The Classic MotorCycle

FROM OUR ARCHIVES Even though he was pitted against buffeting winds and determined opposition, Mike Hailwood still managed to snag the top spot in the 1962 500c Ulster GP without breaking a sweat – but the first recorded 100mph lap of the Dundrod circuit managed to just elude the Oxford-born race ace. Words: MICHAEL BARRACLOUGH…

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The quest for a Banbury project led Gordon Hallett to a rather unusual German marque. Resurrecting it was certainly no walk in the park… Words: PHIL TURNER Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN Wanderer is one of the most interesting German motorcycle marques you’ve probably never heard of. Founded in 1896 as ‘Chemnitzer Velociped-Depôt Winklhofer & Jaenicke’, the…

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  Though he retired at the age most riders expected to reach their peak, Keith Hickman had 13 enjoyable seasons of scrambling. Words: ANDY WESTLAKE Photographs: MORTONS ARCHIVE/NICK NICHOLLS COLLECTION Our story starts with an ending. The setting is the motocross circuit in the Italian town of Settimo, and the date, October 4, 1972. Racing…

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Using a pressed steel chassis was a coming trend in the 1930s – frames were cheap to manufacture and strong, capable of housing large-capacity engines, as BMW and Zündapp exampled. Beyond the Rhine, a French company followed similar lines. Words and photographs: Gerry Vogt At least 50 pairs of eyes are focused on the black and chrome…

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In the second part of a two-part feature, the role of Britain’s service motorcyclists in the Second World War is further examined, focussing on the home front. Words: STEVE WILSON Images: Mortons Archive Dispatch riders (DRs) were equally active in wartime Britain, a potentially hazardous environment where road deaths peaked in 1941 at 9916. Bombing…

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Ariel’s one-year-only all-alloy 500cc twin makes an excellent ride with an interesting back-story. Words: STEVE WILSON Photographs: GARY CHAPMAN The 1953 Ariel KHA 500cc twin was famously produced for one model year only. This one’s owner, Cyril Griffin, Wiltshire VMCC man and a noted restorer of pre-war machines, had bought it eight years ago primarily…

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FROM THE ARCHIVES The famous Edward Turner-designed Ariel Square Four has created an enviable legacy, which it owes to the careful refinement of its remarkable four-cylinder engine, among other things. This particular Square Four also has the benefit of a beautiful Watsonian sidecar, and is (if you’ll excuse the pun) a winning combination. Words: ROY…

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