Classic Bike Guide

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS US old bike lovers can do; acquire a new bike. A seed of a particular model is sown, followed by copious evenings researching, reading about the history, looking for common parts with other models, asking folk wh

FOR MOST PEOPLE WHO START PROJECT BIKES from scratch, the vision of that mythical finished article is what drives them on. In their mind, so much is planned that an accurate shopping wish list is formed. It's a good, practical and sensible way to go

Just a quick note to thank you for a great magazine! As a motorcyclist I look forward to every edition of CBG and enjoy it so much from cover to cover. As a motorcycling physicist I was even more overjoyed to find in the May edition the usual array o

It is a wonderfully provocative and positive name, Sunbeam, isn't it? It is said that William Marston's good lady wife looked at a bicycle he had made and commented on the sun glistening in the black and gold finish; possibly down to the quality from

WHAT IS IT? A prewar, competition spec, rigid-framed roadster GOOD POINTS? The ride and feel are excellent, and the engine is a gem. And that styling ... GOOD POINTS? The brakes aren't exactly earth-stopping , and original part finding will be a ch

While in lockdown I am catching up on my stash of CBG (I work away from home a lot normally). Just read the March issue with the article about Classic European 125s. I think you missed one. When I was a lad, we had a bloke come to our village to see

THE PRECISE DATE SEEMS TO BE UNCLEAR, BUT some time in 1932, and in an act of pure nationalist propaganda, Benito Mussolini was photographed on a motorcycle, and proclaimed 'Primo Motociclista' or 'First Motorcyclist' of Italy. He was awarded members

JACK SHEMANS WAS A PIVOTAL FIGURE IN THE glory days of the Triumph Meriden factory's racing team - a backroom boy who shunned publicity and had one hell of a pedigree that stretched back to the early days of one the greatest companies in British moto

It may be a V-twin, but I fancy my chances at getting away! Indian may live in the shadows of their Milwaukee rivals these days, but in the early 20th century were leaping ahead with technological advances. Leaf-sprung front ends, rear suspension, tw

Two STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK. I'M NOT learning to dance, but this is how my attempts at building a Norton ES2 are going. I'm going to repeat this until I am riding it around; do not buy a box of parts masquerading as a motorbike ... Last month I

SPEED, AGILITY, PRESENCE AND EVEN COST; the attributes and advantages of a motorcycle have long been known for more than 100 years to the police and other services around the world. From early days where bikes were the only way to get around for most

ONCE UPON-A-LONG-TIME-AGO, THE ORIGINAL Triumph factory at Meriden appeared to rule the world in terms of police motorcycles. Forget the British Empire, Triumph were literally everywhere that required police officers to be mounted on two wheels, apar

Lawrie Bond came from working as a designer in the aeronautical and steam lorry world, when after the war he created the 'Minibyke'. This unusual, almost 1930s American-looking machine (if you squint) was made from aluminium with the usual Villiers 9

■ A pair of needle nose pliers ■ A small file ■ A hacksaw or light, powered, disc cutter ■ A soldering iron or a blowtorch and solder pot ■ Solder.Electrical solder will do, or use lead and flux ■ Some insulting tape ■ Wet and dry sand paper ■ A t

By THE TIME I MADE IT TO THE RIPE old age of 14, I knew I wanted to get a motorbike. So I started working before and after school and at the weekends so that when I reached my 16 birthday and I could apply for my provisional licence and {hopefully) a

Honda CBX: One man decided he wanted bigger MV Agusta Raid 250: Not all MVs were destined to race Kawasaki 500 triple: Sing loudly and hold on Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk.II: Affordable legend ■