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

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, ghastly goop frequently congeals in…

The Dragon Rally

  Only the boldest and the bravest motorcyclists face winter’s worst weather to participate in the annual Dragon Rally. The ride itself to Snowdonia can be something of a challenge on two wheels – and then comes a weekend of camping. In February. We sent RC regular Richard Jones who (a) cheated, and (b) discovered several species of sidecar outfits,…

BMW F650

BMW’s original Funduro, soon to celebrate its quarter-century, is one of the firm’s most successful models. Some 50,000 of the original four-valve dual-plug five-speed 650 singles were built in partnership with Rotax and Aprilia in the mid-1990s, before BMW brought production in-house in 2000. Ian Caswell initially thought he’d found a brilliant bargain in the form of his 1994 F650…

DKW and MZ motorcycles

We frequently find all manner of interesting artefacts while rummaging around in the RC RChive, including factory adverts, original artwork and some stunning bike brochures. We cram as many of them into the magazine as we can, but they often don’t reproduce particularly well in print so we can only use them at relatively small sizes. It seems a shame…

Bristol Roving! The best of the west, part two

  RC’s Continental correspondent takes a second stroll around the Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show at Shepton Mallet and discovers a nifty unit single, the ubiquitous Triumph twin, a distinctly non-standard Trident triple, a Royal Enfield ripe for restoration, a Panther single brought back from the brink – and an old friend from way back when… There’s been a lot of…

Bristol Roving! The best of the west, part one

  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 he explains why… The Bristol…