Old Bike Mart

Honda spreads its ‘wings’

by

Sam Hewitt

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5th July 2018

Steve Cooper looks into the origins and development of the bike that spawned a new genre It’s genuinely debatable as to whether any other motorcycle has polarised riders quite as much as Honda’s Goldwing. Perceived by many at its launch as a wholly unnecessary answer to a question that no one had ever, ever, asked…
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‘Arrow’ hybrid identified

by

Sam Hewitt

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3rd July 2018

In response to Malcolm Ranieri’s photos of the four-cylinder two-stroke hybrid in Readers’ Letters (May), I’m pretty sure it’s the same bike that called in a couple of years ago at Fosse Garage, near Harbury, where I work. The owner, who arrived in a small group of fellow riders, said the engine had a Suzuki…
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TURN RIGHT AT THE MANX ARMS! Those old-time glass-plate TTs – on Clypse and Mountain circuits alike

by

Sam Hewitt

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3rd July 2018

The Mortons Archive contains a precious collection of glass-plate photographic images from the Isle of Man TT races going back to the 1920s, and this June issue seemed the most appropriate in which to show them. All appeared in a book entitled Classic Images, Isle of Man TT Races, with captions by Richard Rosenthal, that…
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‘Baby boomers’ and motorbikes

by

Sam Hewitt

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3rd July 2018

Peter Morley brings a heartwarming story about his late dad’s determination to return to a decent civilian life after the war, and the motorcycles that helped him to do it. Motorbikes first came into my life in the early 1950s when my dad bought a 175cc Excelsior to get to and from his first proper…
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Velocette Mk1 OHC

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th June 2018

Jim Plant waxes lyrical about his favourite Velo and says everybody should have one. Was it all downhill after 1931? If you are a dedicated Velo man, or woman, you probably don’t realise that your life is not complete if you have not yet owned, or at least had a decent ride on, a Mark…
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Punctures galore, ‘Queen Mary’ escorts and a lasting passion for restoring bikes

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th June 2018

Still passionate about bikes at 97, Frank Authers concludes his story about a remarkable motorcycling life. By 1944, by which time the war was progressing favourably for the Allies, I was in 249 Spitfire Squadron based on the Adriatic coast of Italy as part of the Balkan Air Force. The MT section had a squadron…
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A blast around the cinders on Ivan Mauger’s 500 Jawa

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th June 2018

Following the sad news of the passing of Ivan Mauger at the age of 78 on April 16, I’d like to mention my wife Hilary’s moment with him in 1973. For my sins, I was secretary of the Manchester ‘17’ Motor Cycle Club in the late 1960s and early 70s, and arranged for the club…
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Presteigne ‘fill-up’ trials rider identified

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th June 2018

I enjoyed the ‘filling up at Presteigne’ picture on page 20 of OBM (May). Having lived there for about four years I immediately recognised the garage, although it’s looking a bit sad these days. I didn’t recognise anyone on the photo, of course, but I consulted a local octogenarian who immediately named all of the…
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Magical Moidart moments in May!

by

Sam Hewitt

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23rd June 2018

With photos from Eric Kitchen and Mike Wylie, John McCrink reports from this year’s Moidart Peninsula Classic Motorcycle Road Run in the picturesque Scottish Highlands – and looks forward to next year’s landmark 10th event For the ninth year in a row, an enthusiastic group of classic motorcyclists turned up at the Viaduct Car Park…
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‘Clockwork Mouse’ at Cannock gathering

by

Sam Hewitt

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23rd June 2018

I came across this 1943 James ML ‘Clockwork Mouse’ in military livery at a Cannock Truck Stop Commercial Vehicle Gathering on Sunday May 13. I believe it’s quite rare, and thought your readers would like to see it. Malcolm Ranieri, Email Read more Letters, Opinion, News and Features in the June 2018 issue of OBM…
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