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Greyhounds are great, but most folk get on better with a border collie Photos by Chris Dickinson DESPITE THE DOMINATOR name, Norton’s first stab at a sporting twin didn’t exactly rule the postwar world. Designer Bert Hopwood built a bike that was rather more robust than the sparkling Triumph speedsters, but which had little in…

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If a radical retro café racer is too compact for comfort, Ducati built a more relaxed SportClassic for two-up touring… WORDS BY Frank Melling   PHOTOS BY Carol Melling UCATI’S FIRST STAB at a mainstream retro machine, the Hailwood replica MH900E was gorgeous but eye-wateringly expensive. It was followed up by the Paul Smart-inspired 1000LE, which…

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PHOTOS BY Chris Dickinson CONTINUING OUR THEME, Triumph’s 750 twins are an obvious choice for anyone contemplating the purchase of a first British classic bike. They don’t cost a fortune compared to the more prestigious earlier classics, so you can try an old Brit bike to see if you enjoy the experience without mortgaging the…

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Too often overlooked in classic curiosity corner, Indian’s last Chiefs were excellent – and unique – motorcycles WORDS AND PHOTOS BY PHIL MATHER Isolated on our little island, we had no reason to concern ourselves with the last sad days of a once great American motorcycle manufacturer. Yet responsibility for that downfall had, in many…

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Two new, French-designed retros prove that Chinese bikes are coming of age WORDS BY MARK WILLIAMS Having already proved that they could up the stakes in the Chinese import game, Mash Motorcycles have added two new models which will likely further undermine the cheap ’n’ cheerful image that damns with faint praise our view of…

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