british bike

  • Royal Enfield Clipper

    Royal Enfield Clipper

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    Imagine finding a classic British motorcycle, stored for nearly half a century, just like the one your dad rode. That’s how this Clipper found itself a new owner, and Roy Workman tells its tale… This bike was first seen at a Newark autojumble by a friend of Joss, who thought that it was a Bullet.…

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  • New Year: Old Bikes

    New Year: Old Bikes

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    This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Vintage Stony gathering on January 1st at Stony Stratford. Richard Jones hauled his Triumph out of winter hibernation, seeking respite from ‘retail therapy’ among a splendid selection of vintage and classic motorcycles and cars… Let’s start with this 1939 ohv 250cc Red Panther which was restored by…

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  • Brough Superior 11-50

    Brough Superior 11-50

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    How often do you see a Brough Superior that hasn’t been restored? At the least they’re mildly titivated, but ‘better than original’ seems to be the order of the day. There’s nothing wrong with this if that’s your thing, but sometimes, says Richard Jones, I long to see one that looks like it has actually…

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  • Rudge Ulster GP Special

    Rudge Ulster GP Special

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    The Scottish Classic Motorcycle Show takes place in Ayr at the end of June, and the indoor halls are usually packed full of eye-catching classic bikes. Last year, this 1932 Rudge was one among them, showing off its famous bronze-head and four-valve top end arrangement… In the late 1920s and early 30s Rudge were one…

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  • Triumph Daytona T100R

    Triumph Daytona T100R

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    Triumph introduced their unit-construction 500 twin in 1960. By 1966 it had evolved into a proper proddie racer, the Daytona, which packed considerable poke into its petite package. Marion Thirsk found an interesting example at last year’s Ayr Show… When Steve purchased this Daytona it’d been lying forlorn in a garage for seven years, with…

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  • Sunbeam Model 95

    Sunbeam Model 95

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    Sunbeam motorcycles, built in Wolverhampton, were some of the sporting superstars of the pre-war period and they clocked up a series of wins in TT and GP races during the 1920s. Although times were tough during the Depression years, the company’s continued commitment to quality means that bikes from the 1930s are still going strong…

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  • December issue out now

    December issue out now

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    Winter drawers on! We’ve been waiting all year to make that joke. We have also decked the halls with boughs of holly for the fabulous festiveness that is RC164. The December issue of the monthly RealClassic magazine is indeed a veritable cornucopia of classic motorcycling. And some dodgy old bikes. And even a shock-horror-hold-the-front-page new…

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  • Ariel Square Four

    Ariel Square Four

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    In the December issue of RealClassic, Roger Slater rebuilds a four-cylinder Ariel engine. Here’s the historical context to this remarkable motorcycle… The Square Four started as a twinkle in Edward Turner’s eye back in the 1920s when he worked at BSA. After moving to Ariel and enlisting the aid of engineer Bert Hopwood, Turner’s idea…

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  • November issue out now!

    November issue out now!

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    Apparently, it’s too soon to make the ‘winter draws on’ joke just yet, so instead we’d better tell you that RC163 is stuffed full of cracking classic bikes and interesting old motorcycles. We’ve a BMW airhead, a Moto Guzzi V-twin and an auto-dramatic Honda, as well as three late interpretations of traditional British bikes: a…

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  • Museum LIVE Open Day

    Museum LIVE Open Day

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    In case you missed us at the Stafford Show this month, the RC Roadshow will be rolling along to the National Motorcycle Museum’s LIVE event on Saturday 4th November 2017. This free-to-enter event not only gives you access to the world’s largest collection of British classic bikes but also incorporates a jam-packed schedule of special…

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