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You probably have an all-time favourite classic bike. Sunbeam Peter (the name is a bit of a giveaway about the model of motorcycle!) explains how his dream bike became a real bike… ‘Kevin’s found you a Sunbeam,’ the good lady said as she waggled the telephone handset at me, ‘but do you really need another…

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It’s not really a Bonneville, but Neil Owen’s individually-tailored twin-carb 650 twin might, just might, be better than a Bonneville… ‘I have to make two admissions’ says Neil. ‘The first is that this bike isn’t really a 1959 pre-unit Bonneville, although it is a pre-unit Triumph with a re-tuned 1959 engine. The second is that…

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The end of the project is in sight, and Dave isn’t going to let little things like the lack of a saddle and dodgy ignition timing stop him. Pass the bubblewrap, and he’s away! Following the success of the inaugural engine start I was keen to get a move on and get my project finished.…

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‘Just give me the facts, ma’am, just the facts’. In that frame of mind, we present a new, rapid-fire format of real classic bike guides for your delectation… A Bit of Background Famous the world over for its half-litre sports bikes, the Velocette marque also catered for more modest pockets with their pretty 350 singles.…

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Traditional British singles tend to be solid, dependable workaday machines. Paul Whitney’s AJS 500 is a little bit more lively… ‘Discretion, dignity, and an ability to cope with hard work without showing signs of stress – these are some of the essential attributes of a statesman. Thus when AJS decided to give their machines names…

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Okay, it leaks a bit of oil, and the front brake isn’t up to modern traffic, and there’s a bit of a stumble off idle, and that screen has got to go, and, and… Martin Gelder, his new BMW R80/7, and true happiness… It all started in the summer of 1980, and I blame Eddie’s…

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If you’d like to develop your spannering skills somewhat, then Graham Blighe has written the ideal book to help you get the best from your old bike… Graham Blighe is a qualified mechanical engineer who also happens to have mis-spent the last 30-odd years mucking about with motorcycles. His shed currently houses a 1969 BSA…

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The bikes which were once viewed as king of the heap can all too often be disappointingly tame when revisited. But, says Frank Westworth, BSA’s 1960s flying machine still turns the heads and does the business… It was, without a doubt, a friend’s BSA Spitfire which made the running in the grammar school grand prix.…

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Working hard on his project Beesa, Phillip Rashleigh makes a wiring harness from scratch and discovers an excellent engineering firm who can fabricate the right kind of brackets… Where to start with the wiring? The Haynes book of lies had a picture showing the BSA diagram and this was confirmed to be correct by a…

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Fiery Fred bought a modern classic – a brand new Chang Jiang 750 built into a 1950’s frame. And behold! On its maiden journey it behaved almost exactly as a 50 year old bike would… After reading the article on this site some time back, concerning the eccentricities of the Chang Jiang 750 sidevalve, I…

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