December 2023

RealClassic revels in the nuts and bolts of running, riding and rebuilding real classic motorcycles. Expert and enthusiastic real-life riders from across the world share their passion for old bikes. This month: Norton Commando Mk3 Electric starter? Twin disc brakes? Easy-adjust Isolastics? Frank Westworth renews a long-lost acquaintance… Seeley Condor Take a race engine, install it in a race frame,…

Velocette LE: the perfect commuter classic?

Looking for a classic lightweight? You’re not alone. RC regular Geoff Stovold has tried a 1960s two-stroke, then a four-stroke unit single. Finally he’s discovered the perfect commuter classic: Velocette’s ‘motorcycle for everyman’… I always enjoy the articles in RealClassic about lightweight bikes like the Triumph Blazer SS seen in RC202. It brought back memories of my own quest to…

Moto Morini Strada 350

Morini’s 3½ Sport tends to get the bear’s share of the attention. Mark Holyoake offers an argument in favour of the underdog, the Sport’s touring counterpart. Rowena Hoseason fills in the background… After their launch in 1971, the Morini Sport and Strada 350s were largely lauded by the press and largely ignored by the public. A high initial price tag…

BSA Singles: C15 vs B40

The BSA C15 and B40 are famously long-lived, robust old bikes. But which is better? John Blackburn has owned both… BSA singles often appear in RealClassic and in Paul Henshaw’s article on the BSA B40 in RC213 he mentions that ‘the B40 offers more of everything for the same size and style of machine as the C15, but with larger…

November 2023

RealClassic revels in the nuts and bolts of running, riding and rebuilding real classic motorcycles. Expert and enthusiastic real-life riders from across the world share their passion for old bikes. This month: BSA Rocket Gold Star The modern Gold Star has stolen the limelight of late. But, as Rowena Hoseason explains, BSA built a rip-snorting roadster back in 1962, one…