Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Classic Bike Guide

IT’S HARD TO KNOW WHAT TO WRITE. LIKE so many people, I have family members who are vulnerable. Like so many businesses, it’s uncertain how the coming months will play out. That said, in the lull before the effects of all this bite, the world feels simpler. Family, friends and community are centre stage. Kind thoughts and acts are commonplace. As someone who graduated two months before Lehman Brothers collapsed, worked through years of recession as a freelance designer and then launched a business during the Brexit spin-cycle, rather than worry, I prefer to remain hopeful and look for the positives. Whilst self-isolating from the black plague, Isaac Newton invented Calculus, discovered that white light is made by combining every colour in the spectrum, and theorised about a force he…

APRIL STAFFORD POSTPONED UNTIL AUGUST THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK has cut a swathe through the events programme for the spring and summer of 2020. From high profile events like the TT to the smallest club meet, rally, AGM or bike night, pretty much the whole classic calendar is off until August as the Government’s advice to stay indoors bites. The biggest classic show of the year, the 40th Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Show at Stafford, due to be held on April 25/26, has been postponed – twice. Originally rescheduled for June, as the impact of the outbreak became clearer, this has now been rescheduled again with a new date in August. A spokesman for organisers Mortons Events said: “The safety and well-being of our visitors, exhibitors, partners, contractors and staff is…

IT HAD BEEN A FRUSTRATING DAY. A 350-MILE ROUND trip had been made to ride a small selection of classics. It had been a decidedly risky plan in any case given the time of year, but the weather forecast had been for a little light rain first thing, with things getting brighter later. However, when we arrived it rained. And rained... Sometimes in torrents, sometimes in that nasty greasy drizzle that coats the roads with a mixture of water and spilled diesel, making things ultra-slippery. I’d manage to grab a few rides, but it was tough getting the best out of what was on offer. There was a two-stroke trail bike that produced most of its power at 5000rpm. This was something of a challenge on the slippery road, as…

TONY RUTTER LEFT US FOR THE great racetrack in the sky on the morning of Tuesday, March 24, aged 78. He was one of the finest racers of his era, as quick on short circuits as he was the roads, yet modest, unassuming and, perhaps, unappreciated as a rider who let his results do the talking. He was a winner wherever he went, enjoying success on everything from a 125 to a 1000cc Honda. A statement from Tony’s son Michael confirmed his dad’s passing and paid tribute to his achievements: “It is with sadness that after a period of poor health, dad passed away earlier today. I was with him when he died at about 2am and he was very peaceful. “It makes me smile how dad lived his life…

How about this for a dashcam? Back in August 1957, John Surtees took viewers for a ride when the BBC’s television programme, ‘Let’s go motor cycling’, filmed a lap of Oulton Park with the World Champion. That June, John had come second in the Senior TT on his 500/4 MV Agusta, in the longest ever Grand Prix, at 8 laps, 3hrs, 5 mins and more than 300 miles. He also came fourth in the Junior TT for MV Agusta, though only managed 3rd in the 500cc World Championship, thanks to numerous retirements. And within three years, John would be the darling of the car world.…

WITH PRETTY MUCH everything in lockdown we thought we would look into how the classic parts trade is doing. Are we just waiting for all this to blow over while watching Bargain Hunt and reruns of Shed and Buried, or are we busy in our own sheds, garages, back gardens and, in some cases, living rooms, making our bikes better than they were before in preparation for the start of our delayed spring? You can still buy motorcycle parts. Indeed, the Government is actively encouraging us all to buy things over the phone or online. And with so many of the suppliers that keep our wheels turning being small operations, our business is what’s going to make sure they are all still there when we can get back to what…

EVERY NOW AND THEN THE STORY THAT ENZO Ferrari Scuderia started out racing motorcycles rather than cars resurfaces, usually supported by little more than a list of motorcycles entered into races by one Scuderia Ferrari. The supposition is then supported with some ancient photos of Enzo in the proximity of a few racing motorcycles. There’s even a nicely illustrated book on the subject, II mistero delle moto inglesi di Ferrari (The mystery of Ferrari’s English motorcycles) by Nunzia Manicardi available, with a fair English translation, from the Rudge Enthusiasts’ Club. Yet, despite some heavyweight authorities claiming the story to be true, the more you dig the less hard evidence there is. Enzo is rarely – if ever – quoted, and the other members of the Ferrari family involved in motorsport…

WHEN IT WAS LAUNCHED AT THE LONDON Earls Court Show at the end of 1954, Motor Cycling magazine described the Douglas Dragonfly as ‘one of the most advanced designs in its class, with performance to satisfy the enthusiast just as the layout delights the stylist’. Compared to bog-standard Brit singles, the transverse twin certainly looked special. The Dragonfly featured Reynolds-Earles long leading-link forks designed by Ernie Earles – that’s right, the same man who patented the fork that would grace the front end of thousands of BMWs. Also designed by Earles and manufactured at Reynolds Tube alongside the famous Norton Featherbed frame, the Dragonfly’s arc welded cradle frame featured a large-diameter top tube and neat triangulation of the headstock and subframe. Girling shocks controlled the front forks and swingarm. Earles,…

‘MANY RIDERS, AS IN THE PAST, HAVE TAKEN a standard motorcycle, maybe new, maybe old, and invested time, money and their ingenuity to produce a personal statement. A machine that –whatever its individual idiosyncrasies – immediately creates an impression of speed and purposefulness.’ Mike Clay’s words in his 1988 book ‘Café Racers’ explain eloquently and concisely the reason why beautiful motorcycles like the glimmering Guzzi in front of me exist at all. Café racers because these bikes were – and are – used for short, sharp speed trips from one legendary coffee bar to another. Places like The Ace Cafe, now of course once again a mecca for the rockers of today, The Busy Bee, Johnsons and the Dugout, all became watering holes and meeting places for the ton-up boys…