New & Features

Changes to Concentric improve life and performance You pay for what you get. It’s an old adage which means good quality, longer lasting items cost a little more than cheaper, short life alternatives. Made in England by the company that made them originally – how much better can you get than that? Well, AMAL Carburetters…

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OEM team, left to right: Alec Sharp, Dave Kingfisher and Guy Barley Back to basics – that’s the message from Old Empire Motorcycles’ proprietor Alec Sharp. Fed up with overly complicated motorcycles, Diss, Norfolk based Alec decided to build his own, in fact there will be another nine to follow. Named around olde-worlde aeronautical themes,…

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Specioal award for a special bike… Of the bikes on the Triton Owners Club stand, Ray Brown – a close friend of Cliff’s – judged Dave Codd’s to be the recipient of the glass trophy. It was presented on the day by Emma Airey, of RH Insurance. Dave’s bike is a 1959 registered Wideline Featherbed…

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Colin Seeley (right) accepts cheque from NOC’s Barry Owen They can of course do with it what they will, but when Martin Maynard and Peter White received their cheques, they both chose to donate them to the Joan Seeley Pain Relief Fund, which is now in its 33rd year, and has done sterling work over…

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Individual touch for your Duke The business began when Rugeley, Staffs, based interior designer John Simmonds doodled a few sketches around how he’d like his 900SS to look. He set about stripping down his standard model intent on shedding a lot of weight by virtue of removing all unnecessary brackets etc. Then, with the help…

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Bill Van de Becke built special The car was then passed to Carl Skinner, of Skinner’s Union (SU) fame. He built the lightweight alloy body and replaced the Powerplus blower with a Zoller unit before his son Peter blitzed everyone at the important Shelsley Walsh hillclimb. Later in the decade Peter replaced the original Minor…

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This incredible figure is only part of the story as over and above this are the star riders who will be parading their genuine works machines within the Past Masters feature on Sunday. The past masters’ sessions will have multiple themes including Suzuki RG500/GP and, in conjunction with Ducati UK, a Ducati World Superbike feature…

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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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