• AJS and Matchless twins
In two decades during the post-war British bike boom, Associated MotorCycles built an awful lot of heavyweight twins. Rowena Hoseason reviews the range, what they’re like to live with, and what they cost to buy right now
• BSA A65 Lightning
Geoff King bought a showstopper with what looked like a bulletproof mechanical history. So, of course, it barely covered 200 miles before it needed another engine rebuild
• Matchless G80 rebuild part (we’ve lost count)
Frank Westworth’s circuitous rebuild of his late AMC single continues without any real sense of urgency. This month, the Roadholder front end goes back together. Mostly
• JAP speedway special
Match a mighty 500cc single engine to a skinny speedway chassis and you’ve created a machine which wears its mechanical heart on its sleeve. Odgie discovers a bike with more than just character: a motorcycle whose very soul still shines out
• Norton Commando rebuild pt2
Some restoration projects should come with a health/wealth warning, as Stuart Urquhart discovered the hard way. This month, he struggles with poor quality repro parts and ‘universal’ components which seem to have come from an alternate dimension…
• NSU 201 Lux
This unusual two-stroke was thrown on a Swiss scrapheap, ready to be recycled. Dave Blanchard reveals how it was rescued and what was required to return it to the road
• Superbikes
A couple of months ago, back in RealClassic 126, we discussed early British superbikes. Now Ace Tester Paul Miles reveals his favourite bikes of all time: the Harley-Davidson XLCR, Egli Vincent, Suzuki RG500, Ducati 750GT and Norton Classic
• Triumph Terrier and Tiger Cub
Marque expert and author Mike Estall explains how he developed such a close connection with Triumph’s tiddlers, the T15 and T20, and introduces us to an early example of each
• Triumph T150 rebuild pt 2
Years ago, Ian Copcutt bought a UK-styled Triumph Trident which almost immediately developed engine trouble so was relegated to the back of the shed. When the time came to rebuild the mechanicals, Ian was determined to do something about the T150’s styling too. Now it’s time to build the bottom end
• Triumph Speed Triple
20 years ago, Frank Westworth reckoned Hinckley triples were overweight, over-complicated and over-hyped. Now, of course, he’s a convert to the cause which declaims the classic nature of the single-headlamp 885 Striple…
PLUS! Readers debate the nature of superbikes, remember Charlie’s Motorcycles in Bristol and warn of terrible tyre traumas; Graham Ham’s ShedQuest explores the Bentley Shed in Wiltshire; Jacqueline Bickerstaff discusses ‘real’ rotary engines and Dave Minton remembers Manganese Bronze
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RealClassic – running, riding and rebuilding RealClassic motorcycles
