Reviews

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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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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Not your usual history about the usual suspects, says Dave Minton, but the essence of inspiring motorcycling lives distilled for your elucidation… In 1956 I was walking through Preston when an outfit purred past, sounding more docile from its single fishtail pipe than I imagined, in my youth, that any motorcycle had a right to.…

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Looking for a little latin élan? Something small and perfectly formed in the shape of a Morini 350 might just do the job. Rowena Hoseason has met several of the breed… It was one of those brisk, glowing evenings when I rode my first Morini 350. The air was full of faint shafts of golden…

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A high quality hardback review of motorcycling from 1910 through to 1969, showcasing half a century of British bikes and the people who rode them… I must shout this out straight away: do not be put off by the portentous title! Please. This is a cracking book of elderly photographs of more elderly motorcycles, and…

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After main bearing failure and repair, Phil Speakman finally arrives at his destination in Finland. Now all he needs is an ice-lolly… I didn’t know whether to keep on laughing or start crying with relief, as 48 hours of sickening worry had evaporated to the sound of a healthy 2-stroke tickover. My swollen right knee…

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Chapter Two of Jim Algar’s Dominator Diary, wherein the classic Norton twin gets naked (small children to leave the room, please), and the cylinder head gets the better of him. Twice… At the end of Chapter One, Black Bart was about to tie Polly Pristine to the railroad tracks…oh, sorry, wrong story. At the end…

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Motorcycles have been used, in many different forms, for some 92 years in the UK’s mail and communications industry. Paul Wood explains how motorcycles have worked in the Post Office… Motorcycles and sidecar combinations were among the first vehicles owned by the UK’s GPO. They were used both for carriage of mail and the maintenance…

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Most people buy Army-surplus combat jackets or boots. We bought a whole motorcycle! Rowena Hoseason gets de-mob happy and takes the Snarley onto the street… ‘Just how fast did you think were you going?’ grumbled the Bigger Half as we pulled into the caff on a crisp, brisk morning. Oh no! Had I been riding…

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Over in Brazil, Chico Rasia has been making progress with his 1980’s Honda twin. Just a few things to fix… oh, and then a few more… Part II left off with a stalled bike getting pushed back into the garage. Actually, it would stall everytime I’d let it idle, and was running roughly – seemed…

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