Reviews

Phil Speakman landed in Finland with his MZ’s main bearings knocking louder than his knees. Phil doesn’t speak any Finnish and he was about 150 miles away from the MZ rally he was aiming for. Help? In desperation I’d sent out a request for a mate to put up an emergency call for Finnish help…

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Remember Howard’s Big 4 which was undergoing a mechanical overhaul? We can now show you the photos of it. And David Yeats explains how the Big 4 got its name, and reveals his own collection of Norton singles… We left Howard’s Norton single with a leaking fuel tap, a non-existent regulator, a deceased drive chain…

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A new book commemorates 75 successful Pioneer Runs from London to Brighton on (very) old bikes… The first ever book on the history of the Pioneer Run® has just been published by the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club. In its large (A4) format of over 250 pages the copiously illustrated book covers the whole history from…

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By popular demand (well, OK, one person) we reveal the pros and cons of buying an ex-Army trailie-bike. Rowena Hoseason actually spent her own money on some old military surplus scrap… Army surplus. What does that make you think of? Sweaty socks, fresh from squaddies’ feet? Dodgy Land Rovers which have been carelessly lobbed out…

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Chico Rasia has finally found his chosen classic: an early Eighties CB400. Now all he has to do is to get it to stop. And start. Which to worry about first?… This is the second installment on a series of articles about the Honda CB400 twin – it must only mean one thing: I’ve bought…

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When is CB350 Paul not CB350 Paul? When he’s Speed Twin Paul, of course. The Speed Twin route to classic motorcycle contentment is not necessarily a straight- forward one, however… A year ago I decided that I must try to own another British bike. I’d only ever owned one previously, and that was a 1952…

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Shock-horror! After much online debate, a RealClassic.co.uk reader splashes some cash on a shiny Triumph twin! Paul Webb explains how he’s fallen in love with his second-ever Britbike, and now all his thoughts are golden… Somewhere on this page you should see some photos of my newly acquired Triumph 3TA, one of the rare 1964…

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The first part of the story of Waltzing Walter the Rotor-Racer appeared in issue 28 of the magazine but was cut somewhat short. So here’s the whole thing: from drawing board to TT triumph to the National Motorcycle Museum… You’re probably familiar with the Norton racers of the 1990s; the sleek black beasts which caused…

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Sarah bought her Dad a One Hundred Pound Wonder, and we tried to figure out exactly what kind of classic bike it might be… It started as a message on the message board and an email to Frank W. Sarah said: ‘We bought an old Ariel for £100 for a surprise present for our Dad’s…

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If you’re a fan of Triumph motorcycles, then you’ll enjoy this authorised biography of the man behind the brand, written by motorcycle historian Jeff Clew… This is a new, softback edition of Jeff Clew’s detailed biography which was published a few years ago in hardback and with a slightly different title (you might want to…

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