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  • Speed merchant

    Speed merchant

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    With my head ducked down behind the small flyscreen and the exhaust note of the highly-tuned two-stroke single resonating off the surrounding walls, it took little imagination to conjure up a mental picture of me leading the pack in the 1965 Thruxton 500 mile production race. A fantastic race, which saw Kent star Derek Minter…

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  • Quarter century not out for Elk

    Quarter century not out for Elk

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    Elk Promotions is celebrating 25 years of promoting shows and jumbles around the Romney Marsh area. In recent years, the venue has been settled on a large field just south of the village of Hamstreet. By mid-morning on the most recent occasion (June 25), an impressive area of the grass was covered by lines of…

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  • Unique collection of AJW motorcycles heads to Cumbria

    Unique collection of AJW motorcycles heads to Cumbria

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    A collection of AJW motorcycles from the 1920s and 30s has taken pride of place at the Lakeland Motor Museum. The six AJWs brings the total number of motorbikes on show to almost 90, ranging from a collection of the legendary Vincent motorcycles – spanning the 1930s, 40s and 50s – to a display of…

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  • Slight at Stafford

    Slight at Stafford

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    Kiwi ex-World SuperBike (WSBK) star Aaron Slight will be the guest of honour at the 24th Carole Nash Classic Mechanics Show over the weekend of October 14-15. As fast and smooth on track as he was flamboyant and controversial off it, Aaron will have some entertaining tales to share with the Stafford audience. And with…

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  • Destiny changer

    Destiny changer

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    The Series A Rapide racer was a machine which changed the history of the Vincent motorcycle company. Words: James Robinson Photographs: Gary Chapman Additional photographs:  Mortons Archive ‘Legendary’ is a term that is, frankly, bandied around more than is appropriate or necessary. But this motorcycle is that – it is a machine which created a…

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  • Mecum’s vintage auction in Las Vegas

    Mecum’s vintage auction in Las Vegas

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    Mecum’s first foray into the Nevada spring for a vintage motorcycle auction in Las Vegas was pronounced a success with 339 motorcycles sold over June 2-3, realising $4.4million in overall sales. The top price was $95,000 for a restored 1950 Vincent Black Shadow, though Indians once again demonstrated their enduring desirability, with five of the…

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  • H&H holds first sale at NMM

    H&H holds first sale at NMM

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    The first auction to be held by H&H at the National Motorcycle Museum took place June 2, with a fine selection of machines offered and many sold, with the top price going to a beautifully presented Indian four, knocked down at £52,000. There were lots of reasonably priced vintage machines (the majority having lost their…

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  • Sywell run

    Sywell run

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    One of several interesting machines out on the Northants section of the VMCC’s girder-fork run on May 28 was this impressive JAP-engined sidecar outfit, with the V-twin motor housed in Sunbeam cycle parts. Starting and finishing at Sywell aerodrome, the gentle 45-mile run allowed plenty of time for mooching about the 1930s airfield, which features…

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  • Steve Spencer

    Steve Spencer

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    The man who finished third in the famous 1967 Senior TT, riding a Steve Lancefield Norton, passed away in May 2017, just before the 50th anniversary of his superb achievement. Steve Spencer’s effort is even more impressive because it was the year of his TT debut. During the course of his ride, it is reckoned…

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  • Triple treat

    Triple treat

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    Reading his first ride report from September 25, 1968, it’s clear from the off that the Rocket 3 had quite a first impression on The Motor Cycle’s Vic Willoughby: “Racing power with garden-party manners, an iron hand in velvet glove – such is the dream of many a connoisseur. In the 740cc Rocket 3, BSA…

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