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…

Hesketh V1000 and Vampire – Part 1

It ain’t quite a British Bulldog, but the Hesketh motorcycle still demands respect. Despite near-fatal flaws and fiscal foolishness, it simply refused to lay down and die… ‘This bike is a giant. It’s going to become a classic’ – Superbike magazine, June 1980 They were so right – but not immediately. When the Hesketh V1000 first hit the road in…

A life with Classic Bikes, part one

Bob Bagshaw recalls a riding life with classic motorcycles, starting with his war years and first British bikes… As I reach my four score years and ten I thought my experiences with motor vehicles and the gentle art of motorcycling might interest some of the younger readers — say those aged around 60 or so… My earliest recollection was in…