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Bursting through a paper ‘curtain’ covering Ace Classics (London) Ltd’s shop door was the ever youthful John Giles…

Triumph’s Speed Twin was restyled in the late 1950s, its demure appearance suggesting life at a much slower pace…

By 1951, the racing machine of choice was the Featherbed Manx Norton – but there were too few of those to go round and they were only made available to the select few anyway…

The motorcycling fraternity has lost one of its oldest and most accomplished racing competitors with the passing of James Kelly Swanston, who would have been 105 years of age on March 26, 2013…

Forget Barry Sheene’s RG500, forget Eddie Lawson’s YZRs, forget even Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha or Foggy’s Ducati. This almost standard-looking Honda XL250 cost just £100 and is the most successful race bike in the history of motorcycling. By miles…

Rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly went for an Ariel Cyclone just like this one. You can see why. James Robinson reports…

As the British industry struggled for survival it needed a new power unit to replace the vertical – or parallel – twin engine design it had relied on for goodness knows how many years…

This mid-30s BMW, despite being 80 years old, has earned an enviable reputation for its capabilities as a touring machine and is still more than capable of covering vast mileages, just as its maker intended when it was originally produced…

Triumph’s TR6SC was ostensibly a single carb version of the TT Bonneville, sharing many of its basic components, and this is probably the best example you’ll set eyes on…

There are those among us who prefer practicality over aesthetics and are skilled enough to be able to make something from ‘a mishmash of unrelated parts.’ What’s more, said parts don’t necessarily have to have originated from another motorcycle… but a rotavator?

They say that old Indians never die, and a thorough makeover does seem to have given this old warhorse a new lease of life…

This Douglas special has a fascinating history, including input into its construction by Triumph…

‘World’s finest standard sports 500’, so boasted BSA. But to some, Gold Stars are overpriced and unnecessary, though to many others – including our scribe – BSA was quite right, and they are simply the best ohv singles ever made…

The history of British motorcycling is littered with what-might-have-beens. Jim Reynolds gets to grips – briefly – with one

Kawasaki’s Z650 set the standard for four-cylinder middleweights, but the company did it the hard way. Confirmed Suzuki GS750 fan Rod Ker concedes the Z was the bike to beat in the performance wars

Everyone has had a Yamha DT175, ridden one, borrowed one and/or abused one. Given a diet of petrol, half decent two-stroke oil, the odd plug and sundry consumables these machines have rewarded their owners with dogged reliability and unstinting service…

After a number of successful car sales, Historics at Brooklands included a motorcycle section in its recent June auction. The bike lots raised over £150k and could go much higher as a Black Lightning with an estimate of £105,000 – £140,000 is under offer…

Tin should not be damaged by fire. Frank Westworth discovers that you should never believe your own eyes. One of the reasons I was happy to pay out five hundred of HM’s most excellent pound notes for what may appear to have been a pile of scrap was because the toasted remnant had all of…

Though this Vincent-Norton hybrid machine may be described by some as a ‘special’ it was intended as the forerunner of series production…

Getting closer to John Nutting’s final choice. Motorcycle league positions in this part are 20 down to 11…

BSA made its name on the back of solid, dependable machines, just like this one, suitable for hard work without complaint…

As rarities go, they don’t come much more unusual than this US-only off-road BSA A65 competition twin…

Never likely to set the pulses racing and often dismissed as ‘grey porridge’ and heaved onto the scrap man’s wagon, this BSA C10L – so representative of an era – is now a rarity. And that’s a real shame, because it has a charm which was overlooked when originally on sale. James Robinson explains…

Peter Williams, Norton factory rider and designer of the team’s new monocoque-framed machine, gave the company a well-overdue victory in the 1973 Formula 750 TT…

With the Triumph Bonneville celebrating its silver jubilee, the VMCC chose to offer up one such machine for their Christmas raffle prize. Always keen on a bargain, Jim Reynolds went to sample his quid’s worth…

Yamaha’s RD250 two stroke twin was the first production bike to use reed valves to help deliver some midrange without killing performance elsewhere. But they were viewed with suspicion…

Triumph specialist Hughie Hancox spent many happy years at Meriden and had a ‘right royal time’. Here he shares some anecdotes, from archery in the Packing Department to covering up for test rider Percy Tait when a policeman chased him into the factory canteen…

BSA’s Rocket Three wasn’t appreciated in the all-important American market, with its boxy, jarring look, and it was a poor seller. A pity because the bike had many hidden talents under its skin. Tim Britton reacquaints himself with a stunning example in snow-flurried Norfolk…

This largely original and unrestored Ariel Square Four spent many of the years since its 1938 build in Malta, where it was owned by one family until the present keeper acquired it…

The word desmodromic will not be found in many dictionaries. It was coined from two Greek words, meaning ‘controlled run’ and its mechanical function is to elimi­nate one of the phenomenon of valve float, or ‘bounce’. Mick Walker explains how Ducati stole a march on rivals…

Egged on by editorial pressure, editor Rod Gibson explores the art of wheel building for the first time, and discovers the black art isn’t as mysterious as it looks…

The pretty Triumph Tiger Cub has always attracted a fair following, which continues to be the case…

Engineering and style combine in an elegant outfit that has graced family occasions for several generations. Mike Lewis takes a closer look at James’s Model 10…

Honda’s slightly ‘oversquare’ 250 four is conventionally designed, aside from the four valves per cylinder, contributing to a healthy 45bhp output