Features

Yamaha GL750 The bike is as much concept machine as it is prototype but if the reality is anything like the bike on display this is going to be something very special indeed. Four cylinders, 750cc, water cooling, twin front disc with double piston calipers and fuel injection. This is pretty serious stuff, make no…

Continue reading »

Just before heading over to the MoT station it’s probably a good idea to look the bike over. It’s 50 years this month since the government of the day, worried about the mechanical condition of vehicles on the public highways, introduced an annual test for all vehicles over 10 years old. Things like brakes, tyre…

Continue reading »

Details of the Calthorpe engine-shaft shock absorber After relining both brakes and scrapping the badly worn cup-and-cone hub bearings, I decided to unspoke the wheels. In the first place, the rims and outer surfaces of the brake drums were so corroded with rust that it was impossible to prepare them for enamelling while the wheels…

Continue reading »

AJS and Matchless twin – iconic engines Where others had a massive central flywheel and big mains in each crankcase half, AMC went for a central main bearing that was squeezed between the two flywheels. This it was claimed would lead to greater reliability and smoothness but in fact it created an undeserved reputation for…

Continue reading »

Ariel’s pressed frame was ahead of its time Looking at the British motorcycle industry 40 years from its demise the casual observer could be forgiven for thinking there was a complete lack of imagination throughout its life. This would be wrong – there were many far thinking designers and engineers within the factories but, as…

Continue reading »

Dunstall systems improved braking performance As power outputs and road speeds got ever higher the poor old drum brake struggled to cope. Yes there were multi-leading shoe versions for road and racing but once you got to four and eight leading ones they were tricky to set up, then once set up needed to be…

Continue reading »

Viper engine produced impressive power output Of the many motorcycles the company produced the 500cc Venom and 350cc Viper have to be the ones that catch the attention of enthusiasts in 2012. Though the Venom gained all the glory with its record breaking ancestry, arguably the 350cc Viper engine is the better motor. MotorCycle commissioned…

Continue reading »

JAP works in Northumberland Park, Tottenham, London, 1946 In any technology, it is only a matter of time before one of its early pioneers makes a significant breakthrough, perhaps to achieve world-wide acclaim for his or her contribution. Yet it is unusual for that person to achieve even greater recognition in an entirely unrelated subject…

Continue reading »

Royal Enfield 500cc vertical twin When civilian motorcycle production resumed after World War 2, manufacturers knew that if they were to make any impression on the market they would need to take into account new trends. A telescopic front fork was an absolute must, and if there was not already a vertical twin in their…

Continue reading »

Now when was it that? Now when was it that? to give it its true print title, is a compilation of milestone snippets from the motorcycle history books. Originally written by Old Bike Mart founder Ken Hallworth and re-crafted by Jeff Clew for this series, Now when was it that? answers all those general knowledge…

Continue reading »