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Festival of Speed
After two years of Covid-19 interruptions, classic racing returned to Sydney in style – with a new class bringing out some of the bikes mothballed after the demise of Phillip Island’s International Challenge
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Show us yours
Classic Bike readers share news of recent acquisitions, regular rides and progress of ongoing projects
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1960s The charge begins
The 1960s saw a seismic shift for two-stroke 250s, from humdrum commuters to tear-away humdingers… Mick Duckworth takes us from Leaders to Hustlers
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1970s RD and GT go to war
New learner laws backfired and soon more of us were on manic 250s than ever before. Hugo Wilson delves into his own misspent youth to recount a hectic decade
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1980s High noon for 250s
The end was nigh, yet the stream of rapid 250 strokers continued. Mat Oxley, who raced them in the ’80s at the Isle of Man, recalls the breath-taking buzz of it all
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1990s Going out with a bang
As legislative vultures circle, Suzuki and Kawasaki show us exactly what we’ll soon be missing. Former Editor of Bike, Tim Thompson was right there road-testing the last-of-breed 250 strokers
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LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE UNDERDOG
In the mid-1970s, Julian Soper’s Hadleigh Honda gamely battled with factory bikes in Unlimited class racing. A unique combination of Rob North chassis with Japanese four-stroke power, TT winner Michael Rutter will race the bike at April’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting
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FORMULA ONE TT, ISLE OF MAN
When the sun’s shining, there’s nowhere better to be in the first week of June than on the Isle of Man. In 1982, the Formula One TT was the week’s first race, and Mick Grant led from the start. But, on the fifth lap, his works Honda expired and team-mate Ron Haslam inherited the lead, winning the six-lap race at 113.33mph. Here he’s exiting Braddan Bridge just over one mile into the 37.73-mile lap. This year’s TT week is June 3-10, and if you’re going, we’re jealous.
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MAKE IT A VINTAGE YEAR
June’s Banbury Run is a key event for riders and lovers of pre-1931 bikes, with hundreds out on the road and on display. But what if you’re all booked in and your bike isn’t working?
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READY FOR TAKE-OFF
July sees RAF veteran Andy Green preparing for the 2023 racing season – his 13th year in the CRMC paddock. Care to join him?
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THE APEX OF GPs?
Four-stroke MotoGP bikes were viewed suspiciously when they first appeared, 20 years later the 990cc era can be viewed as GP racing’s golden age, with legendary bikes that were brutal and bizarre
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BOL D’OR, LE MANS
It’s 3pm on a sunny September afternoon at Le Mans in 1976, and the end of the gruelling 24-hour Bol d’Or race is being marked with the traditional track invasion by fans. For the final few laps, racers ran flat-out along the start/finish straight, through a narrowing tunnel of spectators, until race control waved the chequered flag. The 1976 race was won by Jean-Claude Chemarin and Britain’s Alex George on a works Honda RCB900. These days, the Bol is run at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France, and there’s a classic race to support the main event. It’s on the weekend of September 16-17. boldor.com
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ROCK IN’ ROLE
Even lifelong Japanese bike owners yearn to get in touch with their inner rocker. In anticipation of September’s Ace Cafe Brighton Burn-Up, local lad Naishy goes Brit with a Commando
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‘Freddie Spencer was trapped in my toilet’
John Mockett designed GP bikes for Kenny Roberts, fairings for Lord Hesketh and modern Bonnevilles for Triumph. And after work? Parties. Lots of parties…
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Date with a Daytona
Rick does a bit of detective work, but the truth about this Triumph’s TT racing history is still a mystery...
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How to... Make a handy ignition timing tool
An adjustable plug stop can be set to stop the piston at the right firing point – here’s how to make one
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The power’s in the right place
The engine goes into the frame of Will’s Triumph, starts first kick and he rides it away... well, that’s the dream anyway. In the real world, everything takes a bit more time
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I wish this quarry was mine
Rick enjoys some off-roading with his newly finished Triumph 3T project, roping in a Tribsa as substitute for good measure. Here’s how they dished the dirt...
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A winter’s tale
Mark sees light through the darkness on a trip to the Netherlands at the tail end of the forbidden season
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Honda CBX vs Kawasaki Z1300
Beauty challenges the beast as Honda and Kawasaki’s six-cylinder superbikes go head to head
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LOOSE CHANGE
Four bikes we found for sale at under a grand
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Going for a Gold Star
So much more than the sum of its parts, BSA’s Gold Star is as evocative as it gets. Here’s how to go mining for this precious metal
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Stafford set for a spectacular spring sale
From the exotic to the prosaic – all manner of classic iron goes under the hammer at Bonhams’ Stafford sale on April 22. Gez Kane selects 12 standout bikes that we wish we had the money to take a bid on...
