News

While the most recent issue of OBM has a feature focussing on the powerplants created by West Midland’s bearing and crank specialists Alpha Bearings, there is a little faux pas in that the company are actually still in operation, and haven’t closed after the sad death of Max Nightingale earlier this year. While Max’s business…

Continue reading »

Having been kicked out of the town’s polytechnic after just a year of a mechanical engineering course, Dave Manning hangs his head in shame as he returns to Stafford, thirty years later. Early October is never going to have predictable weather, and although the second weekend of the month this year was rather clement, it…

Continue reading »

Just a day after last month’s issue of OBM was printed, we heard that Alpha Bearings had been closed, after the sad loss of Max Nightingale in June – since he was sole director of Alpha Bearings, the company also died with him. So, while we wanted to run an obituary, both for Max and…

Continue reading »

The word is now definitely out on the classic world bush telegraph that the annual Moto Club Indianos Colombres Rally is the best in Spain and probably much of Europe, and Ian Kerr MBE wholeheartedly concurs. Described by a Spanish motorcycle publication earlier this year as the ‘Spanish Daytona Bike Week’, it is now firmly…

Continue reading »

A rare opportunity was given to members of local bike clubs in the Portsmouth area last month (September) when Ray Waller, co-owner of the Comet Classics Showroom, near Emsworth, Hampshire, invited them to view his current stock at a Sunday ‘open morning’. Generally, viewing of the Comet collection is strictly by ‘appointment only’ and ever…

Continue reading »

Created in 1950, the Pinhard Trophy celebrates the achievements of young riders in motorcycle sports of all types. Set up by the Sunbeam Club – and, as an aside, remember that the club doesn’t just focus on Sunbeams, but on all early motorcycles, and organises pre-1940 events such as the Pioneer run, as well as…

Continue reading »

In a celebration of their 60th year of existence, the Brough Superior Club organised an across-Britain ride, with the destination being Sammy Miller’s museum in Hampshire. But rather than it being a simple point-to-point ride out, the club spent a full week traversing the country, visiting important places in Brough’s history. The route started at…

Continue reading »

Last month we made the enquiry about what machinery you have in your garage, shed, lock-up or lean-to that you may not have openly admitted to, and we’ve already had a couple of folk admit to some bikes that are most certainly pleasures, and they really shouldn’t be hidden! Doug McGarvie sent us a pic…

Continue reading »

The South of England Classic Bike Show & Jumble celebrates 80 years of Associated Motor Cycles at the event on Sunday, October 28. Being formed from the amalgamation of Matchless and AJS in 1938, AMC produced machines at its factory in Woolwich which, after 1963, included Nortons. Guest of honour for the weekend will be…

Continue reading »

The Isle of Man Post Office has continued its traditional love of motorcycles with a new range of stamps, entitled Great British Motorcycles – A Celebration of Innovation. The new range of stamps focusses on a selection of the most significant and ground-breaking motorcycle engines in the golden age of the last century. The stamps…

Continue reading »