News
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By Alan Turner Long-established as a bastion of transport preservation, the Bluebell Railway in Sussex offers even more of the same on the occasion of its annual vintage weekend, which this year was on August 13-14. As well as a full, steam-hauled train service, the event hosts a vintage and classic vehicle display in the…
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Unrestored 1966 Velocette Thruxton sold
An unrestored 1966 Velocette Thruxton was sold by H&H Classics at its Donington Park Auction on July 28, for £20,000, twice the pre-sale estimate, and a new world record for an unrestored bike of this type. Mark Bryan, a motorcycle specialist at H&H, said: “We are delighted with this result and this new record. There…
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Model X observations
I much enjoyed reading the September issue. What makes me put ‘fingers to keyboard’ is your test on a 1937 Matchless Model X. All what you say about the bike is mirrored by my experience when first offered to ride such a machine at the 1989 A&MOC Jampot Rally held in the Clee Hills. The…
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Seen at the ’66 show
Words: Richard Rosenthal Photographs: Mortons Archive With the British motorcycle industry struggling, the Labour Government appeared hell-bent on finishing it off. Due to an ailing economy, purchase tax rates were sky high, then Westminster hiked minimum HP deposits from 10% to 40% as motorcycles, including commuter mopeds, lightweights and scooters were reckoned ‘luxury items’. Still,…
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Ramsgate records shaved
Photographs: MORTONS ARCHIVE George Brown and Reg Gilbert put up new times on the seafront. Taking place at the end of September 1961, the Ramsgate sprint attracted most of the big names of British sprinting, with George Brown top of the bill, who had his 1000cc Vincent V-twin special and 250cc Ariel two-stroke twin both…
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Indian uprising
Words and photographs: Mark Stone All early Indians were big V-twins, right? Not so, as this unusual single (truly half a V-twin) proves. Time spent in the company of Richard Lancaster highlights this agricultural engineer’s interest in classic motorcycles has far exceeded that of a passion. Besides the tools of his trade – namely tractors…
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Comet-h the hour
Words: Roy Poynting Photographs: Terry Joslin This is actually from a year before the James model name ‘Comet’ was coined, but is in all essence the same model. I’ve had great affection for James’ motorcycles since I took to the roads on an old Comet as a teenager, and while I’ve since had several other…
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Cafe society
Words: TIM BRITTON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN The label ‘classic’ is applied to all sorts of things from music to architecture through films and furniture – the Gold Star is a motorcycle for which the word could have been invented. As I wait by the side of the road for photographer Gary Chapman and Tony Clarke…
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The Cunliffe Brough
At the Stalybridge Speed Trials, Jack Cunliffe launches his Brough-Superior JAP Photography: MORTONS ARCHIVE On last month’s news pages, we used a picture from the Brooklands Then and Now show, of a pair of Brough Superior SS100s, one of which was finished in a striking lilac-and-nickel finish. This was (and is) the Cunliffe Brough. Seeing…
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Editor’s Welcome
The last couple of months have really flown by, in a flurry of events, road-tests, race meetings and running repairs. There’s been some really great riding, some top company and a rich array of motorcycles. Diversity has always appealed to me, pretty much in every walk of life, and particularly with regards to my motorcycling.…
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