Sam Hewitt

From September 1959, a royal experience of motorcycling. Photograph:MORTONS ARCHIVE Prince Michael of Kent, then aged 17, poses on a ‘…sleek and shiny motorcycle belonging to his friend Duke Amedeo Di Savoia Aosta, who sits on the bonnet of a small car looking.’ So explains the official statement on the reverse of the photograph, though…

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Flywheel magnetos can be a boon – but they also reduce sane adults to tears. While poor set-up and condition will reduce their efficiency, so too other factors including flywheel speed, limited coil and condenser size, heat and magnetism… Words and photographs: RICHARD ROSENTHAL Although an electrical engineer named Marcus was probably the first to…

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Your queries resolved with Richard Rosenthal Vale-Onslow scrambles barrel and Herman Meier While clearing a late uncle’s workshop and sheds of predominantly car parts, we found a few motorcycle engines and their spares, including an unused cylinder barrel described on its original box as a ‘Vale-Onslow 250cc Conversion Kit.’ We’ve given it to a friend…

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Your queries resolved with Richard Rosenthal Setting the record straight You may recall some years ago a correspondence about the Royal Enfield endurance machine AFO 81D and its owner/rider Billy Mills. This machine has recently been acquired by Hitchcocks Motorcycles and, interestingly, its engine number follows on in sequence from the two ISDT (International Six…

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As progress continues, it’s apparent there are different ways to measure things and some misplaced components make a reappearance. Words: Tim Britton Photographs: Tim Britton and Fiona Watson There are readers out there, I’m sure, who do know how many different combinations of BSA fork, wheel and brake plate parts there are. However, I’m not…

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Everybody’s favourite and a wonderful rider, Mrs Louie McLean is no longer with us. When the trials rider who rose to prominence as Louie Ball died in 1932, Motor Cycling noted: “Everybody’s favourite and a wonderful rider, Mrs Louie McLean is no longer with us. It is the sad duty of Cyclops to record her…

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Unlike comic book superheroes with questionable outfits for their alter egos, when Dave Smith dons a waxed cotton jacket he becomes… Words: TIM BRITTONPhotographs: BRIAN SLARK Rupert Ratio – dedicated to unit Beezer singles. The ‘Smith’ route to motorcycling and, ultimately, authorship of the BSA singles bibles wasn’t exactly straightforward and he admits to not…

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Many enthusiasts have built attractive ‘specials’ using motorcycle components from various sources, while a similar number have failed, making dangerous, ugly monsters instead. If you want to make the job even harder, try installing a car engine into a motorcycle chassis… Words: Richard Rosenthal Photographs: Mortons Archive What is a special? Many of the first…

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