News

Originally launched in 1938, Watsonian’s lightweight International was a sidecar outfit primarily designed to be used off-road and in long-distance trials. Thanks to the outbreak of war, production of the original International was delayed until 1950, when it was raced in the International Six Days Trial at Llandrindod Wells. The Watsonian management team of Ron…

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The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club, as founded in 1924, inaugurated the First Pioneer Run for veteran motorcycles to Brighton in 1930. And the Run has been repeated every year since, except when prevented by war from 1940–‘45, in the fuel crisis of 1974, during the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001 and thanks to bad…

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Those of you who can remember as far back as the April issue of Old Bike Mart may remember the feature A Holmes-spun Triumph, focusing on John Holmes and his very rapid Triumph Tiger Cub trials bike. Sadly, John passed away at the start of October, aged a sprightly 79. The talented Cumbrian bike builder…

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Twenty members of the Stratford-upon-Avon Motorcycle Club visited the Sammy Miller Museum for a very special reason – to see their friend’s unique bike which had been restored by the museum workshop. The group had been friends with Bob Tait, engineer and innovator, and would meet with him on Thursday evenings to discuss motorcycles, motorcycles…

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If you’ve not experienced the ease of using T-handled sockets and screwdrivers before, it’s probably way past time that you invested in a set. This kit from Laser Tools has a T-handle that accommodates any one of a number of double-ended bits, with the ergonomics of the handle not only allowing extra torque to be…

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Styled much like a heavy-duty short workshop jacket, this wax cotton shirt from City Of Leather is subtly styled yet has all the protective features that you’d expect from a well-spec’d motorcycle jacket. With shoulder, elbow and back protector all fitted, the lining is also lined with original DuPont Kevlar fabric, and there’s also a…

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As you may have already noticed, this issue of OBM brings with it a pack of raffle tickets for the National Motorcycle Museum’s first raffle of 2019, in which entrants gain the chance to win not only a luxury hotel break and dinner for two at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse at the Manor Hotel,…

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On Tuesday, November 27, at 11.30am, brothers Don and Derek Rickman, who effectively started the Rickman brand back in 1960, will be ‘cutting the sod’ at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new combined 20,000 sq ft production and museum facility, that will not only house the production line, but…

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Regular readers of OBM will know that the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull – right next to the crux of the M6 and M42 motorways, and smack-bang in the middle of the country – is a treasure trove of classic British motorcycles and the history surrounding them, writes Dave Manning. Those of us who have…

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A new trials series has been announced for 2019, based around four long-established classic events, with the prime objective being to raise interest in the classic trials scene in the Midlands and south of England. With the four rounds being the Cotswold Cup in Stroud on March 24, The Sam Cooper Union Jack trial in…

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