RealClassic

  • January magazine – out now!

    January magazine – out now!

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    British bikes, Italian icons, Japanese classics and American iron are all featured in this month’s eclectic collection of classic motorcycles and old clunkers. Here’s how to order a copy of the magazine – available in digital formats for your nifty device, or printed on paper for folks of a more traditional inclination… BSA BANTAM TRIALS…

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  • BSA C15

    BSA C15

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    BSA’s stalwart 250 single used to be the obvious choice for learner riders, back in the 1960s. Fifty years later the unit construction C15 has become another obvious choice – this time as a starter classic, a first British bike. We featured a Ceefer in the magazine last year, which inspired John Blackburn to share…

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  • Classic bikes at Birmingham, part three

    Classic bikes at Birmingham, part three

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    If you didn’t have time to visit the two autumn shows at the NEC this year, never fear: Richard Jones endured both events to bring you a selection of the very best vintage motorcycles and classic bikes (and one or two new ones, too). Here’s his final prowl around the 2016 Motorcycle Live show halls.…

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  • The Motorcycle Files: insider info

    The Motorcycle Files: insider info

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    As you might imagine, after decades in the business of thrashing fast bikes around race tracks, journalist Alan Cathcart has built up a simply staggering archive of information about iconic, often unique racers and roadbikes. Taking advantage of modern technology, he’s sharing his roadtests, data and insider info in a series of ebooks, The Motorcycle…

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  • Classic bikes at Birmingham, part two

    Classic bikes at Birmingham, part two

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      RC’s roving reporter Richard Jones continues his end-of-year review from the NEC, seeking out quirky and iconic vintage motorcycles at the Classic Motor Show and Motorcycle Live… Here’s something you don’t see every day – a 1938 Norton Superior which was built by Bill Higginson and his friend, Maurice Cross. Apparently all you have…

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  • Readers’ Rides: the roads he rode

    Readers’ Rides: the roads he rode

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    What inspires you to take your classic bike for a ride? RC regular Roy Smith clocked up many miles during 2016 on the magazine’s Compass Challenge. In fact, he got so into the swing of things that he couldn’t quite stop. So here are some of the other highlights of his riding year, aboard his…

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  • Classic bikes at Birmingham: part one

    Classic bikes at Birmingham: part one

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    The final weeks of 2016 witnessed not one but two motorcycle shows at the NEC in Birmingham. These featured all manner of vintage motorcycles, classic bikes and modern-day retro replicas which might be of interest to the discerning RealClassic reader. Our roving reporter, Richard Jones, casts a retrospective eye over the highlights at each event,…

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  • Start the New Year in style at the Winter Classic

    Start the New Year in style at the Winter Classic

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    Do you plan to spend the chilly winter season bringing an old bike back to life? The Winter Classic show at Newark is the perfect place to stock up on spares and spanners while you admire a cracking collection of classic bikes… The Carole Nash CBG Winter Classic takes place on the first free weekend…

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  • The story behind the Arbuthnot Trophy

    The story behind the Arbuthnot Trophy

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    The Arbuthnot Trial is an annual reliability trial for British vintage and classic motorcycles. David Wright explains how this event commemorates a naval officer who died during the battle of Jutland over 100 years ago. The present-day event incorporates ‘the ambience of the 1920s era’ with the emphasis on rigid machines, although later classics are…

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  • Frank’s Famous Last Words, #41

    Frank’s Famous Last Words, #41

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    On some classic motorcycles, there’s an intriguing lever on the left handlebar. Back in the days before automatic ignition timing, it did something quite important. Frank Westworth has been reminded of its function… A man has been fascinating me on the subject of ignition advance. No no; really. He has, and it actually was fascinating.…

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