Features

Fast, tough and comfortable, the 11.50 combination was designed by its maker George Brough as a fast road train. Over 70 years later, it’s still capable of that role, if given the chance…

A term I don’t particularly care for is ‘badge engineering’ but it pretty much covers what AMC did with AJS and Matchless motorcycles. Acutely aware of marque loyalty in the market place AMC was careful to have an AJS or Matchless equivalent of each model in its range…

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…