Classic Racing

Grand-masters galore are unleashed at this year’s International Festival Of Speed in Australia. There’s a distinctly Italian ambiance to the event, what with all those dazzling orange Laverdas and a certain Mr Agostini aboard the MV Agusta… A round of applause! The Aussies are a polite lot and the classic motorcycling fraternity appreciate a good party, so when the MV…

Shepton Snapshots, part two

  We return to the VMCC’s brilliant bikejumble to view some bargain Britbikes, an outstanding Ariel, ‘cheap’ Triumph twins and an original Ninja… Just the other day we were talking about ‘bargain Bonnevilles’ and how the prices of Triumph T140 twins seem to have gone sky-high recently. Just to prove us wrong (or possibly not…) this 1977 T140V was offered…

Shepton Snapshots

Once upon a time, every weekend witnessed an autojumble as good as this one. Real barn-find British bikes for sale; stacks of spares, genuinely surplus to requirement; an eye-catching avenue of motorcycles old and new which carried their owners to the event, and an entry fee equivalent to a single cup of frothy coffee. Few traditional autojumbles still exist in…

Triumph Bonneville T140

Considering your first classic British bike? The Triumph T140 Bonneville (actually a range of 750 twins built between the mid-1970s and early 1980s) is still the obvious choice. There’s always a good selection of 750s up for sale at any time, so you have plenty to pick and choose between. Spares supply is superb. There are several specialists dedicated to…

Honda CB250RS

A recent feature about running and riding Honda’s slim and sprightly single as a current day classic prompted Tony Anderson to recall the days when he maintained high-mileage despatch hacks. He highlights some of the 250’s strengths and weaknesses, offering expert advice and technical tips… I was always surprised that Honda, the company that produced a gutless slug like the…

BSA Silver Star

  Even people who don’t like classic motorcycles have heard of the BSA Gold Star. It’s a clear-cut classic bike icon. Its pre-war roadgoing counterpart is rather less well known, however. We featured the 500cc ohv Silver Star in the March magazine, and found some rather wonderful original images in the archive. There’s not a lot of space to see…