Classic Bike Hub UK

  • Testing, testing! How the bike journos of old saw the Squariels

    Testing, testing! How the bike journos of old saw the Squariels

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    There’s a Standard Vanguard in the background as Motor Cycling’s late Midlands editor, Bernal Osborne, in the typical riding garb of the day, road tests a 1956 four-pipe Mk. 2 Ariel Square Four in a city setting. Last month, starting with the first published road test of the original 4F 497cc overhead-camshaft Ariel Square Four…

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  • Nimble, stylish and a joy to ride – a tale of just what might have been

    Nimble, stylish and a joy to ride – a tale of just what might have been

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    With the high-level exhausts on the other side of the machine, this unobscured view of Tony’s Triumph Bandit emphasises the size of the engine in relation to the smallish frame. Despite there being a lot of common components for the entire BSA and Triumph range, including the Bandit and Fury, there are many unique parts…

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  • The long-running Watsonian Palma range

    The long-running Watsonian Palma range

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    The editor’s Palma sidecar dates back to 1962, and was in good fettle when this photo was taken just over two years ago. I mentioned last time that our editor, Pete, had offered his BMW R100RT and Watsonian Palma to Kate and I on long-term test. The Palma range of sidecars is probably one of…

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  • Welsh Motoring Auction cancelled

    Welsh Motoring Auction cancelled

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    Welsh Motoring Auction cancelled This difficult decision had to be taken due to the very limited number of entries that had committed to the sale as the catalogue deadline approached. Having held the auction annually for over 15 years, during which time some rare and valuable vehicles have changed hands, Nigel Hodson, auctioneer in charge,…

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  • Italy shows how to keep classic bikes alive, kicking and FUN!

    Italy shows how to keep classic bikes alive, kicking and FUN!

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    Old bikes don’t handle? Mervyn Stratford’s fiery cornering style on his Rudges could put many a lardy modern bike to shame! Based at the Autodromo di Varano de’Melagari, close to Parma in northern Italy, the three-day track event is a superb festival of motorcycling that’s totally free to view, yet as I discovered at the…

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  • Wobbling 'Dad's Army' invades Northern Ireland!

    Wobbling 'Dad's Army' invades Northern Ireland!

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    They should have been looking over a beautiful patchwork of green fields… “Right, men,” he says. “I’ve got an idea. Instead of waiting for the invasion, we need to practise one ourselves, on our autocycles.” (The Home Guard doesn’t run to 16H Nortons). “Where?” asks Sergeant Wilson. “Not Scotland,” interrupts Private Godfrey. “My knees are…

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  • More than half-a-million bikes in a year – Royal Enfield's best financial results ever

    More than half-a-million bikes in a year – Royal Enfield's best financial results ever

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    After opening a new Royal Enfield store at Mitcham, Surrey, last year, RE’s CEO Siddhartha Lal (left) attended the Goodwood Revival meeting where an authentic 1960s RE dealership was housed in a marquee. Maurice Mumford (right) who worked at RE’s Westwood plant in the 1950s, was there to offer advice as mechanics fettled a 1949…

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  • Vintage Tyres appoints new managing director

    Vintage Tyres appoints new managing director

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    Ben Field – taking over as the new MD. Ben, who has 25 years’ experience in the classic vehicle industry as a restorer, road tester and journalist, takes over from long-standing managing director Chris Marchant, who brought Vintage Tyres to its base at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire, in 1991. Read more in…

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  • 'Tangerine Dream' winner announced

    'Tangerine Dream' winner announced

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    This 1990 limited-edition Norton F1 Rotary will be the first prize in the National Motorcycle Museum’s Summer Raffle, to be drawn at Museum Live on November 5. The tickets were drawn by Steve Parrish and Steve Plater at the International Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford on Sunday, April 24. It took some time for the…

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  • Foggy to ride Triumph legends at Goodwood Festival of Speed

    Foggy to ride Triumph legends at Goodwood Festival of Speed

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    Representing both Triumph Motorcycles and the National Motorcycle Museum, he’ll be riding two of the Hinckley concern’s current bikes, the Speed Triple and Thruxton R, as well as two iconic Triumphs supplied by the NMM – the Triumph Bonneville that Malcolm Uphill took to victory in the production TT and the 750cc Production TT-winning Trident…

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