From The Archive

Before Royal Enfield’s sensationally-styled Continental GT made its debut, the 250cc Crusader line had already evolved into two variations on a very agreeable five-speed theme – the leading link front fork Super 5 and the sporty-looking Continental. This is how the road testers of the day saw them. When Royal Enfield launched the unit-construction 250cc…

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A reader’s letter in last month’s issue about a fine BSA Bantam/Ariel Leader special brought two enlightened replies which, between them, lay all possible confusion about the legendary ‘Bleader’ to rest. The BSA/Ariel special pictured with Stewart McFadyen’s letter certainly isn’t a factory-made ‘Bleader’ and has nothing to do with Ariel or its parent company,…

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Mick Payne discovers many ways of improving the lighting performance of classic motorcycles as he talks to Paul Goff. It can’t have escaped your notice that car lights are getting brighter. Not a bad thing, perhaps, but it does mean that the less efficient lighting systems of older motorcycles struggle to be seen in the…

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Operated by the Caledonian Motorcycle Transport Company, the Bike Bus specialises in professional long-distance motorcycle transport between Scotland and England, and always goes the extra mile to protect its precious cargoes. The Bike Bus is a specially-converted minibus with the seats removed but the rubberised, nonslip floor covering and fully carpeted walls and roof left…

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Fitting a sidecar with the aim of obtaining the best-possible handling will pay big dividends out on the road, writes Mick Payne. What keeps an asymmetric vehicle like a sidecar on the road? There is no real reason why a solo motorcycle should work with a single-wheeled lump bolted onto the nearside, and I’m sure…

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Steve Cooper pulls no punches as he looks back on the 1965 UK debut of Honda’s first technically brilliant ‘big twin’, the CB450, and the enlarged 500T that followed. Someone once opined that, to know where you are in the world today, you must be aware of both your own and the area’s history. Such…

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If you like the company of fellow motorcyclists in an atmosphere of live music, real ale and no-fuss British food, lots of rideouts and bike gatherings throughout the year, the Victoria Bikers’ Pub could be just the place for you. The minute you open the door of the Victoria Bikers’ Pub in Coalville, Leicestershire, the…

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