Features

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Les Hampton who passed away on October 5, 2018. A single man, he was a lifelong fan of Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and a former president of the Moto Guzzi Club GB. David Crawford relates how he got to know Les… From the mid-1970s, I’d…

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In order to give himself more opportunity to ride his classic, Graham Mudway tells us how he fitted an electric starter on his Norton ES2. It was part designed and completely installed by my friend, Fred Smith, who is a past chairman of the Cotswold Vintage Motor Cycle club. I purchased the starter online from…

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So, what happens when two engineers fascinated by old motorbikes get together and talk about building a vintage-styled motorcycle using modern manufacturing techniques? Martin Gegg and Rob Overy visited a small industrial unit in the Hampshire countryside to find out more. I first met Steve Hayes at a bike show in 2017. As a lover…

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The West Midlands has been a hive of engineering knowledge since Ironbridge gained its apocryphal river crossing. Dave Manning takes a trip west of Birmingham to discover that some things really haven’t changed. While the recent years have seen a reduction in heavy industry throughout the UK, the West Midlands still has a hugely diverse…

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Following last month’s feature about motorcycles powered by Villiers two-stroke twins, Pete Kelly raids the Mortons Archive to bring road tests of Excelsior’s 1951 244cc Talisman, featuring its own two-stroke twin engine, and Cotton’s 1956 322cc rotary-valve twin powered by a British Anzani two-stroke. Smoothness, torque and brisk acceleration have always been desirable characteristics of…

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Steve Cooper investigates the launch of what many people termed as being the Japanese Brit twin. Fifty years ago, in 1969, came the announcement of possibly one of the most contentious motorcycles to be made in Japan up to that point. Yes, indeed, Honda had already announced the game-changing CB750/4 and, to many, it looked…

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With the excesses of the season behind us, and the January sales well under way, we thought it might be a good time for a little light-hearted entertainment with a new year quiz. Collated by Mick Payne, it’s a sort of sidecar-focused ‘Mustymind’. There are no prizes, just a few sidecar-oriented questions to test your…

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Far too young to remember the original, Ross Mowbray turns simian with a retrospective look at an influence on one of Honda’s recent releases. Pictures: Honda Europe and Mortons Archive With its chunky tyres, mini-‘ape’ style handlebars, minuscule fuel tank and big, squashy seat, the Honda Monkey is arguably one of the most iconic motorcycles…

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Following last issue’s focus on Moto Colombres Rally in Spain, Robin Dawson writes to tell us of his experiences in Spanish road rallies There I was, on all fours in the back lane pitch black, feeling my way under the bike for the bike keys, praying they hadn’t slipped down the drain, perilously close to…

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Following last issue’s ‘Frozen in time’ feature, Colin Rider digs out some old paperwork! I am always drawn to anything to do with the Royal Flying Corps, no more so than when I read your ‘Frozen in time’ article, especially the workshop photo – I could picture my Grandad Joe working in a workshop like…

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