Gallery

Norton’s famous – and successful – Commando came in a number of guises, but is any more handsome than the S Type?

Rod Gibson gets to grips with the science of camshaft design, and enters a world full of ramps, overlap, lift and durations. But will it make the bike go faster?

Bimota’s SB2 was both the Italian factory’s and Massimo Tamburni’s first production road bike design. John Nutting tested in the Isle of Man in 1978…

Rod Gibson shows the assembly procedure for Yamaha’s big single, the XT500…

‘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…

Forty-two years after it rolled off the production line, owner Tony Clements reckons that it’s possible to keep an 650 Thunderbolt in better-than-new condition, and he’s got the prizes to prove it…

Suzuki’s GT185 two-stroke twin typified Japanese lightweights of the early 70s: conventionally styled but with generous and sporty detailing. But, as John Nutting recalls from when he tested in 1973, the glitter concealed some peculiarities

Was Suzuki’s 500cc two-stroke twin doomed to become extinct before its time? John Nutting recalls the bike that started the Hamamatsu factory’s big-bike era and the last of the line.

Though the Norton Model 50 is often derided for its lack of pace, it’s more a case of an exceptional frame, rather than a disappointing engine that has led to this largely unjustified criticism. Roy Poynting tells the story…