classic motorcycles

  • Hidden Gems: Kawasaki Z650

    Hidden Gems: Kawasaki Z650

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    Steve Cooper takes a look at the Kawasaki Z650, now rather overlooked but with a claim to being one of the best middleweight machines ever built. Most fans of Japanese classics will know the story of the Z1’s development, how Kawasaki was pipped at the post by Honda’s CB750 with its first four, but then…

  • Remembering Rod Pallant: a drag racing original

    Remembering Rod Pallant: a drag racing original

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    A couple of months on from the sad news of Rod Pallant’s death, we look back at Keith Lee’s tribute to one of British drag racing’s most memorable characters. First published in Old Bike Mart, the piece below is reproduced verbatim. The drag racing community has lost a memorable bike racer with the passing of…

  • Everything you need to know about the Stafford Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show 2026

    Everything you need to know about the Stafford Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show 2026

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    The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show sponsored by Carole Nash returns to Staffordshire Showground on October 10-11, with more than 900 traders, dealers and autojumble stands, a huge club presence, famous racing machinery, special guests and the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale. Staffordshire Showground is preparing to welcome thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts for one of the biggest…

  • Wartime DKW emerges from the River Danube

    Wartime DKW emerges from the River Danube

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    Global warming across the world has resulted in water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs dropping, leading to the reemergence of long-submerged buildings and even villages. But in Budapest, a decrease in the level of the Danube has led to a particularly interesting discovery. People walking along the side of river in Batthyány Square opposite…

  • Roadskin launches new Ranger Multi-season AAA-Rated Jacket

    Roadskin launches new Ranger Multi-season AAA-Rated Jacket

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    Roadskin has announced the launch of the new Ranger Multi-season AAA-Rated Jacket, a protective motorcycle jacket designed for riders who want serious safety without giving up comfort or everyday style. Built as Roadskin’s toughest jacket yet, the Ranger combines the highest AAA safety rating with a relaxed olive-green look that feels just as at home…

  • Readers’ Tale: A year to remember

    Readers’ Tale: A year to remember

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    John Stevenson (aka 5012094 SAC Stevenson J) looks back on a special year in his life. Many people I think have a special year – always to be remembered. It could be national, such as the 1966 football World Cup or it could be personal. Perhaps trivial, perhaps not. Mine was the latter and the…

  • Tonkin Tornado: Steve Tonkin’s take on the ultimate café racer

    Tonkin Tornado: Steve Tonkin’s take on the ultimate café racer

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    Steve Tonkin took on the task of building the ultimate café racer. After John Tickle sold the rights to Unity Equipe, they would eventually be acquired by Andy Molnar in 1994. A former TT racer who won the Junior TT in 1981, Steve would partner with Andy Molnar to build the Tonkin Tornado. Built to…

  • The Thorough: the short-lived motorcycle that offered unusually long test rides

    The Thorough: the short-lived motorcycle that offered unusually long test rides

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    At the end of the 19th century George Featherstone was an ironmonger living in Bethnal Green but he had a son who was interested in the great strides that transportation was taking. It seems likely that it was John Featherstone who persuaded his father into producing a motorcycle in 1903. By then, John, now in…

  • Hidden Gems: Yamaha YDS6

    Hidden Gems: Yamaha YDS6

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    Steve Cooper looks at a single year model that you can still pick up for not a lot of money. That the Japanese motorcycle industry plagiarised the work of others is well documented. In the modern business world such artifice creates what’s known as a second-to-market product and often such offerings have some of the…

  • Three September autojumbles every classic bike fan should have in the diary

    Three September autojumbles every classic bike fan should have in the diary

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    September is shaping up to be a cracking month for autojumble fans, with three very different events taking place across the country. Whether you’re hunting for that elusive restoration part, looking for tools and workshop kit, browsing potential projects or simply fancy a day surrounded by classic machinery, there are three dates worth knowing: Netley…


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