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This book promises ‘the definitive guide to the repair and calibration of Smiths magnetic speedos and tachos’ so you can ‘fix it yourself and never have to pay or wait for repairs again.’ An intrepid RC reader put it to the test… After several well-known repairers had told me that they only worked on chronometric…

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It rattles, it squeaks, it bounces, it’s uncomfortable, its electrics are iffy – but it’s loud, it’s red, it’s Italian, and it’s just what the doctor ordered. Martin Gelder exchanges real cash for a real classic… Key slipped into ignition and turned. Fuel tap solenoid clunks, oil pressure light comes on. Key removed from ignition…

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We know how much you like reading detailed, informed, in-depth road tests – but too much indulgence is bad for the soul so you’re not getting one today. Peruse instead, Andy C’s outpourings on the subject of… ahh… our mugs… I had heard of these fabled mugs on the RC website, and had often wondered…

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Ken Phelp is so keen on this unusual breed of vintage motorcycle that he wrote a book about them. So how did his fascination develop? The Ner-a-Car is a truly unusual motorcycle, built in the 1920s. It was an American design dating from 1918 or so which was produced under licence in England. The model…

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John Blades always dreamed of owning a Norton Featherbed twin. And now he does: the last of the Dominator line… Many of my generation will have lusted after the bike of their dreams since teenage years when for one reason or another it was out of reach. When presented with the opportunity to own such…

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Some times we’re asked if we ever review anything we don’t actually like. Well, Dave Blendell really didn’t like this book… Despite my total antipathy towards Mr Boorman I picked up a copy of his ‘Race to Dakar’ book in a local charity shop. Although I was a lot less than impressed with his televisual…

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In the search for a ‘modern classic’, there’s one marque which inspires roughly equal amounts of devotion and detestation. Jim Peace didn’t think too much of Harleys. And then he bought one… It was a complete impulse buy. I’d called in at my favourite local dealer, looking for something to replace my Honda GL1000, when…

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‘Complete 1957 Thunderbird but in pieces’ read the advert. Roy Stockham wouldn’t usually reply to adverts that don’t give a price but the phone number indicated that the bike was only 20 miles away… A call revealed that the ex-sidecar machine was indeed complete. The seller had bought it some eight years before, had started…

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1950’s Britain was very different to today. So what was it like to run a classic bike then, a Triumph Thunderbird, when it was brand new? David Gambie remembers… On reading the first issue of the RealClassic magazine, I was particularly taken with the article on the Thunderbird as it brought back many happy memories.…

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A true enthusiast’s book, this one; packed with technical information and racing recollections. Dave Minton discovers how the competition Triumph Daytona 500s performed so well in the late 1960s… Journalists do not usually make the best authors, not where make or model histories are concerned. For these you need the sort of rivet-counting fanatics that…

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