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Kawasaki’s blisteringly fast two stroke 750 triple lit the tarmac when launched in 1972. It was the ultimate white knuckle ride… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

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… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Following the success of the GSX series and Katanas, Suzuki upped the ante with the first GSXRs. A thinly disguised street legal race bike, the GSXR750 was an instant success… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Reader Andy Jones had been after a Suzuki GT750 for ages to restore. Then, like buses, two came along at once… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines.

Yamaha’s response to restrictive learner legislation was to launch the FS1-E, a high performing 50cc, which every 16-year-old aspired to… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Never a visual treat, but Yamaha’s FZ750 won friends with its 145mph top speed and amazing power spread… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Suzuki, like Kawasaki, adopted the two stroke triple engine in the seventies, but it offered a more rounded product than its performance rivals… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Launched on the back of the development of the RC30, Honda’s V-twin-powered Bros is a competent allrounder… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Honda’s CB1100F was the last of its classic air-cooled fours and although overshadowed by the exotic CB1100R production racer still pulls a hefty punch with a 140mph top speed… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below……

This sprinter was built by three engineering apprentices in the early 1960s – and it’s continued to impress with its rapid pace in the decades since… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

BSA and Triumph were the undisputed leaders in the 50s motorcycle market, though some individuals decided to take parts from each manufacturer to fabricate their own ideal machine… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert…

Vincent’s Black Prince rode at the vanguard of a brave campaign, but its standard was raised too high to carry the day… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Triumph’s three cylinder Trident provided the signature sound for racers in the early Seventies and led to the best of the bunch, the T160, made for just a year from 1975… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Shaft-driven Sunbeams were a gentlemanly alternative to the rufty tufty vision of 50s motorcycling, when young men supposedly roared across the countryside on Nortons, Triumphs and BSAs… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article…

Once dismissed as ‘grey porridge’ and often 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… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert…

As rarities go, they don’t come much more unusual than this US-only off-road BSA A65 competition twin… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

The famous Triumph Bonneville was, for many, at about its peak in 1969 and this US spec example from that season underlines the point… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Triumph’s Thunderbird is undoubtedly one of the most famous names in motorcycling lore, with both the model’s achievements and a notorious film appearance adding to the legend… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

This late Velocette Venom is a fine hard-working example of what to many is the ultimate British single… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

The Excelsior Manxman is, without question, one of the most visually appealing motorcycles of the 1930s. The 500cc version is also especially rare… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

When Associated Motor Cycles’ engineers enlarged the 350cc AJS 7R to make the 500cc Matchless G50, one of the best looking racers of all time was created… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

DMW was one of a number of makers that used Villiers engines in the 1950s, though its products were always at the higher end of the market. James Robinson reports… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Every now and then, something which leaves you a bit surprised comes along. This AJS – despite looking outwardly fairly standard – is one of those things, having had untold hours and endeavours laboured upon its recreation… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading…

Though functional-looking, the Triumph TR5 is also arguably one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made – and this one’s a real stunner… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Sometimes steady modification and improvements aren’t just quite enough and a radical rethink is necessary. Rod Ker tells the tale… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Installing a Triumph engine into a Norton Featherbred frame, creating a ‘Triton’ was a common mechanical act in years gone by. But few are built to the level of this one. Triton image gallery… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues…

Norton’s famous – and successful – Commando came in a number of guises, but is any more handsome than the S Type? Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

The Royal Enfield Bullet is a machine which has been in production for many years, though few look better than this superb example… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

The 350cc ohv AJS is one of the iconic machines of the vintage era, famed for its light weight and sporty performance… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Though the ohc AJS was perhaps not initially the most successful of AJS’s 350s, it is undeniably one of the most handsome, with this a particularly spectacular example… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

When Triumph decided its range needed expanding and an overhead valve model should be added, the firm decided on awarding the task to an ‘outside’ consultant, Harry Ricardo… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

The Series A Vincent-HRD singles were the model which set the Stevenage maker on the road to immortality… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

