Sam Hewitt

  • February 2018

    February 2018

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    From the archive A little snowy out there? Look at all the fun they used to have! Triumph Daytona 500 In 1984, Judith Bonser bought a new Triumph Daytona 500, and still has it. Hang on – 1984? Subscribe! Oh go on, no more chasing through the magazines at the supermarket, let us come to…

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  • French sale

    French sale

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    There’s a fabulous, eclectic range of machines on offer at Osenat’s sale, at the Salon Moto Legende in Paris, on Saturday, November 25. Ranging from a host of engines – mainly from French machines – through to barn find motorcycles, restored lightweights and having a pair of Vincent Black Shadows as its marquee lots, there’s…

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  • A little something extra in your G&T?

    A little something extra in your G&T?

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    A GERMAN artisan gin maker recently launched a range of exotic alcoholic beverages with a special ingredient – vintage Harley Davidson parts. Three different distillations of Archaeologist Gin contained parts in the bottle from three different vintage Harleys: a 1939 flathead, 1947 knucklehead and a 1962 Panhead. The components were nickel-plated to ensure the gin…

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  • Honda 400/4 engine build

    Honda 400/4 engine build

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    The original owner of this Honda 400/4 thought he had found a cheap and easy way to make the engine look as good as new. “He took the motor out of the frame, taped up all the holes he could see, and then got to work with the grit blaster. Then he sprayed it silver…

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  • New ‘Bobs’ from Harley Davidson

    New ‘Bobs’ from Harley Davidson

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    HARLEY-DAVIDSON is launching eight new higher-performance Softail models for 2018 in the face of renewed competition from Japan and a resurgent India. The company says the aggressively styled 2018 Softail models are faster, lighter and offer better handling than any of their Big Twin cruiser predecessors. The Softail now has a lighter, more rigid frame,…

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  • Kiwi Aaron Slight brings the sun to a packed Stafford Classic Bike Show

    Kiwi Aaron Slight brings the sun to a packed Stafford Classic Bike Show

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    EX-WORLD Superbike star Aaron Slight showed that he really is ‘The People’s Champion’ as thousands of visitors packed into the huge annual event to meet their hero and take advantage of the autumn sun. Compere Steve Plater spoke to Slight about his career, life as a WSB rider and teased out some entertaining stories during…

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  • 1987 DUCATI 851S SUPERBIKE: The dawn of dominance

    1987 DUCATI 851S SUPERBIKE: The dawn of dominance

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    Few new bikes have ever been as eagerly awaited as the production versions of the eight-valve, liquid-cooled Ducati 851 Desmoquattro. The prototype, clad in Tricolore livery, took Marco Lucchinelli to a debut victory in the American Daytona BoTT (Battle of The Twins) race exactly 30 years ago, then spent the 1987 racing season developing, before…

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  • Carberry launches new Enfield-based twin

    Carberry launches new Enfield-based twin

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        A NEW Enfield-based one-litre V-Twin engine has been launched by the founder of Carberry Motorcycles – as Royal Enfield develops its own parallel twin 750. The Carberry V-twin is created from two Royal Enfield single-cylinder barrels mated onto a new crankcase. Creator Paul Carberry has relocated to India to build his Double Barrel…

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  • Matchless G3L

    Matchless G3L

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    You could describe a Matchless G3, or for that matter its AJS 350 sibling, as solid and dependable, but maybe not glamorous. The first models are a good example of a long stroke, long lasting single and provided unexciting but reliable transport for hundreds of thousands of postwar workers. Like many a British motorcycle of the…

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  • Bimota abandons Italy

    Bimota abandons Italy

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    HIGH-END sports bike manufacturer Bimota is reported to have departed from its plant in Rimini, Italy. The factory has been gutted and the signage removed. Bimota has been in financial trouble for several years, ever since a disastrous decision to try and build its own two-stroke v-twin engine turned out to be a costly mistake.…

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