Reviews

  • Lone Rider

    Lone Rider

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    35 years ago, Elspeth Beard became the first British woman to ride solo around the world, and she accomplished this feat aboard an aging BMW Boxer. The book Lone Rider tells her tale, and RC regular Ian Woolley has read it… I first met Elspeth Beard when I was on a tour of Europe organised…

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  • A Racing Read

    A Racing Read

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    For British motorcycle road racing fans of the mid-1960s to mid-1970s there was no better racer than Peter Williams. Usually riding underpowered bikes, Peter embodied the spirit of the British underdog at a time when most fans were still intensely patriotic and yearned for British success. This book, ‘Designed To Race’, charts Peter’s early life,…

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  • A Riding Life

    A Riding Life

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    Fans of Frank Melling’s autobiographical ‘Penguin’ books will be thrilled to discover that a new publication from the biking world’s international man of mystery has just been published. ‘Ride Of My Life’ is an action-packed, glossy A4 bookazine which runs to 132 pages. You’ll find it in bigger newsagents, or it’s available online or from…

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  • Feet Up In The Fifties

    Feet Up In The Fifties

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    This is the third book in the ‘Classic Images’ series which uses original photographs that first appeared in the Green and Blue ’Uns – The Motor Cycle and Motor Cycling – back when they were weekly publications during the heyday of the British bike industry in the mid-20th century. These wonderful ancient glass plate negatives…

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  • Triumph Thruxton Bonneville

    Triumph Thruxton Bonneville

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    Claudio Sintich (aka l’Inglese) has drawn from a wide range of resources to research and publish this definitive work on the original Thruxton Bonneville. Although at first sight this is a book aimed at the classic Triumph enthusiast, it also acts as a tour through the world of early production racing. The story focuses on…

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  • The Matchless Colliers

    The Matchless Colliers

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      The old AJS and Matchless marques, aka Associated Motorcycles, have an extensive and illustrious history which dates back to the turn of the 20th century. This book focuses on the founding family of the Matchless brand, the Colliers, and tells their story as seen by an insider’s eye. It’s not a formal history but…

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  • The Strange Death of the British Motor Cycle Industry

    The Strange Death of the British Motor Cycle Industry

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    This book provides a dispassionate examination of the evidence leading to the decline of motorcycle manufacturing in Britain. Although there are now Triumphs and Nortons available again, the decline during the latter half of the 20th century was spectacular. Steve Koerner is a British motorcycle enthusiast and historian from British Columbia who completed a PhD…

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  • Joey Dunlop: a real racer’s life

    Joey Dunlop: a real racer’s life

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      This softback biography of TT legend William Joseph Dunlop is one of the few publications on this subject to be given official approval by the TT Riders’ Association. Written by Ray Knight, himself a road racer of considerable accomplishment, it was published in the year of Dunlop’s death – but the author had already…

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  • Overland to Vietnam

    Overland to Vietnam

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    On his earlier expeditions, Gordon G May rode a BSA Bantam to the pyramids of Egypt, and then a Royal Enfield Bullet to southern India. His most recent adventure involved a WW2 military Matchless and a circuitous route across Europe to the Black Sea, through the Caucasus and into Central Asia, through China, over high-altitude…

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  • The Motorcycle Files: insider info

    The Motorcycle Files: insider info

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    As you might imagine, after decades in the business of thrashing fast bikes around race tracks, journalist Alan Cathcart has built up a simply staggering archive of information about iconic, often unique racers and roadbikes. Taking advantage of modern technology, he’s sharing his roadtests, data and insider info in a series of ebooks, The Motorcycle…

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