Features

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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An inspiration to us all Having been involved in preparing, racing and restoring vintage motorcycles for something like seven decades, Archie Beggs has plenty of tales to tell. Words: JAMES ROBINSON Photographs: SEAN KELLY/ARCHIE BEGGS When I visited Archie towards the back end of 2017, at the home he shares with wife Joyce, he was playing…

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Hidden treasure A casualty of war – in a way – this Ariel LH250 Red Hunter had been out of sight for almost 80 years, until Andy Pennell was able to liberate it. Words: Phil Turner Photographs: Gary Chapman It’s well known that during both the First and Second Word Wars, manufacturers on both sides…

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Wears it well This redoubtable old warhorse has only had two owners from new and has never been restored, yet still delivers a fine ride today. Words: ANDY WESTLAKE Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN There’s something special about an old, unrestored motorcycle. It is still an inanimate object but it is given life by its wonderful patina of…

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Half-litre hot rod Though in its day it was about to be eclipsed in the performance stakes, Triumph’s 1956 T100 reamins a great little motorcycle. Words: TIM BRITTON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN It has been said that Triumph’s model numbering equates to the performance each machine was capable of, ergo the Tiger singles in the Edward…

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It’s not hard to explain the swell of enthusiasm for scooters after the Second World War. Small wheels meant less weight and also left more room for bodywork giving some weather protection, and there could even be a modicum of luggage capacity. Of those factors, only the chance of keeping one’s clothes cleaner and dryer…

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