Features

In the 1920s, with the enthusiastic support of Raleigh (a major manufacturer at the time) Marjorie Cottle became one of Britain’s best-known motorcyclists. Her ready smile brightened press photos, captured as she engaged in all sorts of motorcycle activities or displayed her considerable talent as a trials rider…

To get more ‘oomph’ out of a motor, you need to get the air and mixture in sharpish and then get the exhaust gases out as quick as you can. But which valve layout is best? For some manufacturers, five valves is the way to go…

Some while ago we covered the dogged CD175 twin but there’s a sporty side to this dependable Honda; say hello to its non identical twin, the CB175…

With a triple being developed in the wings Triumph was embracing multi-cylinder motorcycling whole heartedly… then those chaps at Honda pulled a fast one and produced an ohc-four for the road…

Officially sanctioned by Norton, the Works Racing 30M is a top quality classic racer, built to exacting modern standards…

Building a bike from bits is an expensive way to do it these days, but it makes sense if half the bits are already in your possession – and if it’s done properly, the results can be very tasty indeed, as Jim Reynolds discovered…

The Carole Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic Show at Newark takes place this weekend, January 4-5, and has hundreds of beautiful classic and custom bikes to admire. With a healthy mix of trade stalls, dealers and autojumble plots it’s the perfect place for your next project…

From 1936, this picture shows members of the London Ladies Club lining up on their motorcycles before embarking on a club run. Though the photograph appeared in The Motor Cycle of April 9, 1936, with no further information, the lady on the left is the then Jessie Hole, founder member of the club and works…

Yes, it’s here at last – Britain’s biggest do-it-yourself road test! Sixty-seven Ariel Leader owners answered our call for considered opinions on the famous two-stroke twin. Most gave their mileages: added up, they came to 857,000! Allow for the dozen who missed out and the total must be somewhere around the million mark…

Royal Enfield’s heavyweight twins never enjoyed the success or the popularity of their contemporaries but Jim Reynolds reckons they were equally as good, if not better. Here he gets all star-struck about a Constellation…