Mick Payne looks back over 60 years of the Federation of Sidecar Clubs, and sadly records the recent passing of his friend and long-time member, Ray Doran. I’d just started at infant school (as it
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When the good trail times rolled for Kawasaki
Steve Cooper unravels the complex history of Kawasaki’s trail bike models When it comes to trail bikes, Kawasaki never figured largely in the UK until the likes of the KDX and KMX 125/200s of the
Read moreWhen the good trail times rolled for Kawasaki
Steve Cooper unravels the complex history of Kawasaki’s trail bike models When it comes to trail bikes, Kawasaki never figured largely in the UK until the likes of the KDX and KMX 125/200s of the
Read moreBanking, braking, both at once or not at all – it’s always been a matter of choice
Continuing the debate about sidecar braking, Mick Payne looks at some oddities from the past and the unbraked BEARS racing sidecar chassis of ‘Slow’ Phil Jones. It’s often said that racing improves the breed. This
Read moreHappy memories of an Ariel Leader
Octogenarian David Grainger, who still rides a 1977 MZ TS150 and a 2009 Triumph Bonneville, tells of his adventures with a fully equipped Ariel Leader that he bought from the fondly remembered Rouse family garage
Read moreRainy days in Scotland in the 1970s – and another temperamental Honda
Colin Rider recalls a wet and wild week-long Highland tour – and the misery suffered by a fellow rider when water swamped the ignition system of his four-cylinder Honda. Reading Lindsey Norris’s account (OBM November)
Read moreIt’s My Bike: Vulcanology supreme – Bob Higgs’ V-twin Velocette
Velocette Owners’ Club honorary president Ivan Rhodes, who has enjoyed several 100-mile-plus outings on Bob Higgs’ home-built Velocette Vulcan V-twin outfit, tells of the man and his immaculate creation, which many think must have been
Read moreBent and battered, but still going strong: every picture tells a story!
Now living in Canada, Old Bike Mart reader Ralph Ridley recalls his baptism by fire in the Motor Cycle Club’s 1964 Land’s End Trial – an experience that set him firmly on to a lifetime
Read moreThe lessons learned from Honda’s knee-jerk SL350
Steve Cooper recalls Honda’s SL350 trail bike of 1969 – an ill-thought-out adaptation of an existing road machine that was totally unsuitable for off-road riding – and the valuable lessons the Japanese giant quickly learned
Read moreAn accident waiting to happen!
Colin Evans, who now lives in Buckingham, recalls buying a 650cc Triumph Thunderbird for £4 shortly after passing his motorcycle test at the age of 16 – and a memorable journey on it with his
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