Classic Bike Hub UK

Wherein 50 years of steel pounding on aluminum gives Jim Algar, our Californian correspondent, a hole in his head… and a headache! Up until 1954, Norton twin engines used a cast iron cylinder head. In 1955, they changed to aluminum. Remember that fact; we’ll come back to it in a moment. With the Dominator’s engine…

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Wherein small bits and lumps come together to form a recognisable larger lump… all without major problems. Puzzling. Jim Algar wonders if he should start to worry?… The bike has been sitting untended in my garage for a depressingly long period of time. There was, of course, the wait while Norvil tended to my crankshaft…

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Anarchy rides an old Enfield fitted with a diesel engine and, true to form, makes the most of this opportunity to reflect on a few political truths. This, he suggests, might be our future when the oil runs out… Steve Drewett, lead singer of the Newtown Neurotics, a post punk new wave band once sang:…

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Trevor (Ozboy) Brooks swapped a 1970 Triumph 500 for a 1969 Triumph 500. Out on the road together, the pair turned out to be non-identical twins… When I sold my T100R Daytona a number of people were aghast. I then acquired a T100C, to many eyes as akin to the Daytona as two peas in…

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If you’ve revelled in the power and performance of a 750 triple, can you really be happy trading down to something smaller? Andy C shares his early impressions of a 1970’s 500 twin… In life there are always milestones and turning points which you remember: your first day at school, your first love, your first…

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Bike builder, demon scribbler and so much more, Odgie celebrates one of those ‘special’ birthdays this year. And to commemorate the moment, he’s written an autobiography… From the get-go I have to admit an interest in this book: I’ve long admired and enjoyed Odgie’s exploits and it’s a delight to feature his outlandish machines and…

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Every so often, small scale publishing turns out an absolute gem. We’re delighted to recommend this excellent book about the motorcycle sport scene in Cornwall… ‘Champions 4 Celebration’ is subtitled ‘A profile of Cornish motor sport champions’ which immediately limits its potential readership. This is a shame as it’s a very well written, meticulously researched…

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Kel Boyce looks back upon owning and riding his GT, and compares its engineering to Italian and Japanese machines of the era. Then he decides he quite liked after all… After rebuilding it, I ran the GT for about four years by which time I was ready to move on to something different. The bike…

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Kel Boyce tells us what happened once he’d completed his rebuild, and how he learned to live with an ‘oilfield’… Now the old British motorcycle industry was inherently charitable. It kindly provided us with oily old engines that kept our waterproofs waterproof, rattles and whirrs to keep us awake and a multitude of parts that…

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Kel Boyce lusted after a little Enfield back in the 1970s. Then he bought one. Then he took it apart. And then… it had to be put back together again! It was winter, so I started with the engine rebuild, as the lump could be easily accommodated on the kitchen table. The crankcases were helicoiled…

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