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  • Simple pleasures

    Simple pleasures

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    Words: Roy Poynting Photographs: Terry Joslin This two-stroke, two-speed Levis is a fine example of an early vintage ride-to-work machine. Some visiting American friends once saw one of these delightful little machines and exclaimed “gee, that’s neat, a motorcycle with the same name as our jeans!” Well, for the record there’s absolutely no connection between…

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  • Silver streak

    Silver streak

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    Words: Steve Wilson Photographs: Gary Chapman This 1956 Thunderbird is a rolling demonstration of why these soft-tuned, iron-engined 650s were the ultimate Triumph twin for many experienced riders. Triumph’s 6T Thunderbird was held by many ‘in the know’ to be the all-round best of the firm’s twins. Sales manager Ivor Davies, the late guru restorer…

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  • Beauty from the beast

    Beauty from the beast

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    Words: JAMES ROBINSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN MV’s 4C, introduced for 1966, was not what prospective purchasers and schoolboys the world over dreamed of. Imagine if MV had made this instead… Amulti-cylinder MV Agusta roadster had been the dream of enthusiasts ever since the four-cylinder racer made its bow in 1950, with the R19 Turismo shown…

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  • Matchless to Israel

    Matchless to Israel

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    In June 1950 a pair of enthusiasts from England set off on two of Plumstead’s finest, bound for Israel. W A Ingram and his cousin Ken set off from Newcastle headed for Israel, on two practically new rigid-frame 500cc Matchless G80 singles; the motorcycles were largely standard, apart from the additions of windscreens, air filters…

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  • Book Review: The Honda Gold Wing

    Book Review: The Honda Gold Wing

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      Classic Four-Cylinder Bikes Author: Peter Rakestrow Published by: Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP Tel: 01453 847823 Email: [email protected] www.amberley-books.com Softback, 165 x 235mm (portrait); 96 pages with approx. 100 photographs. ISBN 978-1-4456-5717-2 £14.99 Honda stunned the motorcycle world in 1969, with the launch of its fabulous four-cylinder CB750. Then Kawasaki…

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  • Kick-start your New Year with the Winter Classic

    Kick-start your New Year with the Winter Classic

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    About to enter into its sixth running, the Carole Nash Winter Classic event – supported by Classic Bike Guide magazine – has become one of the favourite dates on the show calendar. Stunning bikes, several traders and star racers will all come under one roof on the first full weekend of 2017, with the Carole…

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  • Editor’s Welcome

    Editor’s Welcome

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    Now, with it wet and miserable, it seems less fun to be out on motorcycles. It’s different when it’s a necessity but, well, going for a ride when there’s no real need apart from the pleasure of doing so, seems less appealing when the air is damp and the mist is cloying. Still, I managed…

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  • Bike-mad TV detectives are on the hunt for hidden treasures in the sheds of Britain

    Bike-mad TV detectives are on the hunt for hidden treasures in the sheds of Britain

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    A BIKE-MAD pair of TV engineering detectives are on the hunt for forgotten and hidden treasures tucked away in the sheds of Britain. Travel Channel presenters Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove are about to film their next series which sees them rifling through the lock-ups and sheds of the UK. In previous series they’ve unearthed…

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  • Another success cooked up

    Another success cooked up

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    With Bake Off judge Mary Berry presenting the prizes, and BBC sports presenter Mike Bushell doing interviews, Kop Hill Climb (run in aid of charity) certainly boasts a broad appeal. Last year Kim Cattrall, this year Mary Berry – the organisers of Kop Hill Climb can’t be accused of going down the route of presenting…

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  • Croft-Cameron tops the bill

    Croft-Cameron tops the bill

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    Though we’ll have a full report from Stafford next month, covering the show and the auction, suffice to say that the fabulous V-twin Croft-Cameron sold well, at £203,100. It’s believed it will be leaving the UK for the first time in its life. There were other strong prices too, with V-twins once again grabbing the…

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