Road Tests

1915 Henderson Model E During the early part of 1911, two automotive events of enduring significance occurred on opposite sides of the Atlantic. In London, illustrator Charles Sykes designed a mascot for Rolls-Royce; the firm that claimed to manufacture the ‘Best Car in the World’ wanted its Spirit of Ecstasy figurine to embody speed in…

Continue reading »

1930 BSA B30-4 Living close to the North Devon Coast, Mike Dixon knows something about close-knit communities. The 53-year old looks after severely disabled young adults in a Leonard Cheshire care home, but he also mixes a love of surfing with an inherited preference for BSA motorcycles. “If somebody’s in trouble, you help out,” he…

Continue reading »

Velocette LE-Valiant Special Owner and builder Ian Munro admits that when people learn he’s fitted a Velocette LE engine into a Velocette Valiant frame they tend to ask, “Why?” rather than exclaim, “Wow!” On the face of it, that’s understandable. The Valiant’s greatest perceived failing was that merely crafting overhead valves onto Velocette’s flat twin…

Continue reading »

1982 Hesketh V1000 Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, the third Baron Hesketh, inherited a fortune at an early age and spent it with notable enthusiasm. A lover of motorsport, in his mid-20s he bankrolled a private Formula One team that won a race during its third season in 1975 and finished fourth in the World Constructor’s Championship.…

Continue reading »

Many have dreamt of building their perfect motorcycle. Triton, NorBSA, TriBSA, Norvin, Grumph, Tri–Greeves, Honton and many others have been the result of our fertile, or at times over fertile, minds. While many were or are beautifully crafted specials, a minority were true mongrels fit only for unveiling after dark. The skill is not only…

Continue reading »

Harley-Davidson SS350 The popular image of Harley-Davidson as being a manufacturer solely of large-capacity 45 degree V-twins with ‘potato-potato’(TM) exhaust notes is wide of the mark. Although aficionados are keen to celebrate the firm’s 2003 centenary, some might prefer to develop selective amnesia about the past. The company’s previous offerings include such utilitarian delights as…

Continue reading »

1954 Francis-Barnett Falcon I was still hauling this charming little Franny Bee onto its stand, in readiness for the static photographs, when a bystander came bounding over. “I haven’t seen one of those since 1964,” he said excitedly, “our vicar used to have one just like that!” I’ve always distrusted personal reminiscences since a chap…

Continue reading »

1959 Norton Model 50 Years ago, I was about to buy a Featherbed-framed Norton Model 50 just like this one, until the vendor reneged on the deal. “You probably wouldn’t have liked it anyway, because it’s not very fast,” he said, using the common criticism of this model to soften the blow, before revealing that…

Continue reading »

1977 Moto Guzzi S3 ‘Like a Lear jet parked alongside a Boeing 747’ was the way journalist Mike Nicks described Guzzi’s newly introduced 750cc S3 on its launch in 1975. The low, lithe S3 was the then latest Guzzi sports twin sculptured by Mandello Del Lario’s ace designer Lino Tonti, while the 747 in question…

Continue reading »

1964 Velocette LE MKIII The LE Velocette was such an oddball that it’s a sitting target for criticism. It weighed and cost more than half as much again as a contemporary BSA Bantam, but didn’t go much faster. Its complicated engine relied on old-fashioned side valves, and it appeared to have been styled by the…

Continue reading »