Features

Many of us have known that there are various problems that can occur when running a classic vehicle on modern fuel. Dave Manning looks for the facts behind the rumours. When crude oil was first being refined to create kerosene for lamps, back in the 19th century, petroleum was something of a by-product with no…

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Colin Rider tells the story of two identical Ariel Golden Arrows that were bought simultaneously by brothers Derek and Randal Jessop after trading in the BSA Shooting Star that they had shared You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, so the saying goes, and never was this more apparent than between my lifelong friend…

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Steve Cooper looks into the origins and development of the bike that spawned a new genre It’s genuinely debatable as to whether any other motorcycle has polarised riders quite as much as Honda’s Goldwing. Perceived by many at its launch as a wholly unnecessary answer to a question that no one had ever, ever, asked…

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The Mortons Archive contains a precious collection of glass-plate photographic images from the Isle of Man TT races going back to the 1920s, and this June issue seemed the most appropriate in which to show them. All appeared in a book entitled Classic Images, Isle of Man TT Races, with captions by Richard Rosenthal, that…

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Peter Morley brings a heartwarming story about his late dad’s determination to return to a decent civilian life after the war, and the motorcycles that helped him to do it. Motorbikes first came into my life in the early 1950s when my dad bought a 175cc Excelsior to get to and from his first proper…

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Jim Plant waxes lyrical about his favourite Velo and says everybody should have one. Was it all downhill after 1931? If you are a dedicated Velo man, or woman, you probably don’t realise that your life is not complete if you have not yet owned, or at least had a decent ride on, a Mark…

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Still passionate about bikes at 97, Frank Authers concludes his story about a remarkable motorcycling life. By 1944, by which time the war was progressing favourably for the Allies, I was in 249 Spitfire Squadron based on the Adriatic coast of Italy as part of the Balkan Air Force. The MT section had a squadron…

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The concept of the three-cylinder motorcycle engine has been a debating point among enthusiasts for many years. Steve Cooper looks at some of the best made by the Japanese, and gives a respectful nod to some European manufacturers too. Without exception, three-cylinder motorcycles have caused a stir whenever they’ve been launched upon an unsuspecting public,…

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Mick Payne looks back fondly to the marathon round-Britain sidecar journey that he and partner Kate made to raise funds for research into Alzheimer’s disease, and wonder how one of the new 350cc overhead-camshaft Jawas, coupled to a much-improved Velorex Sports sidecar, would fare. It’s three years since Kate and I started our ‘trip of…

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Nobody needs an excuse to go to the Isle of Man, especially during the first week in June, but Dave Manning knows that there’s a place away from the Mountain Circuit that is a hidden gem. Many folk will know of Murray’s Motorcycle Museum from when it was located at the Bungalow, nestled into the…

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