to ride several Goldies subsequently, as well as own a couple, doesn't diminish the first time I rode a DBD. Pe

If I've ridden a lot ofVelocettes, I've probably ridden as many - if not more - Triumphs, many of them Bonnevilles, and a lot of them restored by the same chap, one Hugh Brown, of Hertfordshire, who really does know how to put a Bonneville together.

Coincidentally, mentioned in the bit about the Model go (previous page) is my wanted ad about looking for a vintage sportster. Among the replies was a chap local to me in Lincolnshire, with a KTT Velocette. Well, this was above and beyond my hopes an

That I've gone on about my Sunbeam obsession in these pages, it's perhaps no surprise that I'll have this machine in among my selection. This particular go was restored by Peter Woodward, who sold it to National Motorcycle Museum founder and owner Ro

Sammy Miller's inline four (TCM, June 2012) is a unique machine, which Sammy entrusted me with for the Graham Walker Run in 2011. Smooth and sophisticated, it was a privilege to ride. I even won a trophy, presented by Murray Walker. ■

Lovely Martin Tiller, who I'd come to know over the years at various shows where he'd be with his great mate John Guy, was always friendly and encouraging to me from the outset of my doing the magazine. At shows, John and he would be patrolling toget

Somebody was telling me, that of all the Triumphs tested by the motorcycle press in the 1950s and 60s, the fastest of the lot was a mid-50s 500cc Tiger 100 (June 2014). Well, I'm not sure, but that may be so ... They do certainly feel like the fastes

This was one I wasn't expecting. In fact, I was rather dreading it, mainly as stories of riding the famous BRS (Brooklands Racing Special) Nortons are chock-full of incident, including Phil Read apparently getting a speeding ticket on the most famous

The best Vmcent I've ever ridden was my friend Nigel Waring's (October 2015), complete with Patrick Godet built engine and such. It was awesome. Nigel has since acquired an Egli-Vmcent, which he reckons is 'just amazing: I can't wait to try. ■

What can I say? It's perhaps an obvious choice, having this machine at my number one, but for as long as I can remember, I was captivated by the famous picture of Ginger Wood on the Series A Vincent- HRD V-twin Rapide racer at Dorrington Park, shown

When I was a boy, 30 to 35 or so years ago, there was a fellow called Lieutenant Colonel Archdale, who would come to local VMCC runs, on one of a number of machines - including a gorgeous Parallel g Sunbeam (see my Sunbeam Model go bit) and a two-spe

I've been fortunate to ride a wide array ofNortons, there's been some great ones - and some horrors, to be fair. Don Daly's prewar Inter (TCM, September 2015), though, stands out, it went like hell and didn't vibrate overly, unlike some others of the

As TT winners go, Alec Bennett isn't one of the most famous or most revered, neither does he any longer feature highly on the list of all time winners. For a long · period though, in the late 1920s, he held the record for the most wins in the races.

Although George has made his name as an off-road ace and most of the bikes in his collection are either trials, scrambles or enduro machines, he also has several interesting road machines, including a pair oflightweight MVs, a prewar Blue Star BSA an

So what happened to Bennett's victorious Sunbeam after he was made a gift of it in the wake of his Senior win? Did he keep it? Does anyone know anything of it? There is at least one Bennett bike extant, the 1928 Junior TT winner -road registered as

The TT's history never fails to amaze me and some of the most extraordinary tales are from the late Geoff Davison's TT books (Davison was himself a top TT racer in the 1920s ), including Racing Through the Century; Racing Reminiscences and The Racing

In these days of coupons when most of our joy in motorcycling has of necessity to be of the 'armchair' variety, I often allow my thoughts to range over the machines I have owned in the past. There is one feature that strikes me most forcibly and that

Many of us will have enjoyed happy days watching or competing on the English short circuits in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Racing is always risky, but here's a few memories which make me smile to set the ball rolling. I well remember a race-long tussle f

Am I the only one who finds wiring diagrams to be so much coloured spaghetti, or the components these wires attach to equally mystical? Perhaps it's because the parts used in these areas of a motorcycle are not frequently bandied about in the way cam

My investigation into the story of one of .TAP's last racing engines and an engineer's efforts to build and race competitive British motorc ycles started when I saw Ewan Cameron's 5oocc Phoenix- .TAP. After asking Ewan for more information, he sem th

Looking through some of my late grandfather's literature, I found handwritten references to the Maplestone front fork, plus a poor photo. I don't think this was for a machine he had but rather that of a friend. Neither literature sources nor the inte

In 1918, the Franklin Institute of America presented John Prestwich with a silver medal for his invention of the accurate, easy to use and rapid fluid gauge. Reaching the required age, Vivian Prestwich (John's eldest son) signed up for flying duties

Aluminium crankcases housed a single timing side roller main bearing with a ball and roller on the drive side. These supported a built up crank assembly with a roller big-end, the 88mm stroke was common to both engines. Barrels were iron, or alloy, w

when the gearbox locked at 120mph plus. The crash was catastrophic but the Isle of Man had a new medical innovation - the helicopter. That Godfrey was quickly taken to hospital saved his life - and incidentally he stayed in touch with nurse who cared