Old Bike Mart

  • We might even have had the Fairy and Trixie!

    We might even have had the Fairy and Trixie!

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    Recalling his days at the BSA Group’s Umberslade research centre, reader David Myers – not, incidentally, the Hairy Biker – reveals some of the things that went on there, and after reading our recent Last Drop Saloon feature, concludes that the group had proved itself perfectly capable of incompetence long before the establishment opened. I…

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  • Buying a brand- new sidecar outfit

    Buying a brand- new sidecar outfit

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    You could buy a car for the same price – but would it be as much fun? Mick Payne discusses the choice that’s now available in off-the-shelf combinations. Not so long ago, it was just as easy to buy a ready-made new outfit as it was to buy an off-the-peg suit. In the home town…

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  • The pros and cons of absolute originality

    The pros and cons of absolute originality

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    If you actually ride an old Japanese motorcycle rather than simply show it off, there are plenty of good reasons not to keep it absolutely original, writes Steve Cooper. In some areas of the classic world there’s a slavish desire to stick with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components, and sometimes such a stance is quite…

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  • Italian beauty parade at Sammy Miller Museum

    Italian beauty parade at Sammy Miller Museum

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    The Italian Ride-In at the Sammy Miller Museum on Sunday, July 16, brought a feast of around 120 beautifully-crafted motorcycles, varying from a classic Moto Guzzi horizontal single to a stunning MV Agusta F4 and everything in between. A little red and white Bianchi single, with its swirl-pattern tank and lovely fishtail-style silencer, was a…

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  • ‘Walk through time’ theme at Waterlooville Club’s big show

    ‘Walk through time’ theme at Waterlooville Club’s big show

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    Reflecting the Waterlooville Motor Cycle Club’s formation in 1928, the theme of its biennial show at Horndean Technology College on Sunday, June 18, was motorcycling through the ages. Guest of honour Sammy Miller MBE opened the show at 10am, and in the reception area visitors got a taste of what was inside the main hall…

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  • Bike Life Classics Day gets better all the time

    Bike Life Classics Day gets better all the time

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    Well over 500 motorcycles of all makes turned up for the third Bike Life Classics Day at the Sammy Miller Museum on June 25, raising more than £1000 for The Stars Appeal charity at Salisbury Hospital. Six trophies were presented – four chosen by independent judges for the best bikes, and two by Bike Life…

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  • Motorcycling legends join Surtees tribute at Team Karting Challenge

    Motorcycling legends join Surtees tribute at Team Karting Challenge

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    Triple world champion Freddie Spencer, veteran TT riders Stuart Graham and Mat Oxley and Norton chief executive officer Stuart Garner took part in a moving tribute to the life of John Surtees as they rode some of the most iconic motorcycles from his road racing period during the annual Henry Surtees Foundation Team Karting Challenge…

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  • Charlie and Zach complete Rudge Ulster charity ride

    Charlie and Zach complete Rudge Ulster charity ride

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    Multiple TT winner Charlie Williams and Zach Burns have successfully completed a 1035-mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats on Rudge Ulster motorcycles, raising more than £5000 for their chosen charities, Classrooms in the Clouds and the TT Riders’ Association. Both the 1934 and 1928 models ridden by Charlie and Zach came from the…

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  • Aaron Slight will be star guest at autumn Stafford Show

    Aaron Slight will be star guest at autumn Stafford Show

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    Former World Superbike star Aaron Slight will be guest of honour at the 24th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford on October 14/15. The New Zealander was as fast and smooth on the track as he was flamboyant and controversial off it, so he should have some entertaining tales to share with show…

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  • Unique AJW collection at Lakeland Motor Museum

    Unique AJW collection at Lakeland Motor Museum

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    A rare collection of AJW motorcycles from the 1920s and 30s is now on display at the Lakeland Motor Museum in Cumbria, and includes a 1934 Flying Vixen and a 1933 Flying Fox that was tracked down to the Netherlands, where it lay in a completely dismantled state before undergoing a meticulous 18-month restoration. Other…

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