Features

Gilding the lily The Morini 3½ Sport is a fabulous machine in standard form, so more performance and better brakes just adds to a superb motorcycle. Words and photographs: James Adam Bolton What can be sweeter than thrashing what at first glance would seem to be a beautiful Moto Morini 350 Sport around tight and…

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One for the road This modest-looking late AJS 500 twin from 1959 ticks almost all the boxes for a really satisfying ride. Words: STEVE WILSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN This is one of the most difficult tests I have ever had to produce – because I could find so very little wrong with the motorcycle! Okay,…

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Riders in the stormDespite rain and the threat of snow, the NMM’s training day went ahead as planned. Words: Rachael Clegg Photographs: Dean Atkins ALMOST four years ago National Motorcycle Museum director James Hewing said: “We have tremendous plans over the next few years to make the National Motorcycle Museum a truly dynamic resource for…

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South Island warrior This wartime BSA WD M20 is not memorabilia but a working motorcycle, and one which its owner rides frequently, and alarmingly fast!\ Words: STEVE WILSON Photographs: JONATHON FLEETWOOD Jonny the photographer and I let out the equivalent of “Cor!” simultaneously, as ahead of the car, Ken Powell treated us to a virtuoso…

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Six-figure Triumph With four owners from new, this 1957 Thunderbird twin has a documented distance covered of over 100,000 miles. And it’s still a joy to ride. Words: ANDY WESTLAKE Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN To many enthusiasts, the name of the Triumph Thunderbird will always be associated along with that of Marlon Brando and his character…

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Inclined to success Drawing on track experience and research, AJS offered a much improved range for 1930. It was just a shame it came too late for the firm. Words: TIM BRITTON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN If ever a case needed to be made for ‘racing improving the breed’ then the AJS range for 1930 could be…

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There was a raft of famous trials ‘partnerships’ in the heyday of the 1950s. That between Johnny Brittain and HNP 331 was one of the most successful. Words: RACHAEL CLEGG Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN/MORTONS ARCHIVE Behind three letters and three numbers – HNP 331 – lies the story of one of the most important trials machines…

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The single carb, late model Meriden TR65 Thunderbird promised Steve Wilson a simple life. But with a new old bike, there’s rarely any such thing! Words: STEVE WILSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN It was, in the words of crime writer Dorothy L Sayers, “an old antagonism.” She was referring to the street rivalry between Scott and Norton…

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This pushrod Velocette, prepared and tuned in a modest environment by a long-time enthusiast, has enjoyed success upon success. Words: JAMES ROBINSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN/RUSS LEE Velocette, as a manufacturer, has a long and proud history in racing, dating back to when the company (Veloce) was a maker of two-strokes in the early 1920s, the…

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Norton produced excellent (if conservatively finished) motorcycles until a couple of pints of red paint found their way into the paint shop. Words: Tim Britton Photographs: Gary Chapman According to that great online source of almost accurate information, 1957 was the year the UK population had never had it so good. I thought it was…

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