Features Archives - RealClassic

Royal Enfield Electra-X: Enfield’s underdog

9th May 2021 RowenaH Buying Guide, Features, Retro Classic, Reviews, Your Ride

The Bullet buying guides in RC198 and 199 prompted Keith McKechnie to put electronic pen to paper about his experience with a 2006 Royal Enfield Electra-X. It’s a machine which has become something of an orphan among Royal Enfield enthusiasts, he says: ‘but I’ve grown to like it over the years while sorting out a few problems on the way…’…

AJS Adventures

8th May 2021 RowenaH Features

Riding a motorcycle at night can be rather lonely, says Greg Powell. Here are two experiences that he recalls from many years ago, one natural and the other (almost) supernatural… One winter evening, I rode my AJS 18 over to Ross-on-Wye to visit my friend Alan. After a pleasant few hours and the disposal of several pints of Newcastle Brown…

Beezumph bounced to 2022

22nd April 2021 RowenaH Features, News

The annual triple-cylinder extravaganza that is Beezumph will NOT go ahead this summer as planned, despite extensive efforts by the organisers, the Trident and Rocket 3 Owners’ Club. The TR3OC is dedicated to promoting the use of BSA and Triumph pushrod engine triples, and has run its annual track-based rally for 28 years. Last year’s event was inevitably postponed and…

Norton Dominator: an Australian investigation. Part 4

21st April 2021 RowenaH Features

What else do we know about the unusual Norton 500 twins which seem to be an export special, sent to the Australian market? Were these machines intended to be sidecar tugs? Bruce J Tinworth thinks otherwise… In 1947, Gordon ‘Shorty’ Purcell commenced a five-year apprenticeship with Hazell & Moore in Newcastle in New South Wales. H&M were agents for Norton,…

BSA bits and long-service award

8th April 2021 RowenaH Features, News

Best-known for their excellent services to Ariel owners, specialist supplier Draganfly Motorcycles also offer a comprehensive range of components for BSAs including the unit construction twins. In fact, one of the Draganfly team runs an A65 as his daily ride so they’re perfectly placed to develop new spares for the 650s. The A65L you see here has just celebrated its…

Norton Dominator: an Australian investigation. Part 3

1st April 2021 RowenaH Features

In previous episodes, Norton enthusiast Bruce J Tinworth established the existence of a special version of Norton’s twin with a rigid rear end instead of the usual plunger suspension. This export-only ‘Dominator 500 Rigid Sport’ was sent to Australia, where the evidence mounts up that it was far from being a cobble-job of overstocked components… An iron cylinder head would’ve…