THE GREATEST YEARS OF THE ‘DESERT SLED’ were all too brief. For a few years in the 1960s, British twins became reliable enough to take on the worst that the California deserts could throw at them. Triumph, Matchless and Norton all produced two-wheele

What a wonderful photograph! Although slower than some of the racing photos of the day, it is still a skill to get the exposure correct and the rider in focus – as well as the fantastic landscape straight and included on what would have been a large-

AS THE DUST SETTLED FROM THE SHAKE-UP OF Japan’s motorcycle industry in the early 1960s, a handful of manufacturers were left from the 77 that had existed in 1959. By 1963, as well as Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha, those still fighting their way into the

NOWADAYS, WHEN I HAVE AN image of myself in the workshop working on the 1978 BMW R100S you lovely people have endured since lockdown, I picture the wonderous Benny Hill, complete with signature music. Let’s just say the relationship has not been line

MORNING HAS BROKEN, FOLKS, LIKE the first morning. The light continues in the evening and hey, you don’t need all those jumpers! It’s glorious, and I for one cannot wait to get more riding in. The milder climes coordinated nicely with the BMW having

SYMMETRICAL, RACY, AND A CELEBRATED design icon – few motorcycles hang together as well as the Mk1 Moto Guzzi Le Mans. And this particular rebuilt ‘Guzzi Mk1 could quite possibly be one of the best examples around. Belonging to Mike Peter (twice!), i

AFTER MAYBE THE SEVENTH OR TENTH time it happened, I began to wonder if there was something strange about me that I’d never suspected. Am I the only rider on the planet who occasionally stops to take photos of his bike in interesting places? A mere m

WE DO LIKE A SHOW HERE AT CBG, AND they’re not all mega-budget events with superstar guests. Sometimes, they are small and perfectly formed – and the South Wales Sunbeam Club show in Cardiff is one of those. The event takes place every Easter bank ho

THIS YEAR MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club. Founded in, erm, 1924, it started with Sunbeam motorbikes, quickly welcoming all makes – the key was to have fun on a motorcycle, with sprints, trials, and more on the bikes, and d

ACCORDING TO MY MATE GEORGE, WHO bought a Yamaha RX-S 100 on a whim many years ago, there’s 12 horsepower and then there’s TWELVE horsepower. He was frankly somewhat taken aback by just how pokey the little 98cc single was – and he wasn’t the only on

SELWYN STICKLER IS FED UP WITH PEOPLE telling him that his Benelli is just an Italian copy of a Honda CB500. “Look,” he says, “Benelli didn’t need to copy Honda to make a four. It was racing a 250cc inline-four back in 1939, and what’s more, it was l

THERE IS A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT WHICH INSISTS that the very first example of a new model is the best. Theory goes that the very first machine to bear a supposedly iconic monicker (think Triumph Bonneville, Norton Commando, Ariel 3) is the model closest

AS FAR AS WE ARE AWARE, THIS IS one of the prototype Hurricanes that came from the USA, when the distributors had a Rocket 3 modified to show the factory what their market wanted. But by the time it came back to Blighty to look at productionising, BS

WELL, IT’S SAT THERE FOR LONGER than I care to remember, and now it’s going to finally get sorted. There’s been a 1968 Yamaha AS1 125cc twin on my bike bench since September 2022 and since that date I’ve done two things to it – nothing and begger all

CLASSIC JAPANESE BIKES ARE AN amazing collection of machines that truly do have an answer for all. From humble beginnings in the 1950s with some incredible and innovative machines, they were constantly evolving, and used racing to both improve the br

THERE’S ALWAYS A GREAT STORY when it comes to building a bike like this. In this case, it’s partly a personal one of years of training, not just in the skill of the craft but also in the study of another man and his company’s achievement: designing a

MY 1947 350 ENFIELD MODEL G had its rebuilt engine fitted back into the frame over the Christmas period, along with the gearbox and inner primary case. When the bike was stripped, what seems like an age ago, to get the engine out I just boxed and bag

THIS YEAR MARKS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF one of this writer’s most satisfying International race victories. It was the Lightweight Battle of the Twins race, run on the steep bankings of the Daytona Speedway, in Cycle Week 1984, and was achieved on a q

I really like the excitement of this 1968 road test by renowned journalist Vic Willoughby. In a world 56 years later, where the fastest bikes have in excess of 200bhp, Vic’s words are still laced with the thrill of riding the Rocket 3 and its 120mph

I’VE BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER WHEN TRAIL BIKES became so popular – popular enough to persuade manufacturers to build actual trail machines, rather than lightly disguised roadsters. Can’t work it out, despite wasting far too much time trawling countles

I’VE BEEN GOING TO THE BRISTOL SHOW for well over a decade and this year was lucky enough to get into the Bath and West Showground on the Friday afternoon, just as the exhibitors and tradespeople were setting up, writes Sean. I’m always a little anxi