Features

More commonly known for his aptitude for road racing, pre-war star Ernie Nott (Rudge sc.) swaps smooth roads for haggard, undulating dirt tracks in what was a bronze medal-winning performance. After heavy rain the night before, the 12 observed hills – two of which were scaled twice – were thick with mud come the morning…

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The BMW rider who stopped alongside looked aghast. Then, he was openly frowning at my bike, as we sat alongside one another at a red light. I had already noted his doubtful looks, and when I pulled into stop for petrol the Beemer rider followed me into the garage, flipped up his visor and shook…

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Rick Bearcroft (in topper) with John Carter on a 1904 Rover Forecar – the oldest known powered vehicle from the Coventry manufacturer. When the first Pioneer Run was held, in 1930, the entered bikes were simply old and they were relatively few in number. By this year’s event, the 76th, the 360 entered machines were…

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Isle of Man TT This photograph was taken in 1952 and was featured in both the original corresponding article in The Motor Cycle, which consisted of a report of the 1952 TT, and in a later article in 1956 that featured some rumination on the organisational ethos behind the event itself. It shows N W…

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The event itself has grown and changed over the years, but the cause was just as poignant and hard-fought then as it is now. Motorcycle clubs up and down the country took part in the National Children’s Day revelry, with the owners of sidecar outfits and motorcars lending aid to the Auto Cycle Union (ACU)…

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Motorcycle production outstripped the supply of magnetos in 1915 This photograph is actually only a portion of a much larger image of several hundred Douglas machines in storage, though the original photograph remains frustratingly elusive. As of early 1915, only eight British firms manufactured magnetos, and none of them made them in the quantities that…

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1929 side sprung Druids from a Norton 16H During the early days of motorcycling, a number of front fork designs were tried. Among them were rigid cycle forks with or without bracing, sprung girder, leading link, trailing link and telescopic. Additionally, adventurous makers patented designs such as hub-centre steering –  supported on one or both…

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JAP classic motorcycle speedway engine He had been unimpressed by what he saw, considering the new sport to be yet another passing craze, just like the earlier roller skating fad. He gave it six months at the very most before, to use his own words it will burst like a bubble'. Fortunately, Stan Greening, the…

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1932 Ariel VH32 Red Hunter “Buy your MPH from Ariel – it costs less” was the sales boast in Ariel’s 1932 catalogue of this model, the VH32 Red Hunter. Testing one in Motor Cycling, 20 January 1932, the scribe noted: “It seemed hardly likely that the rumoured 85mph would be obtained. A 90-guinea TT replica…

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1937 BSA G14 The British heavyweight side-valve V-twin reached its zenith in the 1930s, with models like this G14 BSA proving popular with sidecar men especially. Long of wheelbase and of stroke, the big twins provided plenty of lazy power, delivered with the minimum of fuss – and revs – in a smooth, continuous and…

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