From The Archive

1953 Ariel KHA A prototype was out and about on the roads as early as autumn 1946 (appearing, in a spectating capacity, at a Brands Hatch grasstrack meeting) though it was not until late 1947 it was officially launched. When it came, there was nothing particularly revolutionary about it – the man responsible was Val…

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Triumph T20B Super Cub The first 150cc Terrier was delivered in 1953, the Tiger Cub coming the next year. The first year ones had a high-level exhaust pipe, interestingly, though that was short lived. What wasn’t short lived though was an obvious and explicit link between the Triumph ‘babies’ and the bigger models in the…

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1953 Norton Dominator 88 When the Featherbed frame made its bow, little could those who witnessed its triumphant debut have realised that for the next 20-odd years, it would be the benchmark by which others, in motorcycle handling terms, would be judged. And most riders who experienced the thrills (and occasional spills) of Norton Featherbed…

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2010 Norton Works 30M This is the first of the brand new Norton 30M Works racers, built under the guidance of Patrick Walker and partner Miles Robinson, but fully authorised and with the complete support of current Norton boss Stuart Garner. Patrick drew everything for the new Norton engine in six months, taking his drawings…

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1949 BSA Plunger Golden Flash Soon, the new big BSA was a favourite and, updated over the years, it continued to sell well throughout the 1950s, gaining its swinging arm frame, better brakes and such, as the decade passed. The cooking model was replaced by the A65 Star for 1962; the old model's passing was…

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1962 Velocette LE Vogue Though Velocette’s ‘Little Engine’s shouldn’t really include the Viceroy – it was a completely different unit, after all – as the Owners’ Club makes them welcome, we thought it admissible to include them here. Originally conceived as that elusive ‘everyman’ machine, Veloce Ltd hoped the new model would lead to a…

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Norton ES2 The Norton ES2 is, for many, the quintessential British single. In the first issue of The Classic MotorCycle (June/July 1981, reprinted with our June 2011 issue), a ‘Mini manual’ was published for the model; here, we illustrate the major changes. 1949 Norton ES2 The ES2 – which had been in the Norton range…

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1949 Triumph Thunderbird The first Thunderbird came in response to the American cry for cubes and proved an immediate hit. It wasn’t all about performance though; in 1952 an SU equipped Thunderbird, ridden at 30mph, achieved a remarkable 155mpg. There were other incarnations, including unit and a co-op effort, while the current Thunderbird (launched 2008)…

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BSA C15 Star BSA’s unit singles were, for many years not in vogue, available for rock bottom prices which reflected their reputation. ‘Hand grenades’ and such terms were attached to them; full of energy, they were supposedly liable to explode… Nowadays, though, that situation has changed with the bigger models in particular developing quite a…

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