Old Bike Mart

  • When the good trail times rolled for Kawasaki

    When the good trail times rolled for Kawasaki

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    Steve Cooper unravels the complex history of Kawasaki’s trail bike models When it comes to trail bikes, Kawasaki never figured largely in the UK until the likes of the KDX and KMX 125/200s of the late 1980s and early 90s arrived. Sure, we’d had the KL250 in the late 1970s, but it was never Kawasaki’s…

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  • Pete’s Prattle

    Pete’s Prattle

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    Reader Colyn Thomas’s atmospheric recollections of the comings and goings at the petrol pumps at Castle Garage, on the A38 at Trebrown Bridge in Cornwall, and this month’s cover shot of two BSA C15 Sportsman riders at North Bar Garage in Banbury, a control point in the 1966 National Rally, got my memory buds going.…

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  • April 2018

    April 2018

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    Old Bike Mart offers the UK’s largest selection of classic motorcycle classifieds. It features news, racing reports, reviews and newly discovered historic machines plus hundreds of ads to browse. DIARY DATES READERS’ LETTERS STAFFORD CLASSIC BIKE SHOW TALMAG TRIAL IT’S MY BIKE TALKING JAPANESE READERS’ TALES UNEARTHED FEEDBACK A BIT ON THE SIDE CLASSIFIED OBM…

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  • Sammy Miller’s 1954 BMW Rennsport to be displayed at Stafford Classic Bike Show

    Sammy Miller’s 1954 BMW Rennsport to be displayed at Stafford Classic Bike Show

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    The world famous 1954 classic BMW Rennsport, which almost won the world championship with the great Walter Zeller – is set to be displayed on the Hagon Shocks stand at the fast approaching International Classic MotorCycle Show. The bike sits amongst innumerable treasures in Sammy’s collection, and has been paraded at Goodwood, Donington, Mallory, Verano…

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  • A well-used Greeves Ranger

    A well-used Greeves Ranger

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    After reading about the Greeves trail bikes in OBM (February) David Hamsley emailed us to say that maybe readers would like to see a photo of the Greeves Ranger that he brought back from the USA in 1990. It still looks well, David – and thanks very much. Read more Letters, Opinion, News and Views…

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  • Like mum, like daughter – but Kitt did the ‘ton’ over the Cat and Fiddle

    Like mum, like daughter – but Kitt did the ‘ton’ over the Cat and Fiddle

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    May I introduce your readers to Kitt Stappard, a friend and neighbour who gave up smoking after a year when she realised she could buy a Vespa with the money instead? This lasted a short while until she ‘upgraded’ to a Lambretta. The accompanying colour photo of her on a modern bike was in response…

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  • BSA Victor with a right-hand chair

    BSA Victor with a right-hand chair

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    Barry Lester from Lyme Park, Disley, Cheshire, sends us these photos of his immaculate 441cc BSA Victor outfit, and tells us that the sidecar is a Spirit of America Eagle, in near-unused condition, dating from 1972-3. “It’s quite light, so I have put some ballast in it, and the 30bhp Victor has no problem in…

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  • Banking, braking, both at once or not at all – it’s always been a matter of choice

    Banking, braking, both at once or not at all – it’s always been a matter of choice

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    Continuing the debate about sidecar braking, Mick Payne looks at some oddities from the past and the unbraked BEARS racing sidecar chassis of ‘Slow’ Phil Jones. It’s often said that racing improves the breed. This rather depends, however, on those who compile the regulations when you consider that Freddie Dixon’s 1923 TT-winning sidecar had both…

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  • A snowy day in the Clevelands, 1953

    A snowy day in the Clevelands, 1953

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    It’s that time of year when motorcycling magazines feature snow scenes from yesterday, so here’s one from 1953 that was taken on the Cleveland Hills in Yorkshire. From the left, it shows Peter Martin on a very desirable Goldie, John Hewitt on Rex Young’s works 500T Norton and myself on the only brand new bike…

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  • Pullover, tie and brown polished shoes!

    Pullover, tie and brown polished shoes!

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    I found this photo of Rod Coleman, which I took around 10 years ago, during a sort-out after replacing my computer. The event was the annual classic bike meet at Pukekohe in New Zealand, where I always tried to get to after the tours I was leading finished. Note Rod’s natty riding gear as he…

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