Classic Bike Guide

Thunderbirds are go

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

A little tidying goes a long way towards restoring a classic Triumph to its rightful glory WORDS & PHOTOS BY ROB DAVIES The Thunderbird title has been used on several Triumph motorcycles since 1949. The first of its kind was a basic 4-stroke twin with a rigid rear end, turning out a claimed 34bhp. Certainly,…
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Village Square

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

In the age of the sporting single, Ariel gave us a gentleman’s four A village emerges as you roll back into England, crossing a border to leave a land where familiar roadsigns were suddenly bilingual. The village is mostly undeveloped, the road through it unimproved, unwidened. There’s a shop. A red telephone box. A bench.…
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The underdog

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

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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Captain sensible

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

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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Halfway house: The big Bonnie neatly spans the gap between modern and classic

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

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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REVIVALISM

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th November 2016

A mysterious peculiarity of the magazine world is The Themed Issue. In these odd attempts, the editor (who should always be blamed for everything) decides to run several features with a common theme. Makes sense, huh? In my own case, I never like them. They always feel contrived to me. Other opinions are of course…
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Bike-mad TV detectives are on the hunt for hidden treasures in the sheds of Britain

by

Sam Hewitt

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25th November 2016

A BIKE-MAD pair of TV engineering detectives are on the hunt for forgotten and hidden treasures tucked away in the sheds of Britain. Travel Channel presenters Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove are about to film their next series which sees them rifling through the lock-ups and sheds of the UK. In previous series they’ve unearthed…
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Book Reviews: The Flying Penguin:

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

More stories of a freelance motorcycling journalist IN THIS SECOND part of his autobiography, Frank Melling continues telling the ripping yarns which he started in A Penguin In A Sparrow’s Nest. The Flying Penguin takes the reader on a personal journey through a remarkable and highly eventful life. There are plenty of near death stories,…
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The art of the motorcycle

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

LOUISE LIMB WELL KNOWN for her motorcycle illustration work, Louise has been collecting some of her favourite works to display in her popular calendars for the last seven years. Her 2017 Motorcycle Art calendar features a selection of classic images from her illustration archive – and maybe even the odd surprise new piece – and…
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Autumn autojumbling

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

THE VMCC’S AUTUMN autojumble at Shepton Mallet typically flags up the finale of the riding season and the start of serious winter spannering. A slight shuffle of the calendar means the event has moved to an earlier slot, from its traditional October date to the last weekend of September. So instead of shivering in a…
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