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For RealClassic readers who enjoy motorcycle traveller’s tales, Paul Grace recommends this memoir of a remarkable ride through Africa… At the age of 21, Jonny Bealby had never read a book. Truth to tell, he was rather proud of the fact. ‘ Reading’s boring,’ he confidently told his new girlfriend, Melanie, who seemed to devour…

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Few people would choose to ride an unfamiliar old British bike on an epic journey across South Africa. Steve Wilson took the plunge: Roy Workman read the book… I spotted this book written by Steve Wilson whilst wandering around my local branch of Yorkshire Trading, and it was very reasonably priced. I have met Steve…

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A modern rider retraces a trip taken in the 1950s by Triumph’s top man, Edward Turner. This book tells the tale of both journeys, touching on how motorcycling and Britain itself have changed over half a century… My first impression upon receiving the small paperback ‘Travelling With Mr Turner’ by Nigel C Winter, was that…

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In the first instalment, Dave found and bought his dream bike (or a large box of bits depending on how you look at it). This time: wiring and shocks and going for a bus ride… I spent the couple of days after getting my project bike home going through the bits and pieces, trying to…

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From the Speed Twin to the first Bonneville, this glossy hardback tells the story of Turner’s iconic twins… Crowood’s MotoClassics series has gradually evolved over the years, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised to discover that the latest volume in the range is a slightly different format to its predecessors. Spooky, actually:…

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Before there was Elsie, Yamaha built an equally memorable two-stroke tearaway. Anarchy shows us his 400C… Although there’s an inevitable family resemblance between the RD400 and the 350 which preceded it, the 40bhp two-stroke had been considerably developed to make it bigger, smoother, quieter, faster and longer-lived. Yamaha increased the engine stroke to add 51cc…

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This high quality, limited edition book about the Ariel motorcycles of the late 1920s will only be available for a short while. Grab it while you can… The trouble with enthusiasm is that enthusiasm is infectious. Beware enthusiasts, lest you come away from sharing their world with a bad attack of sharing their enthusiasm. Sometimes…

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Phil Speakman reviews a book which wanders from the subject of classic bikes, but which reflects the journey of one particularly distraught motorcycle rider… As someone who is unmarried, with no children, I think it is fair to say that it’s near impossible for me to really appreciate just what Neil Peart has been through.…

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Restoring a family heirloom is a daunting task, especially if the heirloom is a B33 which spent a decade wrapped up in a plastic paddling pool. Read how Andrew J Davies rose to the challenge as his restoration tale unfolds… From A(JS) to B(SA) ‘Dad, can I wash The Bike today?’ I was always the…

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What was that about ‘once bitten’? it didn’t apply to Phillip Rashleigh. After a bad Britbike experience in the 1980s he’s come back for a re-match… I guess I had better start at the beginning and then move onto where I have got to, and then head to where I am going to finish. Like…

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