vintage motorcycle

  • 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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  • 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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  • Marsh 500/4: a really rare British racer

    Marsh 500/4: a really rare British racer

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    ‘This has been a nerve-wracking project to work on,’ admits restoration expert Colin Wall. And if Colin’s showing concern then you can bet that the classic bike in question is extremely unusual. Colin has over 50 years’ experience of restoring classic and vintage motorcycles, some of them the most significant machines in British motorcycling history.…

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  • Classic Bikes at Stony Stratford

    Classic Bikes at Stony Stratford

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    What better way, asks RC’s roving reporter Richard Jones, to spend New Year’s Day than gazing on classic machinery at Classic Stony? This annual event features the two, three, and four-wheeled vehicular delights – what a way to start the year. The weather wasn’t exactly marvellous as you can possibly see from the pictures but…

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  • Triumph 350 sidevalve single

    Triumph 350 sidevalve single

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      Back in 1938 all eyes were on Triumph’s latest innovation, the stunning Speed Twin parallel twin. The marque’s sporting singles had also been sprinkled with Edward Turner’s stardust, and many heads were turned by the handsome Tigers. But most working men selected their regular rides from the ‘De Luxe’ end of the range; the…

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  • 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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  • 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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