Features

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 with not a care in the world…

Museums are often criticised for having lots of static exhibits. Luckily the Beaulieu collection is more enlightened and actually allows historic machines to run. Jim Reynolds gets on with a legendary Norton…

The Norton Navigator was never that popular in its day, though then – as now – it had its devotees. One of Norton’s last truly new designs, the lightweight twin thrived on revs – just like another range of small lightweight four-stroke twins soon to emerge from the east…

Kawasaki’s GPz1100 cracked the 150mph barrier in 1983, and that alone gives the bike a place in the history books. But was the last and most potent of the big air-cooled Kawasaki fours the best of the bunch? John Nutting reports…

The twin-cylinder Matchless G45 was a slightly bizarre departure for AMC, its conception defying what seemed, to many, basic logic. Instead of boring out the existing 350, the company based the bike on a production 500…

The Spitfire was BSA’s range leader through the years 1966 to 1968. This is a US market last-season version…

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, with handling and performance to put many younger bikes to shame…

Enthusiast Bob Chapman is reluctant to reveal what sacrifices he made in order to purchase this 1954 350 Clubman’s TT International Norton, but he was happy enough to tell Tim Oliver the story…

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

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