Features

It went on. “He tips the scales at over 14 stone. Until recently (unless secret practice has been the pleasure of his declining years) he had not ridden a motor cycle for two decades. But that he can still cut a pretty figure is evident from the accompanying illustration.” The accompanying words went on to…

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Gaskets come in all shapes and materials To the non-mechanically minded, our engines are of bizarre design. Strange castings, plates and pressing are fastened together, making endless joints, each with the potential to leak and fail. Then the precious moving parts are encased within this dodgy structure assembled to support the unit and keep in…

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Dr Glen Schaeffer and John Pickup aboard a BSA Golden Flash Dr Glen Schaeffer and his travelling companion John Pickup certainly knew how to pick a mount for their photography expedition to Babylon, Baghdad and beyond in 1956 – here they are grinning toothily from atop their trusty 1950 BSA Golden Flash. The 650cc Golden…

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The event attracted a significant number of people right from the start, and before long a crowd of spectators had formed to watch the assortment of motorcycle races that would be taking place. Many riders and enthusiasts made the 80 mile trip from the heart of Nottingham to Mablethorpe which, in 1912, was no mean…

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Friends since childhood, William S Harley the designer and Arthur Davidson the fabricator had been nurturing an idea to build an outboard motor, to reach their favourite fishing spots. But two wheels soon prevailed over two reels… In 1903, Arthur’s father erected a 15ft x 10ft backyard shed that bore the painted legend HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR…

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Velocette LE With a production run of 23 years, it’s hard to say that Veloce Ltd’s ‘Little Engine’ machines were not a success but an initial outlay in excess of £100,000 in plant, machinery and tooling, immediately after WWII, was a colossal sum of money, which failed to bring the returns hoped for and as…

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Matchless G3 Mercury and Norton ES2 Matchless and Norton are two of the great names of the British motorcycle industry. Indeed, it was a Matchless and a Norton which won the two classes (single and twin-cylinder) of the first TT race in 1907. Through the teens and 1920s both firms were on sound footings, with…

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1929 Neander V-twin I pride myself on knowing at least something about a wide range of motorcycles, but I freely admit that until recently my knowledge of Neanders amounted to almost zilch. To be precise it amounted to being aware that in the 2008 Bonham’s auction of the late Professor Ehn’s collection, a slightly bizarre…

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Best of the breed? It was during a stint on the Mortons stand at the Birmingham NEC’s when the affection held for Vincents manifested itself. Our stand was in the Classic Village, directly opposite the 15 competitors for the Carole Nash/Classic Motorcycle Machine of the Year. This fine selection of machines ranged from a vintage…

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Within 10 years both forms of transport were firmly relegated to history. The Panther’s single seat sidecar has a ‘dicky’ seat, where one of the two well-wrapped children is nestled. Both are watching the express train “…roll like a toy train over the viaduct below”. Said viaduct is in Monsal Dale and passes over the…

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