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  • 1965 AJS Model 18

    1965 AJS Model 18

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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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  • 1977 BMW R80/7 – Part 1

    1977 BMW R80/7 – Part 1

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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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  • Improving Classic Motorcycles

    Improving Classic Motorcycles

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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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  • BSA A65 Spitfire

    BSA A65 Spitfire

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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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  • 1956 BSA B31 Scrambler Rebuild – Part VI

    1956 BSA B31 Scrambler Rebuild – Part VI

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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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  • Chang Jiang CJ750 Side Valve

    Chang Jiang CJ750 Side Valve

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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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  • Norton Dominator Diary, Chapter 8

    Norton Dominator Diary, Chapter 8

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    Wherein Jim Algar discover the pitfalls of working on a classic bike that has spent almost 50 years in the hands of… other people… I stood in my garage looking at the bike…well, not so much a bike as a collection of parts and bits on the white plastic shelving at the back of the…

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