Classic Bike Hub UK

  • Post Office Bikes – Part 1

    Post Office Bikes – Part 1

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    Motorcycles have been used, in many different forms, for some 92 years in the UK’s mail and communications industry. Paul Wood explains how motorcycles have worked in the Post Office… Motorcycles and sidecar combinations were among the first vehicles owned by the UK’s GPO. They were used both for carriage of mail and the maintenance…

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  • Celebrating the Pioneer Run

    Celebrating the Pioneer Run

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    A new book commemorates 75 successful Pioneer Runs from London to Brighton on (very) old bikes… The first ever book on the history of the Pioneer Run® has just been published by the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club. In its large (A4) format of over 250 pages the copiously illustrated book covers the whole history from…

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  • 'Leanings' and 'Leanings 2' by Peter Egan

    'Leanings' and 'Leanings 2' by Peter Egan

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    Motorcycling may be an incurable ailment. These books have helped one RealClassic regular survive the experience with his sanity intact…… Why do we do this? Out in all weathers, constantly in the teeth of a gale, either too hot or too cold and likely to be tipped into the surrounding scenery at any time. And…

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  • Sidecar Racing and Panther Motorcycles

    Sidecar Racing and Panther Motorcycles

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    Two new books about classic bikes are on the way; one for fans of world-class sidecar racing and the other about Panthers… Panther Publishing produce a selection of books for the classic motorcyclist. As the company’s name suggests they started out producing a book in conjunction with the Panther Owners’ Club (‘The Panther Story’) but…

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  • Panther 100

    Panther 100

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    Old bikes never do quite what you expect them to. Steve Allcott was reunited with his dad’s Ceefer and ploughed a field with a Panther. Just don’t comment on his Thunderbolt! It’s a funny old world that we classic bike enthusiasts live in. Perhaps part of the enjoyment is never quite knowing what lies around…

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  • 'Overland to Egypt', by Gordon G May

    'Overland to Egypt', by Gordon G May

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    If at first you don’t succeed (and indeed your Bantam conks out before it even leaves Europe), try, try, try again. And then write a book about the experience… When it comes to adventuring – and I don’t just mean motorcycle adventuring – there is an unspoken compact between the few-who-do, and the many. The…

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  • 1959 Norton Dominator 88

    1959 Norton Dominator 88

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    After a series of high powered modern bikes, Noggy 88 is inspired to return to the Brit Iron of his youth. This in turn provokes another purchase – he explains all, in this tale of two twins… Some of you may remember a time some four or five decades ago, others may not, so for…

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  • Norton Dominator 99: Chapter Five

    Norton Dominator 99: Chapter Five

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    Chapter 5. Wherein two steps forward are followed by a giant step backwards, and Jim Algar gives a nod to Archimedes and the inclined plane… The Dommi has been a bit lonely in the garage, and it’s been a while since I’ve had time to do any work on it. Other things have required my…

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  • To Pakistan On A Norton 77 – Part 4

    To Pakistan On A Norton 77 – Part 4

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    After travelling through the world’s troublespots two decades ago, Goat Maison finally made it to Pakistan aboard his pre-featherbed twin. But the going had been tough… Weeks of travel through the desert had taken their toll. The jarring of the corrugations of the ‘road’ had caused the oil in the forks to disappear (I don’t…

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  • To Pakistan On A Norton 77 – Part 3

    To Pakistan On A Norton 77 – Part 3

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    Twenty years ago, Goat Maison set off on his 1958 600cc twin to ride halfway around the world. In the previous episode, we’d left him in Iran… After an unpleasant encounter with a big crowd in Qom, I headed out of town and then stopped for a coke. There were some young soldiers there (who…

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