Features

Sparton: the chapel-built British racer that scared the factory giants

by

Mark Lancaster

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27th June 2026

For a brief period in the 1970s, one of the most powerful race bikes in the world was being built in a converted chapel in North Wales. Sparton was a collaboration between Barton Engineering and Spondon Engineering. Barton brought the two-stroke engine expertise, Spondon brought the frame-building brilliance, and together they created a machine that…
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Yamaha YR2C: when Yamaha joined the street scrambler trend

by

Mark Lancaster

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20th June 2026

Steve Cooper looks at how Yamaha took its all-new YR1 and jumped aboard the 1960s street scrambler trend. In 1967, Yamaha’s Iwata factory rolled out its most significant machine since the 250cc two-stroke YDS1 of 1959. The all-new Yamaha YR1 350 two-stroke twin was a ground-up design featuring a vertically split crankcase and a clutch…
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Suzuki’s TC200 came here by accident…

by

Mark Lancaster

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19th June 2026

Steve Cooper looks at the street scrambler that came to these shores by accident… So, as we all know, street scramblers were never sold in the UK, right? Well, why would a company do that when we Brits have always had a reputation for being a conservative bunch when it comes to buying motorcycles? Very…
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R A Jones Classic Motorcycles: a family passion for proper classic bikes

by

Mark Lancaster

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12th June 2026

For anyone with a love of British classics, restoration projects and interesting old motorcycles, R A Jones Classic Motorcycles is well worth knowing about. Based in Manchester, close to the Trafford Centre and M60, the business is run by Robert Jones and specialises in classic motorcycles, with a particular passion for British machinery. Whether it…
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Honda CB400 Super Four and CB-1: Everything you need to know

by

Matt Hull

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29th May 2026

The earliest of these Hondas may be 36 years old, but they look great, offer modern practicality and reliability, with classic status, and the ability to work on them. We look at two of the finest…
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Japanese Street Scramblers: Kawasaki W series

by

Mark Lancaster

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27th May 2026

Kawasaki’s 1960s foray into four-stroke street scramblers produced just one model, but, as Steve Cooper explains, it was definitely a machine with merits. Kawasaki’s W series parallel twins stem from the Meguro Company that had produced similar 500s from the early 1950s. Towards the end of the decade a power unit very reminiscent of that…
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Looking to Japan – YOUR PERFECT FIRST CLASSIC?

by

Mark Lancaster

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9th May 2026

It’s easy to justify Japanese if coming from a modern bike, Matt Hull explains… THE BEST ANSWERS IN LIFE ARE most often a compromise. But if you fancy looking at buying your first classic bike, looking to the far east is a pretty good solution to avoid pitfalls. Buying a classic motorcycle is buying into…
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BSA Bantam: The history

by

Mark Lancaster

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29th April 2026

The most famous motorcycle ever made? Certainly in Britain the BSA Bantam has a substantial claim to that title. It’s not possessed of the glamour of its Gold Star stablemate or the Triumph Bonneville, but the little BSA was known intimately and ridden extensively by a whole lot more riders than those two put together.…
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Your guide to Kawasaki H1 Mach III

by

Oli Hulme

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23rd April 2026

It stood out then and still stands out today. The H1 makes a great classic, but does it live up to its ‘Widowmaker’ nickname?
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This is Sparton!

by

Mark Lancaster

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26th March 2026

Sparton was a collaboration between Barton Engineering and Spondon Engineering and for a short time in the 1970s the most powerful race bike in the world was built in a converted chapel in North Wales. There Barry Hart built racing two-stroke engines and in 1974 he joined forces with the noted frame builder Spondon to…
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