News

Unusual use of BSA Bantam engine… BSA side valve industrial engines were, at one time, a fairly regular sight, powering rotovators, cement mixers, conveyors, lawn mowers etc, indeed I even had a 420cc side valver on a garden tractor. However, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Bantam engine used in such a…

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Rare Crocker V-twin Just 125 or so Crocker V-twins, designed to top 100mph and defeat the Harley-Davidsons and Indians of the day, were manufactured between 1936 and 1941, since when they’ve become the Holy Grail for American classic motorcycle enthusiasts. It is believed that just 68 examples of the V-twin survive today. James Robinson, editor…

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1954 350cc Cabton Knightly Never heard of it? Well, you can be forgiven because this is a long defunct Japanese company which took Ariel as its design basis. Surely one of the rarest bikes you’ll see in Britain. Close inspection showed the frame to have cribbed the Anstey link rear suspension, more readily seen on…

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World’s fastest Vincent at Festival of 1000 Bikes The team will be bringing the 1300cc two valver (100 x 82.55mm) which shoves out some 145bhp at 7000rpm, and its new four valve 100 x 100mm 1600cc job too. This one makes 186bhp at 7000rpm. These will be ridden by team riders Beau Beaton and Craig…

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Classic Bike Guide’s on sale Old rivalries revived in the latest issue of Classic Bike Guide, as Nigel Clark compares three different approaches to performance biking in 1969. This was a year when it was all happening, optimism was in the air, the free for all, swingin' Sixties were about to metamorphose into the tasteless…

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Belstaff Trialmaster, waterproof motorcycle jacket It’s a very nicely put together garment with a plush tartan lining and the traditional press stud fixings. There’s a sturdy, double ended, full length brass zipper with an overlap held in place by press studs. Deep pockets are both sides on hip and breast, with a small Velcro flapped…

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Eastwood Expander Wheel Kit The Eastwood Expander Wheel Kit is a soft rubber wheel with slotted sides, over which an abrasive band is slipped and held in place by centrifugal force as the rubber expands. It’s designed to run at a max of 1800rpm so excessive cutting does not occur. It has a central push-out…

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Geoff Brett (65) leading the pack He was 77 and president of the Bewdley MCC, a club he joined in 1962 wherein he added grass tracking to his weekend trials riding. Club chairman Graham Turner was a pal: “We used to follow one another round, so if we had a problem with a bike we…

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Royal Enfield dealers revisit company’s spiritual home Their trip included a visit to their spiritual home in Redditch. Little of the original factory remains, so the lunch stop was at the Royal Enfield pub, formerly the town’s old cinema. “It was all about our dealers riding the current bikes in their natural environment,” said UK…

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