Mark Lancaster
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Bazza’s first!
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Words: Bertie SimmondsPic: Mortons Archive Some Fifty years ago Barry Sheene took his first 500cc Grand Prix race win. It was just months after his near-death crash at Daytona and his victory set the scene for his two world championships in 1976 and 1977. Suzuki’s iconic RG500 would eventually win 49 races, four riders’ titles…
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Sparton: the chapel-built British racer that scared the factory giants
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For a brief period in the 1970s, one of the most powerful race bikes in the world was being built in a converted chapel in North Wales. Sparton was a collaboration between Barton Engineering and Spondon Engineering. Barton brought the two-stroke engine expertise, Spondon brought the frame-building brilliance, and together they created a machine that…
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ABC Tricar: the Mini that lost a wheel and became a teenage dream
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John Milton takes a look at the ABC Tricar. The ABC Tricar, in short a three-wheeled BMC Mini, was originally created by Ken Heather and Bill Power for Ken’s son, Trevor. Trevor had really wanted a Morgan three-wheeler, but one suspects that, even in the mid-1960s, Morgans were an expensive choice for a teenager. So…
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Len Vale-Onslow: the maverick who gave motorcycles the welded frame
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From childhood crashes to the first welded production motorcycle frame, Len Vale-Onslow’s story is one of invention, risk-taking and what might have been. The name of Len Vale-Onslow needs little introduction. Born Leslie Vale-Onslow in 1900, he was introduced to motorcycles in 1908 when he rode a machine built by his brothers. A police constable…
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How Saracen rose and fell in Britain’s mini trials motorcycle boom
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Along with friend and scrambler Frank Underwood, trials enthusiast and school teacher Ron Goodfellow designed, built, rode and sold the Saracen mini trials motorcycles in kit form, inspired by a desire to create an affordable alternative to the then-expensive Bultaco models. Working in a small Cirencester workshop, Mr Goodfellow brazed up a chassis using preformed…
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Yamaha YR2C: when Yamaha joined the street scrambler trend
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Steve Cooper looks at how Yamaha took its all-new YR1 and jumped aboard the 1960s street scrambler trend. In 1967, Yamaha’s Iwata factory rolled out its most significant machine since the 250cc two-stroke YDS1 of 1959. The all-new Yamaha YR1 350 two-stroke twin was a ground-up design featuring a vertically split crankcase and a clutch…
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Suzuki’s TC200 came here by accident…
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Steve Cooper looks at the street scrambler that came to these shores by accident… So, as we all know, street scramblers were never sold in the UK, right? Well, why would a company do that when we Brits have always had a reputation for being a conservative bunch when it comes to buying motorcycles? Very…
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Dunlop Debut!
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Fifty years ago… the summer of ’76 — the heatwave, petrol at 76 a gallon, Barry Sheene and James Hunt winning world championships on two and four wheels. Punk rock was on its way to shake up the establishment and one J. Dunlop was about to make his debut at the Isle of Man TT…
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Rare Japanese Lilac Lancer added to museum collection
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The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum is delighted to announce the latest addition to its world-renowned collection – a rare Lilac Lancer Mk V 250cc V-Twin, a shaft-driven, four-speed motorcycle built by the Marusho Company of Hamamatsu, Japan. The Marusho Company was founded in 1948 by motorcycle engineer Masashi Ito, who would go on to create…
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R A Jones Classic Motorcycles: a family passion for proper classic bikes
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For anyone with a love of British classics, restoration projects and interesting old motorcycles, R A Jones Classic Motorcycles is well worth knowing about. Based in Manchester, close to the Trafford Centre and M60, the business is run by Robert Jones and specialises in classic motorcycles, with a particular passion for British machinery. Whether it…
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