The Classic MotorCycle

  • October 2017

    October 2017

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    Archive photograph 6 News 8 Letters 14 Subscribe and save 18 Cotton Conquest 20 NSU veteran 27 BSA B33 32 Founders Day 38 Ariel Square Four and sidecar 40 Chinon Classic 46 Matchless G2 CSR 50 Lansdowne round-up 56 Puch P800 58 Pierce-Arrow Four 64 Donington Classic 70 Closer look – two-stroke racers 76 Oriel…

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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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  • Ultimate expression

    Ultimate expression

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    Triumph’s duplex-framed 650cc range is the pinnacle of pre-unit development and the Bonnie is right at the top. Words: Tim Britton Photographs: Gary Chapman So there you are, outside washing the bike off after a run out and a passer-by stops, admires the machine and says: “I’ve got an old bike like that…” It’s a…

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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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  • A fan of the Max

    A fan of the Max

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    A few years ago I rebuilt an identical machine to the NSU Max featured (June 2017). It had stood partly dismantled in the yard of a shop, abandoned by the owner when the cost of replacing the big end was more than he thought the bike was worth. I bought it and set about returning…

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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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