classic bike

  • Shepton Snapshots

    Shepton Snapshots

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    Once upon a time, every weekend witnessed an autojumble as good as this one. Real barn-find British bikes for sale; stacks of spares, genuinely surplus to requirement; an eye-catching avenue of motorcycles old and new which carried their owners to the event, and an entry fee equivalent to a single cup of frothy coffee. Few…

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  • Triumph Bonneville T140

    Triumph Bonneville T140

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    Considering your first classic British bike? The Triumph T140 Bonneville (actually a range of 750 twins built between the mid-1970s and early 1980s) is still the obvious choice. There’s always a good selection of 750s up for sale at any time, so you have plenty to pick and choose between. Spares supply is superb. There…

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  • Honda CB250RS

    Honda CB250RS

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    A recent feature about running and riding Honda’s slim and sprightly single as a current day classic prompted Tony Anderson to recall the days when he maintained high-mileage despatch hacks. He highlights some of the 250’s strengths and weaknesses, offering expert advice and technical tips… I was always surprised that Honda, the company that produced…

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  • BSA Silver Star

    BSA Silver Star

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      Even people who don’t like classic motorcycles have heard of the BSA Gold Star. It’s a clear-cut classic bike icon. Its pre-war roadgoing counterpart is rather less well known, however. We featured the 500cc ohv Silver Star in the March magazine, and found some rather wonderful original images in the archive. There’s not a…

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  • March magazine: out now!

    March magazine: out now!

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    RealClassic isn’t available in the shops, so if you want to read this month’s eclectic collection of classic bikes then here’s how to order the issue. Find out what real-life riders reckon to Moto Guzzi’s Spada, the really rare Matchless 750 twin, the Gold Star’s secret sibling, a pair of uprated Enfields and the entirely…

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  • Yamaha XS650

    Yamaha XS650

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      A few months back, Editor Westworth risked life and limb by suggesting that Yamaha’s air-cooled parallel twin was the first and potentially the best ‘Japanese Bonneville’. It’s stood the test of time, too, as this 40 year old example ably demonstrates. So we were delighted to hear from the man who modified this particular…

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  • Classic bike bits: anti-ethanol, riding jeans and smart sparks

    Classic bike bits: anti-ethanol, riding jeans and smart sparks

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    Anti-Effinol We’ve discussed the irritating effects of ethanol in petrol before – and the subject becomes ever more relevant as the concentration of ethanol rises. Even ‘super’ high-octane fuels are quite likely to contain some ethanol. It’s entirely possible to purchase fuel-proof pipework and petrol taps but, especially if a bike only gets occasional use,…

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  • Bristol Roving! The best of the west, part one

    Bristol Roving! The best of the west, part one

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      Here in the UK we have a wealth of great shows for the classic bike enthusiast. For Morgan Rue, normally resident en Continent, attending the Carole Nash Classic MotorCycle Show involved a 1700km (that’s a thousand miles in old money) round trip from Luxembourg. Was it worth it? ‘Definitely!’ was Morgan’s reply, and here…

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  • February magazine: out now!

    February magazine: out now!

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      RC154 offers our usual eclectic mix of classic motorcycling, from pioneer British bikes at the turn of the 20th century to Japanese and Italian classics from eight decades later. You won’t find the monthly RealClassic magazine in UK newsagents, so here’s how you can read all about the BSA, Honda, Moto Guzzi, MZ, DKW,…

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  • Frank’s Famous Last Words, #42

    Frank’s Famous Last Words, #42

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      Despite inhabiting a world of perpetual ups and downs, they keep our wheels going round and around. Pistons, says Frank Westworth, are the unsung heroes of the classic biking world. For some arcane reason which is now beyond me, a friend and I were discussing pistons. I know, I know; the very idea of…

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