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Shaft-driven Sunbeams were a gentlemanly alternative to the rufty tufty vision of 50s motorcycling, when young men supposedly roared across the countryside on Nortons, Triumphs and BSAs with not a care in the world…

Museums are often criticised for having lots of static exhibits. Luckily the Beaulieu collection is more enlightened and actually allows historic machines to run. Jim Reynolds gets on with a legendary Norton…

The Norton Navigator was never that popular in its day, though then – as now – it had its devotees. One of Norton’s last truly new designs, the lightweight twin thrived on revs – just like another range of small lightweight four-stroke twins soon to emerge from the east…

Kawasaki’s GPz1100 cracked the 150mph barrier in 1983, and that alone gives the bike a place in the history books. But was the last and most potent of the big air-cooled Kawasaki fours the best of the bunch? John Nutting reports…

The Spitfire was BSA’s range leader through the years 1966 to 1968. This is a US market last-season version…

The twin-cylinder Matchless G45 was a slightly bizarre departure for AMC, its conception defying what seemed, to many, basic logic. Instead of boring out the existing 350, the company based the bike on a production 500…

Though there may be more glamorous, exotic 1930s Velocettes, few are as capable all-round as the 250cc MOV, an excellent commuter – and surprisingly sprightly sportster, with handling and performance to put many younger bikes to shame…

Enthusiast Bob Chapman is reluctant to reveal what sacrifices he made in order to purchase this 1954 350 Clubman’s TT International Norton, but he was happy enough to tell Tim Oliver the story…

Bursting through a paper ‘curtain’ covering Ace Classics (London) Ltd’s shop door was the ever youthful John Giles…

Triumph’s Speed Twin was restyled in the late 1950s, its demure appearance suggesting life at a much slower pace…

By 1951, the racing machine of choice was the Featherbed Manx Norton – but there were too few of those to go round and they were only made available to the select few anyway…

The motorcycling fraternity has lost one of its oldest and most accomplished racing competitors with the passing of James Kelly Swanston, who would have been 105 years of age on March 26, 2013…

Forget Barry Sheene’s RG500, forget Eddie Lawson’s YZRs, forget even Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha or Foggy’s Ducati. This almost standard-looking Honda XL250 cost just £100 and is the most successful race bike in the history of motorcycling. By miles…

Rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly went for an Ariel Cyclone just like this one. You can see why. James Robinson reports…

As the British industry struggled for survival it needed a new power unit to replace the vertical – or parallel – twin engine design it had relied on for goodness knows how many years…

This mid-30s BMW, despite being 80 years old, has earned an enviable reputation for its capabilities as a touring machine and is still more than capable of covering vast mileages, just as its maker intended when it was originally produced…

Triumph’s TR6SC was ostensibly a single carb version of the TT Bonneville, sharing many of its basic components, and this is probably the best example you’ll set eyes on…

There are those among us who prefer practicality over aesthetics and are skilled enough to be able to make something from ‘a mishmash of unrelated parts.’ What’s more, said parts don’t necessarily have to have originated from another motorcycle… but a rotavator?

They say that old Indians never die, and a thorough makeover does seem to have given this old warhorse a new lease of life…

This Douglas special has a fascinating history, including input into its construction by Triumph…

‘World’s finest standard sports 500’, so boasted BSA. But to some, Gold Stars are overpriced and unnecessary, though to many others – including our scribe – BSA was quite right, and they are simply the best ohv singles ever made…

The history of British motorcycling is littered with what-might-have-beens. Jim Reynolds gets to grips – briefly – with one

Kawasaki’s Z650 set the standard for four-cylinder middleweights, but the company did it the hard way. Confirmed Suzuki GS750 fan Rod Ker concedes the Z was the bike to beat in the performance wars

Everyone has had a Yamha DT175, ridden one, borrowed one and/or abused one. Given a diet of petrol, half decent two-stroke oil, the odd plug and sundry consumables these machines have rewarded their owners with dogged reliability and unstinting service…

After a number of successful car sales, Historics at Brooklands included a motorcycle section in its recent June auction. The bike lots raised over £150k and could go much higher as a Black Lightning with an estimate of £105,000 – £140,000 is under offer…

Tin should not be damaged by fire. Frank Westworth discovers that you should never believe your own eyes. One of the reasons I was happy to pay out five hundred of HM’s most excellent pound notes for what may appear to have been a pile of scrap was because the toasted remnant had all of…

Though this Vincent-Norton hybrid machine may be described by some as a ‘special’ it was intended as the forerunner of series production…

Getting closer to John Nutting’s final choice. Motorcycle league positions in this part are 20 down to 11…

BSA made its name on the back of solid, dependable machines, just like this one, suitable for hard work without complaint…

As rarities go, they don’t come much more unusual than this US-only off-road BSA A65 competition twin…

Never likely to set the pulses racing and often dismissed as ‘grey porridge’ and heaved onto the scrap man’s wagon, this BSA C10L – so representative of an era – is now a rarity. And that’s a real shame, because it has a charm which was overlooked when originally on sale. James Robinson explains…

Peter Williams, Norton factory rider and designer of the team’s new monocoque-framed machine, gave the company a well-overdue victory in the 1973 Formula 750 TT…

With the Triumph Bonneville celebrating its silver jubilee, the VMCC chose to offer up one such machine for their Christmas raffle prize. Always keen on a bargain, Jim Reynolds went to sample his quid’s worth…