Features

Just like the Duracell bunny, Honda’s CXs go on and on and on WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Marion Thirsk HONDA’S CX IS BACK in vogue in a big way. Once derided as the dispatch riders’ weapon of choice, the unfortunately nicknamed plastic maggot has turned and is now highly desirable. Significant numbers of CXs were…

Continue reading »

Alejandro De Tomaso’s attempt to take on Japan created an interesting alternative to Honda’s CB400F WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Marion Thirsk Most of us are familiar with Honda’s distinctively styled, iconic CB400F. But who knew that Moto Guzzi launched a rival 400/4 in 1975? When Argentinian industrialist Alejandro De Tomaso bought Benelli in 1971 his…

Continue reading »

Royal Enfield built a street racer for learner riders. It was fast, too WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Oliver Hulme ROYAL ENFIELD’S CONTINENTAL GT was surely one of the most alluring learner bikes ever built. The GT’s predecessor, the Crusader, was described in The Motor Cycle as ‘spectacular’ at its launch in 1956. The Crusader was…

Continue reading »

From our 2016 archive Tired of clip-ons and rearsets? We recommend something altogether more refined PHOTOS BY Mortons archive / Rowena Hoseason ‘FIRST CLASS PERFORMANCE without fuss’ promised Veloce when it reintroduced its 500 ohv single in 1954. That’s not too far off the mark today, which is why the MSS is one of those…

Continue reading »

BMW’s great leap forward came with the /5 series, like this range-topping R75/5 WORDS AND PHOTOS BY OLIVER HULME WIRTSCHAFTSWUNDER IS ONE of those splendid German compound words that tell a story. The event Wirtschaftswunder – in English it means economic miracle – refers to is the way German manufacturing recovered despite being almost completely ruined…

Continue reading »

FROM OUR ARCHIVES Some bikes are icons from the outset. Not so this idiosyncratic 350. But it’s strangely successful as a classic steed… NO, IT’S NOT a BMW. If you find the charm of this British-built transverse twin to be utterly irresistible and actually buy one, then you’ll also find yourself repeating those words over and…

Continue reading »

What’s this? Did BSA build a previously undiscovered prototype cammy A10? WORDS AND PHOTOS BY PAUL MILES KAWASAKI’S MILLENNIAL W650 parallel twin has deservedly carved out a niche in the marketplace as a go-to, easy to live with retro-styled machine. The long-stroke 72 x 80mm 676cc air-cooled motor is very much of classic proportions, the…

Continue reading »

FROM THE ARCHIVES The final version of BSA’s pre-unit 650 twin was so good that people have been recreating the things ever since Small Heath stopped building them IF THERE WAS an award for the most widely faked classic motorcycle in the world, then BSA’s Rocket Gold Star would be a strong contender. BSA only…

Continue reading »

After a bike? Fancy a fun day out kicking tyres? Try visiting an auction: fun for all the family WORDS BY Oliver Hulme PICTURES BY Christopher Dickinson and Bonhams THANKS TO Jonathan Hoare for the headline YOU’VE DECIDED THAT you want to buy or sell a classic bike, but where do you start? If you…

Continue reading »

Summer’s approaching. Time to sort out new waterproofs… WORDS BY OLIVER HULME SUMMER IS COMING, and anyone who rides all year round will know the uncomfortable feeling of sweat trickling down their back and the smell well-worn all-weather gear acquires after a long ride on a hot summer day. Most people will shed layers to…

Continue reading »