Classic Bike Hub UK

By 1930 the recession that followed the Wall Street crash in October the previous year was beginning to take its toll, not only in the USA but on the Continent too. Unemployment in Britain soon reached 2,000,000 and would stay at that level for some time to come. All but the basic essentials of life…

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AJS ‘Dracer’ AIthough it is widely believed that the first speedway meeting to be held in this country took place at High Beech, in Epping Forest, on February 19, 1928, this is not strictly correct. Whilst it was undoubtedly the first such event to attract a massive attendance and maximum publicity, an earlier meeting had…

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Scorpion’s ‘focused’ two stroke By the early 1960s the Villiers engine no longer suffered from the image of being little more than a power unit best suited for use in lawnmowers. All that had changed in 1950 when Jack Botting put up the best class performance in the 1950 British Experts Trial. Although too much…

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1935 350cc Excelsior Manxman Great emphasis has always been placed on the need for care when running-in a new engine. Provided simple guidelines are followed and the machine is ridden with restraint, it will have the chance to bed-in properly before anything like full performance is used. The old rule of thumb used to be…

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Triumph Thunderbird Before World War 2 British motorcycle manufacturers enjoyed a healthy export market, selling their machines all over the world. In the USA, however, the offtake was quite small in relation to the size of the country. The reason was not too difficult to see. Although their own industry had declined rapidly soon after…

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