Features
-
Touch of class
Ariel’s one-year-only all-alloy 500cc twin makes an excellent ride with an interesting back-story. Words: STEVE WILSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN The 1953 Ariel KHA 500cc twin was famously produced for one model year only. This one’s owner, Cyril Griffin, Wiltshire VMCC man and a noted restorer of pre-war machines, had bought it eight years ago primarily…
-
Travelling in style
FROM THE ARCHIVES The famous Edward Turner-designed Ariel Square Four has created an enviable legacy, which it owes to the careful refinement of its remarkable four-cylinder engine, among other things. This particular Square Four also has the benefit of a beautiful Watsonian sidecar, and is (if you’ll excuse the pun) a winning combination. Words: ROY…
-
Pioneering spirit
Despite a cold and blustery day, the Sunbeam MCC’s annual veteran extravaganza, the Pioneer Run, was held for the 78th time. Photographs: Alan Turner/Carole Green/James Robinson Words: Alan Turner Early departures, on Sunday, March 19, from the Epsom Downs start reported cold conditions before the route took them south to more sheltered Sussex roads. As…
-
Scrambled egg
With the American market ever-more popular, BSA’s A65 responded well to its street scrambler makeover. Words: Phil Turner Photographs: Gary Chapman By the mid-1960s most of the major manufacturers’ ranges were heavily influenced by what the lucrative American market wanted – and what it wanted was street scramblers. Triumph had the T100C, TR6C and T120C;…
-
Still turning left
A bike weighing considerably less than 200lb but having at least 45 brake horses sounds a recipe for an interesting ride. When the bike has no gears and no brakes and is ridden round a tight oval on a loose surface, the whole experience becomes… well…character building! That’s speedway in a nutshell and its enduring…
-
Touring in beautiful Brittany
FROM OUR ARCHIVES Touring holidays can be memorable for reasons both pleasant and decidedly unpleasant, though Mary Adams and husband Huw had a fantastic time in Brittany thanks to Roger and Linda Nicholls of Countryside Holidays in France. Words and photography: MARY ADAMS We (husband Huw and I) first met Roger and Linda Nicholls four…
-
Classic Archive – Tribute: John Surtees (1934-2017)
Star on two and four wheels, who died on March 10, 2017 Unique’ is an oft-overused word, but that is the only fitting term to describe the achievements of John Surtees, the only man to be world champion in the blue riband category on both two and four wheels. Born on February 11, 1934, in…
-
You were asking: Scaldis and service motorcycles
Interested in First World War history and as a motorcyclist myself, I’m always attracted to any mentions of dispatch riders and their machines. ‘The diary of a dispatch rider attached to the Belgian General Staff’ by E van Isacker, in ‘The Sphere,’ December 12, 1914, informs: “Van Isacker was attached to the Belgian General Staff…
-
A lick o’ paint
With the Panther pulled apart and engineering work completed, Steve wanted some paintwork doing on the cycle parts. Words: TIM BRITTON Photographs: STEVE PARRISH The world of refinishing motorcycle parts has moved on a long way since the early days of the British industry, and the early days of the restoration hobby too for that…
-
Men who mattered: Frank Cope
❝Frank’s interest was piqued by mention of the Clubman’s TT. And so, aged 52, he decided to have a go.❞ Born in Birmingham, on January 26, 1896, the life and times of Frank Cope make quite remarkable reading – an apprentice gunsmith, the youngest staff sergeant in the British Army, successful businessman, a trials ace,…
Free Digital Issue
Search
Tags
Bonhams Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show British motorcycle history Brough Superior classic bike autojumble Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic Classic Bike Hub Classic bikes Classic Bike Shows classic motorcycle auction UK classic motorcycle events UK Classic Motorcycle Mechanics classic motorcycles Editor’s Intro Insurance International Classic MotorCycle Show International Classic MotorCycle Show 2026 Island Racer Isle of Man TT Kempton Autojumble Latest Issue TCM Letters Mortons Archive Mortons Books motorcycle autojumble motorcycle parts motorcycle restoration Newark Showground News Normous Newark Autojumble Norton pre-order pre-war motorcycles Sponsored Content Stafford Stafford Classic Bike Show Stafford Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show Stafford motorcycle show 2026 Stratford Autojumble TCM The Classic MotorCycle The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show Triumph Vincent Vintage motorcycles
