Features

Of diminutive stature, and fighting well above its weight, a Suzuki two-stroke twin, the Stinger, gives Steve Cooper a real buzz. Fifty years ago, one of Japan’s most unusual motorcycles rolled off a production line at Hamamatsu. Despite only sporting 125 cubic centimetres of engine capacity and weighing little more than a moped, the new…

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If we could turn back time to our teenage years, would we? Mike Hornegold gave it a try! I wonder if you would like to include my account of an old boy’s dream, or is it a mere folly? As, no doubt, many of you of a certain age will identify with my experience! In…

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Martin Spicer’s life with his BSA Golden Flash not only spans 55 years, but also involved it going halfway around the world with him… My story starts in 1948 when I was born in South London. The year before, my mum and dad went on their honeymoon to Hastings riding their tandem bicycle, so when…

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Following on from the December OBM cover photo showing Charlie Bruce on his Velocette at Scarborough in September 1959, and the subsequent letter from Brian Moorcroft, Ben Waters provides us with some more information on this most interesting rider, his machines and the part he played in the Scottish motorcycle racing scene. Charlie Bruce was…

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The decision to halt production of the entire range of Ariel four-strokes, in the wake of the Leader and Arrow two-stroke twins, brought a sudden void for many enthusiasts. Pete Kelly looks at some of the favourites that were suddenly no more. Last month we told how the massive investment required for the launch of…

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Steve Cooper looks at an intermediary Yamaha model that cemented their fine 2T reputation. The earliest YDS1 had been based around the German Adler MD250, and the subsequent YDS2 embraced a raft of oversights, omissions and lessons learnt from that first machine. Persevering with the basic design, the next in the series, the YDS3, found…

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Mick Payne takes a look at the long-lived Gloucestershire brand. Last time I compiled a set of features on Britain’s sidecar manufacturers, there were more than twice the number there are now. Watsonian was strong then and is, if anything, even stronger now – indeed, it has been around since the dawn of motorcycling! It…

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Having undergone the ‘ruination’ of a BSA C-15 and creating his very own Shuttleworth Snap, Fred Austin was busying himself attending shows all over the north of England. The bike caused great interest at every show that he visited, with showgoers being highly delighted and amused at what they saw, even having their photo taken…

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While traversing his way around Europe on an entirely inappropriate machine for international touring, Stan Bates stumbled across an impressive collection of machinery in a Spanish warehouse. Although this astounding collection isn’t open to the public – and consequently we’re not going to give any clue as to its exact location – it does give…

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In a direct contradiction to John’s winter riding across Europe, Stuart Bennett travelled to the warmth of a museum in Spain. Next time you holiday on the Costa Blanca, and you tire of the sun, the sand and the sangria, why not leave the coast and venture a few miles (or kilometres) inland from Benidorm?…

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