Road Tests

AJS Model 16 350cc In this business, being involved with classic magazines, we do get a wide variety of telephone calls. Most, obviously, are from normal and sane folk, though there is the occasional fantasist who has stumbled across our magazine, found a telephone number and decided to ring up with either bizarre requests or…

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Royal Enfield Continental Road test reports should always do more than simply confirm facts or support existing prejudices, so you hopefully won’t find me saying a Vincent Black Lightning is lightning fast or a Norman Nippy’s designation is close to contravening the Trades Description Act (I’ll admit to indulging in the occasional play on words).…

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1927 AJS H1 Robin James is a man of exacting standards – so to be offered the opportunity to inspect and sample his own steed, which regularly transports Robin and Yve (Mrs James) to and on events home and abroad, is an opportunity not to be passed up. And what you may ask does a…

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Rickman Street Metisse Built-in-period Rickman Triumph café racers are few and far between – and this one boasts a particularly unusual story. It has been in the caring custody of Norfolk man George Blackburn since 2001, as he explained: “I’ve always loved the style of the 60s Café Racer, it’s what I was weaned on,…

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Triumph T120 Bonneville Many enthusiasts consider the 1968 Triumph T120 Bonneville to be the epitome of engineering excellence on two wheels. Rob Holton is the owner of the example that you see here. Loyal to the brand since childhood, he felt that the latest Bonneville was something very special back in 1968. Tracing its lineage…

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1951 Norton International Model 30 It’s a built up area, so I’m trying hard to keep a low profile on the highly tuned ohc 500cc single. It isn’t easy. The slightly crouched riding position is comfortable, but more suited to the open road than suburbia. And a metronome-like tickover is not an option with the…

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1955 Ariel Model KH Chaps who were in the trade in the 50s have told me with authority that different batches of new bikes – and even different parts of the same bike – might well be finished in slightly different colours. This was understandable with the incoming metallic finishes, but it also happened with…

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BSA B25S Starfire To put it kindly, BSA’s unit-construction singles didn’t exactly enjoy the best of reputations; and that was despite seeming initially to have everything in their favour. First in the range was the 1958 C15, and compared with its C12 predecessor – recognisably based on the pre-war C11 – it was significantly lighter,…

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1923 Triumph SD Restoration guru Robin James was at pains to point out to me that this Triumph hasn’t been the subject of a full restoration. “We’ve only worked on the engine, gearbox and forks,” he tells me, as I look over the overall smart but not immaculate vintage Triumph. The 1923 SD has had…

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Norton Dominator 99SS “I didn’t realise what a rare model it was until after I’d bought it,” admits Richard Miller, “but it’s the Super Sports version of the 99 Dominator, and Norton only made it for a year or so.” He’s quite right on both counts, and the reason was probably tied up with the…

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