vintage bike Archives

Brough Superior 11-50

7th June 2018 RowenaH Features

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 survived 80 or 90 years……

Sunbeam Model 95

3rd January 2018 RowenaH Features

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 today, over 80 years later……

Ariel Square Four

20th November 2017 RowenaH Features

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 was made into metal in…

November issue out now!

6th November 2017 RowenaH Latest Issue

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 Triumph Bonneville, BSA Gold Star…

Museum LIVE Open Day

24th October 2017 RowenaH Events

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 attractions. Here’s some of what…

Trusty Triumph

22nd October 2017 RowenaH Features

While we celebrate the resurgence of modern Triumph motorcycles, it’s easy to overlook the marque’s major contribution to motorcycling itself which took place over a hundred years ago. Had it not been for Triumph’s first ‘era of greatness’, argues Timothy Pickering, the powered two-wheeler could have vanished from Britain’s roads long before the classic bike was invented… Frank Melling’s otherwise…