classic motorcycle archive
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The man who made the Manx better: John Tickle’s lighter, faster Norton
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John Tickle is a legendary name in the world of Norton, not least because it was he who – whisper it low – improved the Manx Norton. When he had bought the contents of the AMC race shop in 1966, Colin Seeley also acquired all the Manx Norton rights and parts. He decided to concentrate…
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40 years of the Beast: How Suzuki’s GSX-R1100 rewrote the superbike rules
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Suzuki’s beast of a bike – the GSX-R1100G first hit UK showrooms some 40 years ago. Bertie Simmonds looks back… The GSX-R750F of 1985 revolutionised sportsbike design, even if it used tried and tested technology, but by making the whole bike lighter… For the 1986 GSX-R1100, Suzuki applied very similar thinking. This bike weighed in…
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Flashback – Italjet 350
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As the Spanish industry suffered industrial turmoil Italy was waiting in the wings. Tim Britton remembers… Designing and building a motorcycle from scratch is fairly simple, everyone knows a wheel is needed at either end and an engine in the middle with some form of tubing to keep them all in the right place. This…
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Unsung scramblers
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Two of the lesser-known – and less successful – machines used for off-road speed work, in action at a mid-1950s event. Words: SIMON ROBINSON Published in the April 26, 1956 edition of The Motor Cycle magazine, this picture shows Royal Enfield-mounted F. M. Bussell being followed by Tony White on his Velocette. The action is…
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Made in Yorkshire: Sheffield-Henderson, Freddie Dixon and the 1922 Scarborough Speed Trials
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The Scarborough Speed Trials have been a feature of the North Yorkshire seaside town for more than a century, and a remarkable photograph from 1922 captures a moment that links Yorkshire motorcycle manufacture, early competition success, and some of the most famous names of the era. The image first appeared in the 28 September 1922…
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