SOS machines of any age are few and far between, as they were built in such limited numbers. So the even rarer vintage-era machines fall into the ‘hen’s teeth’ category… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

One man’s lifelong love affair with his Rudge has resulted in a show winner that means far more than money to its owner… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

This Douglas special has a fascinating history, including input into its construction by Triumph… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

BSA made its name on the back of solid, dependable machines, just like this one, suitable for hard work without complaint… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

This four-valve sporting Ariel single was only catalogued for the single season, though its name lived on… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

This AJS V-twin combination has benefited from a number of tweaks by its owner, classic motorcycle restoration guru Robin James… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Though there may be more glamorous, exotic 1930s Velocettes, few are as capable all-round as the 250cc MOV, an excellent commuter – and surprisingly sprightly sportster… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

The BSA G14 was, by the 1930s, a far-from-advanced piece of kit. But the qualities it possessed were still popular – and indeed still are today… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Cotton, as a manufacturer, didn’t stray from the ‘straight tube’ frame building philosophy in the 1920s and 30s. That was because it was a design that worked… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article…

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… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert…

The AJS S3 was a bright and bold new design from AJ Stevens of Woverhampton. Unfortunately, its release couldn’t have come at a worse moment… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

It may have looked undramatic, but Kawasaki’s shaft-drive GT550 four proved to be a solid seller for around 20 years. John Nutting rode versions at the beginning and end of the run… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Visit the Mortons Archive (www.mortonsarchive.com) for more information and online search options concerning Kawasaki motorcycles, or speak to our archivist Jane Skayman on 01507 529423 with your requirements… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

The BSA A65 Lightning Clubman was the top of the range unit construction BSA, in many ways the replacement for the Rocket Gold Star as BSA’s twin-cylinder racer on the road… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Renowned for the quality of its products, Velocette excelled in international motorcycle racing, culminating in two world championship titles 1949/50, and today is still a force in vintage racing… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below……

Some of our favourite images from the 19th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford’s Showground… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Aintree motor racing circuit opened in 1954 and these pictures come from the first motorcycle race meeting, which attracted a strong entry… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Kawasaki’s H2 wasn’t the first two-stroke triple but it’s now probably the most sought after. Prices have rocketed in the last few years. We ride them again to find out why… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article…

Between testing road bikes in the 1970s and 80s, John Nutting was occasionally invited to try racing machines, such as Yamaha’s stunning TZ750 two-stroke four. It was a sobering experience… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues…

The overhead camshaft Norton is one of those motorcycles; it looks fast standing still. It could go a bit, too… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Visually striking and rarer than hen’s teeth, the Neander certainly stands out, with its designer clearly a man who knew his own mind… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Though it was called a ‘Special’ the so-named model was actually the cooking 500cc single in the Rudge range – much to the embarrassment of one concours judge who awarded it first prize in the Specials’ Class at a classic show, much to the derision from Triton builders… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic…

If Tonka made motorcycles, then one can’t help thinking they’d make something like this chunky and purposeful TT Special. James Robinson reports… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Though this Vincent-Norton hybrid machine may be described by some as a ‘special’ it was intended as the forerunner of series production… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Triumph’s Speed Twin was restyled in the late 1950s, its demure appearance suggesting life at a much slower pace… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert

Velocette’s strangely futuristic glass-fibre clad Vogue was never the great success its makers hoped for and, in truth, it never stood a chance… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

The Japanese are experts at miniaturisation. Suzuki’s TC90J is a perfect example of the oriental art of small but perfectly formed. CMM takes a spin on the diminutive TC90J, owned by Chris Brealey… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below……

The CB900 has always played second fiddle to its CBX1000 big brother. But this was Honda’s production racer for the biking masses… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert

Prices have doubled in less than 10 years and yet there’s never been a better time to buy a Honda RC30 or Yamaha OW01. Steve Rose explains why… Article continues below… Advert Enjoy more classic motorcycle reading, Click here to subscribe to one of our leading magazines. Article continues below… Advert Article continues below… Advert…