RowenaH

Hot Stuff: heated motorcycle clothing

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RowenaH

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8th March 2017

Winter’s worst is almost over for this year, which means now is the perfect time to check the bargain bin for bad-weather riding gear. Richard Jones runs a Hinckley Bonneville, blessed with a modern electrical system that can cope with running a central heating system. To survive a wild wintry weekend in Wales, he…
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March magazine: out now!

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RowenaH

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6th March 2017

RealClassic isn’t available in the shops, so if you want to read this month’s eclectic collection of classic bikes then here’s how to order the issue. Find out what real-life riders reckon to Moto Guzzi’s Spada, the really rare Matchless 750 twin, the Gold Star’s secret sibling, a pair of uprated Enfields and the entirely…
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Yamaha XS650

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RowenaH

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2nd March 2017

A few months back, Editor Westworth risked life and limb by suggesting that Yamaha’s air-cooled parallel twin was the first and potentially the best ‘Japanese Bonneville’. It’s stood the test of time, too, as this 40 year old example ably demonstrates. So we were delighted to hear from the man who modified this particular…
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Braking Bad

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RowenaH

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26th February 2017

In the February issue of RealClassic, Dave Bushell noted that ‘my pre-war Scotts and, I think, most girder-forked machines, have their front brake arms facing forward from the pivot point. My post-war Scotts with telescopic forks have them facing rearwards, as do most other makes with some exceptions. If forward facing brake arms provide better…
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Classic bikes for sale

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RowenaH

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24th February 2017

Every issue of the monthly RealClassic magazine includes pages of old motorcycles and classic bikes for sale, offered by private individuals and trade specialists. And every month, some extremely interesting (or just plain strange) small ads attract the eagle eye of Editor Westworth. Here then are six of the best reader ads from the…
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Overland to Vietnam

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RowenaH

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23rd February 2017

On his earlier expeditions, Gordon G May rode a BSA Bantam to the pyramids of Egypt, and then a Royal Enfield Bullet to southern India. His most recent adventure involved a WW2 military Matchless and a circuitous route across Europe to the Black Sea, through the Caucasus and into Central Asia, through China, over high-altitude…
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Classic bike bits: anti-ethanol, riding jeans and smart sparks

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RowenaH

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20th February 2017

Anti-Effinol We’ve discussed the irritating effects of ethanol in petrol before – and the subject becomes ever more relevant as the concentration of ethanol rises. Even ‘super’ high-octane fuels are quite likely to contain some ethanol. It’s entirely possible to purchase fuel-proof pipework and petrol taps but, especially if a bike only gets occasional use,…
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The Dragon Rally

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RowenaH

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17th February 2017

Only the boldest and the bravest motorcyclists face winter’s worst weather to participate in the annual Dragon Rally. The ride itself to Snowdonia can be something of a challenge on two wheels – and then comes a weekend of camping. In February. We sent RC regular Richard Jones who (a) cheated, and (b) discovered…
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BMW F650

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RowenaH

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15th February 2017

BMW’s original Funduro, soon to celebrate its quarter-century, is one of the firm’s most successful models. Some 50,000 of the original four-valve dual-plug five-speed 650 singles were built in partnership with Rotax and Aprilia in the mid-1990s, before BMW brought production in-house in 2000. Ian Caswell initially thought he’d found a brilliant bargain in the…
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DKW and MZ motorcycles

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RowenaH

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12th February 2017

We frequently find all manner of interesting artefacts while rummaging around in the RC RChive, including factory adverts, original artwork and some stunning bike brochures. We cram as many of them into the magazine as we can, but they often don’t reproduce particularly well in print so we can only use them at relatively small…
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