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  • Famous Last Words: New Year Resolution

    Famous Last Words: New Year Resolution

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    You’re reading a website about old bikes, so presumably you like old bikes. But do you ride one? Frank Westworth is dazed and confused… ‘All Velocette dealers are rubbish! Know what I mean?’ An angry man was being angry at me. I am a kindly soul and gazed at him in wonder. Life on a…

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  • Opinion: AMC Anorak 24

    Opinion: AMC Anorak 24

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    Did you know that lots and lots of the very best, British-built AJS and Matchless motorcycles were exported to the USA? It came as a surprise to Frank Westworth… Well? Did you? Did you know that AMC transported a vast proportion of their bikes to the colonies? For years and years and years, I had…

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  • Opinion: AMC Anorak 33

    Opinion: AMC Anorak 33

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    Last time Frank Westworth was dreaming about dream bikes. This time he’s wondering about owning just a single motorcycle. Which would you choose if you could have only one? There could be a theme here, which would be alarmingly professional. Cast your mind back to the last installment, and if your life really has been…

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  • Famous Last Words 28: Hardly-Defined?

    Famous Last Words 28: Hardly-Defined?

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    Frank Westworth says he’s the same person regardless of whether he’s riding a Norton, a BMW, or a Harley-Davidson. So why do people treat him differently depending on which old bike he’s aboard? Have you ridden a Harley-Davidson recently? No? You should. It is an interesting experience; instructive and informative in several ways. Also thought-provoking,…

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  • Opinion: AMC Anorak 35

    Opinion: AMC Anorak 35

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    Frank Westworth last attended the AJS and Matchless Owners’ Club’s remarkable Alternative Jampot Rally in 1990. Until this year… I was entirely entertained when Mr Jampot Magazine Editor Chris remarked that he’d had a comment from an Ajay Club member who was annoyed with me. He was annoyed because I had apparently announced that I…

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  • Forward Planning

    Forward Planning

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    Classic Trackdays – A Beginner’s Guide Fresh from surviving the Morini Riders’ Club outing at Cadwell Park, Martin Gelder presents a first timer’s guide to classic bike trackdays. The most fun you can have with your leathers on? If you own an old bike with even the slightest leaning towards sporting prowess, you need to…

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  • Famous Last Words 10: Facing Facts

    Famous Last Words 10: Facing Facts

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    Fiction is a wonderful thing in its place. That place shouldn’t really be in the description of a motorcycle, says Frank Westworth… It is not easy to work out how, why and when it happened, but for some incomprehensible reason I occasionally find myself pretending to be the judge in a motorcycle concours. I pretend…

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  • Famous Last Words 30: Nortons New and Old

    Famous Last Words 30: Nortons New and Old

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    If his choice of bikes isn’t terrible enough, the fact that he can afford one is worse! Frank Westworth is as bemused as ever… Welcome to a strange day. It’s not every day that a chap’s email inbox gets filled with mail, mostly from strangers, announcing that one is being got-at in the pages of…

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  • Opinion: The BSA OC: Behind The Scenes

    Opinion: The BSA OC: Behind The Scenes

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    Want to know what an Owners’ Club is really like? A65Bill dishes the dirt with the inside story of the BSA Owners’ Club recent AGM… The issue of owners’ clubs regularly appears on the RC Message Board and tends to polarise views. It is clear from some comments that opinions are often (mis)informed by third…

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  • Opinion: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

    Opinion: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

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    A while back, RealClassic message board regular Martyn(CB750) pondered on his love of classic motorcycles of all shapes and sizes. We thought it was worth repeating… My wife thinks I’m mad having so many bikes – how can I possibly justify them all? So I started to think about it… I love the easy heartbeat…

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