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  • British Motor Scooters 1946-1970 by Robin Spalding

    British Motor Scooters 1946-1970 by Robin Spalding

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    After enjoying a hall of classic scooters at the Newark Show, Roy Workman discovers more information on the subject of British-built scooters… This is an A4 soft-cover book printed on good quality paper, with 190 pages full of illustrations, often taken from period magazines. I first heard about Robin Spalding whilst talking to Bill Crosby…

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  • 1960 BSA Super Rocket

    1960 BSA Super Rocket

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    Not all restorations are accomplished in one fell swoop. Dean Southall’s Beezer has been steadily reconditioned over the years – until it got to be so good that it won its class at the 2003 Stinkwheel Show… When I bought the 650 for £1500 it had been restored about 10 years previously, used a little…

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  • 1956 BSA B31 Scrambler Rebuild – Part 11

    1956 BSA B31 Scrambler Rebuild – Part 11

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    The end of Philip Rashleigh’s scrambler-special project is in sight. But no matter how close you think you might be to actually finishing a rebuild, there’s always more to do than you might imagine… A new problem had shown itself, how to get the rolling chassis to Bedfordshire for the minimum amount of cost. There…

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  • Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 – Part 2

    Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 – Part 2

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    Kel Boyce paid £40 for his non-running Continental back in 1979 and, bearing in mind how much work it needed ,that might have been over the top… The first step was to remove the wheels. The hubs and drums seemed OK but the rims and spokes were almost devoid of plating. I set about dismantling…

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  • BSA Gold Star Brake Conversion

    BSA Gold Star Brake Conversion

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    One front drum brake not good enough for you? DBD Brian grafted two BSA 8” front drums together to improve the braking on his Gold Star. Here’s how he did it… This is a conversion I carried out on my Goldie about ten years ago. As you can see, it’s two Goldie eight inch brakes…

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  • Mototrans Ducati 125 – Part One

    Mototrans Ducati 125 – Part One

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    Ash Gannicott wanted his own classic bike. One small problem: Ash is only nine. So doting Dad Russ swooped on this ideal opportunity to play with (sorry; rebuild on a tight budget) a miniature Italian cafe racer… OK, imagine the scenario: you’ve got a few(!) bikes in your garage, a couple more at your workplace…

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  • Bikes: Royal Enfield Bullet 500

    Bikes: Royal Enfield Bullet 500

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    What happens when you combine classic motorcycle wiring and feminine intuition? Emm lights the blue touch paper and we should all stand well back… Royal Enfield motorcycles bear the slogan ‘Made like a Gun’. Olive, as an example of a Royal Enfield 500 Bullet, is not so much a motorbike ‘made like a battle-ready, empire…

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  • The Encyclopaedia of Classic Motorcycles, by Richard Rosenthal

    The Encyclopaedia of Classic Motorcycles, by Richard Rosenthal

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    If you like dipping in and out of an old bike book, rather than following a lengthy narrative, then you probably enjoy the ‘great big list’ formula. Here is possibly the greatest, biggest list we’ve ever encountered… This is one seriously weighty tome, in both literal and content senses. It aspires to replace the once-famous…

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  • Honda CB350K4

    Honda CB350K4

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    Let’s go back, back, back in time to when flares were cool the first time around, and the Honda CB350K4 was all the rage. Paul Webb has a fascination for Hondas of 1973/1974 vintage — we blame the parents. His dad said ‘no’ 30 years ago… You will understand why back in 1974, as a…

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  • Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon

    Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon

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    Three decades ago, Ted Simon rode a Triumph Tiger some 63,000 miles through 54 countries on a journey which took four years. Does the story still seem relevant today?… All too often a book that is trumpeted as a ‘must read’ proves to be at best a let down or at worst a crashing disappointment.…

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