James Superswift Two-Stroke Twin

  ‘It’s the finest and dandiest 250 you’ve ever seen,’ said the launch publicity about the new Superswift in the autumn of 1961. ‘The James twin you have been waiting for!’ The new machines, priced at £181.18.8, offered ‘thrilling performance matched only by its superb styling and finish… Ride it here, ride it there, ride it anywhere – this is…

Win an AJS Model 18

If you’re looking for a typical British bike, then the single-cylinder four-strokes built by Associated Motor Cycles immediately after WW2 are the obvious choice. Small wonder then that the National Motorcycle Museum chose an AJS Model 18 as one of the prizes in their winter raffle. Honest, dependable and free of phoney pretensions, the Ajay 18 neatly balances price and…

Cafe racer kits for Hinckley triples

How to transform an old Hinckley triple into a rapid café racer, no spannering skills required. Don’t do it yourself – let an expert take the strain… After years of restoring classics and building specials, Ian at Café Racer Kits found a simple way to share his experience and expertise. CRK started offering modular kits for CX500s and Superdreams, then…

BSA A7

BSA twins typically come top of the list in the ‘practical classic bikes’ category. They’re solidly reliable, easy to start and maintain and supported by a good range of specialist spares suppliers. If you’re after a pre-unit machine, then the 500cc A7 is the obvious, still affordable option… The A7 was BSA’s big push into parallel twin market, originally scheduled…

Shed Treasure Hunt

A TV team of classic motorcycles enthusiasts are seeking interesting sheds to explore, and old bikes to buy… Cast your mind back a couple of years and you may recall Graham Ham’s mighty ShedQuest during which he travelled the length, breadth and wiggly bits of Britain, seeking out interesting people with fascinating stuff secreted about their sheds. Some of Graham’s…

Royal Enfield Turbo Twin

Earlier this year, the VMCC raffled a classic British twin-cylinder two-stroke 250, and we featured the machine back in RC143. Eagle-eyed Enfield aficionado Mark Mumford spotted a few deviations from standard spec… The VMCC’s raffle bike, nicely presented though it is, is really an owner’s version of the Turbo Twin rather than a factory example. The TT, with its Villiers…