Although the 1949 Douglas Mk.3 Sports looked purposeful with its upswept pipes, the power output of its 348cc engine remained at a moderate 22bhp. A top speed of 85mph was claimed for some sports models.
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Remembering that very first Dragon Rally
An estimated 40% of those pioneering ‘Dragonists’ arrived on sidecar outfits. Try repeating that today! Organised by the Conway Club in February 1962, the pioneering Dragon Rally had been heralded in the motorcycling press, particularly
Read moreA lifetime of memories with an old police bike
Bernard shows off his Triumph in the lush Essex countryside where he lives. When Bernard Ratcliffe saw our front cover archive picture of the line-up of police Triumph Speed Twins last month, particularly the HXH
Read moreGreat news for British classic bike owners as Rex's Speed Shop takes Pazon agency
At your service! Marcus Rex’s wife Kate deals with all the enquiries and orders. Marcus Rex, who runs the business with Kate, says: “We’d been looking at electronic ignitions for classic British machines for a
Read moreBlue Style meets blue yonder
Little donkey… the Jawa/Velorex outfit takes a rest amid the magnificent scenery of the Lake District. This month’s ‘Bit on the Side’ was going to be quite different before I decided to consign it to
Read more1938 Norton 16H
The 1938 Norton 16H was built up from a pile of bits Bikes from that era weren’t bedecked like Christmas trees with plastic and glass-fibre appendages, nor were they fitted with mirrors, indicators, electric starters,
Read moreNorton Commando: iconic engine
Norton Commando S Type That British factories were run on tight design margins is well known – they never really had the budget for radical new designs. When the dust cleared from the Second World
Read moreFork renovation
Many fork issues can be rectified First indication that things are not well in the suspension department is that the front end starts bouncing around and there’s a tell-tale trickle of oil dribbling down the
Read moreThe Velocette \'four\' that might have been
From the date of its first issue in 1903 until its eventual merger with Motor Cycling into newspaper form in 1967, The Motor Cycle wasn’t just a magazine – it was an institution. Among the
Read moreIconic engines: Rotary valve Norton
Rotary valve Norton The Manx engine and indeed the whole bike was in the ascendency then but even so the competition were experimenting with multi cylinders, higher revs and it would even then be obvious
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