News

  • A picture from a different world…

    A picture from a different world…

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    Sent in by reader Brian Reynolds, here’s another lovely old picture to ponder. It was taken outside the charmingly named Slaughter Pike Garage just outside Bourton on the Water on the Fosse Way around 1920, and belongs to the man who ran the garage a few years ago. Brian asks whether the motorcycle at the…

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  • A chat between races – those were the days!

    A chat between races – those were the days!

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    After reading the exciting news about the Eppynt road racing circuit in South Wales being used again, Vince Chivers sent us this great shot of riders in their dark leathers having a chat between races at what he thinks was Aberdare Park. He can identify Mike Hailwood, Ray Cowles and Dan Shorey, but wonders if…

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  • Barry Harper, 1954-2018

    Barry Harper, 1954-2018

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    Widely known on the classic bike circuit and at club runs and autojumbles, Barry Harper of Upminster passed away in January after being treated in hospital for a lung condition. His passion for bikes began when his father gave him rides around the garden on the tank of a single-seat 125cc Royal Enfield, and in…

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  • Death of Southern 100 stalwart George Costain

    Death of Southern 100 stalwart George Costain

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    Colby, Isle of Man, road racer George Costain, whose main claim to fame was winning the 1954 Senior Manx Grand Prix just two days after Castletown’s Derek Ennett had won the Junior to make it the MGP’s first Manx ‘double’, passed away on Tuesday, January 9 at the age of 88. That ‘double’ was probably…

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  • £30,000-plus for John Lennon Monkey bike?

    £30,000-plus for John Lennon Monkey bike?

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    A Honda Z50A Monkey-Trail bike that once belonged to John Lennon will coming up for auction at the H&H Classics’ sale at the National Motorcycle Museum on March 4, and is estimated to sell for £30,000-plus. Lennon used the bike as an enjoyable way of getting around his Tittenhurst Park estate in Surrey, where he…

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  • Farewell to Ken Davis

    Farewell to Ken Davis

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    Ken Davis, an enthusiastic all-round motorcyclist and Barking and East Ham Motorcycle Club stalwart for many years, died in January at the age of 85. He lived in London’s East Ham all his life, and notched up many thousands of miles on various road bikes as well as enjoying a long trials and scrambling career.…

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  • Lean and mean – an SOS sprinter called Lena

    Lean and mean – an SOS sprinter called Lena

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    PETER March, who spent much of last year researching the history of the SOS marque, has sent us this picture, taken on January 6, of a beautifully prepared SOS sprinter called Lena. Note the immaculate workmanship, the sweep of the handlebar and that impressive exhaust. Last year Peter reinstated a 1937 250cc water-cooled SOS to…

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  • A gathering of flat-tankers

    A gathering of flat-tankers

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    A reader who prefers to remain anonymous has sent Old Bike Mart this intriguing photo of a meeting of ‘flat-tankers’ outside a pub (Hunter’s Lodge Inn?) which he thinks might be in Somerset. The riding gear and car in the background might give a clue as to the date. Any answers to [email protected] please. Read…

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  • TR3OC quartet receives National Rally awards

    TR3OC quartet receives National Rally awards

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    Members of the Trident & Rocket 3 Owners’ Club took major honours in the National Road Rally class at the Auto-Cycle Union’s recent National Awards. The team award was won by the ‘Triple Trio’ of John Young, Martyn Worlock and Peter Churchill, who all gained platinum awards in a faultless special test before the ‘Triple…

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  • Diamond jubilee tribute to Alf Hagon, superstar of a truly golden era

    Diamond jubilee tribute to Alf Hagon, superstar of a truly golden era

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    The two-day Classic Dirt Bike Show at the Telford International Centre on February 17-18 will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its sponsor, Hagon Shocks, by featuring the biggest gathering of Hagon competition machinery ever seen. It’s an opportune moment to look back over the long and successful motorcycling career of Alf Hagon himself, now…

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