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‘What I did on my summer holidays’. Rebuilding a real classic two stroke single almost earned KarlB an A*, but smoking is not permitted on school grounds… I was going to rebuild the original motor for my MZ ES150, but another MZ TS250 Supa 5 came along and as that needed paintwork doing outside, or…

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A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, they say. Andy Sochanik discovered that no knowledge at all is ideal if you’re looking at a Norton lightweight! Back in 1972, Andy was searching for something cheap and cheerful (although the first item was essential; the second bit would be a bonus), and he ended up…

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After travelling through the world’s troublespots two decades ago, Goat Maison finally made it to Pakistan aboard his pre-featherbed twin. But the going had been tough… Weeks of travel through the desert had taken their toll. The jarring of the corrugations of the ‘road’ had caused the oil in the forks to disappear (I don’t…

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One oft-overlooked aspect of the First World War was the role played by the despatch rider. Dave Minton recommends an extensive book on this very subject… My evenings have been spent recently engrossed, and I use the word intentionally, in a study of dispatch riding through the Great War of 1914-18. Before going further let…

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Not just a recent show winner, Brian Matthew’s ‘Beam probably also started life on a show stand back at Olympia over 70 years ago… Isn’t this bike a beaut? It was judged to be one of the best at last autumn’s Stinkwheel Show at Beaumanor Hall, where it collected the award for Best in Class…

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The very last production T160 Tridents were several hundred built to Police spec for Saudi Arabia. Steve Wilson rode a refurbished one with less than 30 miles on its clock… It looked like a very smart but pretty stock sort of T160 Trident, big and handsome with the 4.8 gallon tank in Cherokee Red and…

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After a day’s escapades, Steve The Toaster reckons this is one Triumph which is a classic straight from the crate. Martin Gelder, on the other hand, says it might be big but it’s not clever… A large number of people would have you believe that good things come in small packages. What about chocolates? Ask…

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Velocette LE: There once was a day when an everso ‘umble Velo LE overtook an Enfield Interceptor. Mick Merrick was there, but rather wishes he hadn’t been… This is a story about a young, gullible, and simple youth back in 1968/69 (not much has changed since then; only the age). The story goes like this.…

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It’s probably good news when the only item you need to fit to a 44 year old British bike is a bicycle bell. John Whapshott tells a rider’s tale Like many Marters before, I reluctantly packed away my crash helmet soon after I got married twenty years ago. Mary and I both liked bikes, and…

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Common fault No.37: Martin Gelder never throws anything away, ever. From the dusty shelves of obscurity comes this tale of a written off and rebuilt Boxer, and a list of funky foibles… BMW. Three letters that impress estate agents and middle-managers, but will have every shoulder-chipped 250 riding courier reciting a list of ‘common-faults’ that…

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