The Classic MotorCycle

Published in the March 8, 1951 edition of The Motor Cycle, the reverse of this picture (dated February 28, 1951) reads: “Pierre Gerard de Langlade, who drove a motorcycle with sidecar the 10,000 miles from Algiers in the Algiers-Cape car rally. He is

The Kempton Park Classic Bike Show and Autojumble returns on May 11, 2024. This year will be the biggest show and autojumble to date at the venue, with over 350 trade stands, more than 120 classic motorcycles, plus the event is also being supported b

This picture from the motorcycle show features two well known faces from 1935 England – Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha has his hands on the handlebars, while behind is Bob Wyatt, captain of the England cricket team at that time. The motorc

That article in your April 2024 issue regarding a ‘Freakishly Fast Triumph’ (Letters, page 21) rang a very loud bell. In the late 1960s, while at university, I ran a Triumph 5TA which was disappointing in its power delivery. Basically, it was too slo

Browsing through adverts for classic big British twins, it’s always been noticeable that prices for BSA’s A65 are significantly lower than for equivalent age and engine size Triumphs and Nortons. When the A65 was first introduced in 1962, it met with

Guy Martin can talk; of that, there is no doubt. But with his knowledge of engineering, his vast experience of riding so many different bikes, and his endlessly curious mind, listening to him is never boring. For the second instalment of our two-part

When Sunbeam Club stalwart Julie Diplock came up with the idea of celebrating the club’s centennial anniversary by organising an event at the famous Brooklands race circuit in Surrey, little did she know that modern history was to play a part in the

The roll call of motorcycle racing ‘Great British World Beaters’ is a long but scarcely illustrious one. Machines like the Read-Weslake 500cc twin, the KRM Superstreak 350cc four have all flattered to deceive. Not since the Manx Norton’s heyday, has

Before he passed away in 2015 at the age of 92, I was able to visit six-time 350/500cc world champion Geoff Duke OBE in his beloved Isle of Man, where he won six TT races during a decade-long career as modern-day motorcycle racing’s first superstar.

Bat and Martinsyde. Discuss. Now, for many of us, that might be about as far as the conversation would go, such is the manner in which these two, once well known names have fallen from even classic motorcyclists’ consciousness. Those whose particular

This year, the Celebration of Speedway took place at Hertfordshire Zoo – not a new destination, simply a renaming of Paradise Park, which remains home to enough exotic animals to keep David Attenborough happy for another lifetime. Held on March 17, t

Most people will no doubt have heard the reply from the American author and humorist Mark Twain, when questioned by a reporter from the New York Journal about his health. He is reported to have said: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,”

When it comes to talking about classic motorcycles, it’s a toss-up whether you most often hear: ‘I’d like one, but I can’t afford it’ or ‘I started my riding with a Bantam, and I’d really like another’. And those who’ve actually got as far as investi

Growing up as a motorbike-mad teenager in the 1960s I was an avid reader of all the motorcycling magazines and newspapers, including the weekly Motor Cycle. As some readers will know, this publication had its own Midlands editor, Bob Currie, based in

Motorworks has focused on BMW since the company was established some 35 years ago. It now offers thousands of product lines, spares and accessories for classic to present-day models – new, refurbished and second-hand items, standard or upgraded. We a

A motorcycle is designed in a number of ways. In the old days – like the end of the 1890s – the design concept may have involved a wooden wall or stone floor in a blacksmith’s shop. An idea would be laid out in chalk and the process would go from the