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John Surtees

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:39:40 +0000

There are records, there are world records, and then there records that will probably never be beaten.

One of those records belongs to former world champion John Surtees. Surtees won world titles on motorcycles and in cars. In fact he won seven world motorcycle racing championships and one Formula One car racing championship. (Samples of both his motorcycles and F1 race cars can be seen at the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum).

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Ninja 250

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:41:52 +0000

Working at a Kawasaki dealers in California in the 80s brought me into contact with the EX250 Ninjas. I have to admit, they were not my favorite motorcycle, and we saw many of them with blocked primary jets in our workshop. (Customers who didn't add fuel stabilizer for winter storage would be lined up to have their carbs cleaned come springtime!).

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Velocette Craftsmanship

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:23:44 +0000

I have two memories of Velocette motorcycles that stand out. The first was being asked by a friend of mine to separate his Venom crank cases. I pulled and tugged and gave them everything I had. They were obviously still bolted together somewhere. "Not so," says my friend. "They are empty cases held together only by the perfect seal of their beautifully machined surfaces." To prove his point, he slid them sideways, and sure enough, they separated easily. Now that's craftsmanship!

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Military Classic Motorcycles

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:15:33 +0000

Some of the largest numbers of motorcycles ever manufactured were for military contracts. In particular, during the Second World War many manufacturers (on both sides) produced only military specification motorcycles.

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Make and Model Unknown?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:27:03 +0000

Visiting a recent auction, I was surprised to see a motorcycle listed with a note saying "exact model of this little beauty unknown by the current owner". I was surprised because most auction companies employ experts to carefully list all the machines whenever possible.

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Husqvarna Motorcycles

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:38:36 +0000

I raced amateur MX (Scrambling as it was known then) in the UK for about 4 years in the early 70s. The bikes then were going through major changes, primarily by getting longer travel suspension.

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Made in Argentina, the Tehuelche

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:41:21 +0000

Walking around a line of bikes at a show or auction, I often get stopped in my tracks by one machine (there is something about it that stands out from all the others). And so it was when I visited the Vegas auctions recently.

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Las Vegas Auction Results

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:24:40 +0000

The results from the early auctions give us some idea of how the market for classic motorcycles is going. And the two big auctions held in Las Vegas recently pointed to a buoyant market.

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Strange but True?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:49:59 +0000

Driving with a sidecar passenger can be a challenge in the best circumstances. I was doing some research on Excelsior and Indian motorcycles recently when I came across some amazing images that made my days of sidecar racing seem like a gentle country ride.

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Villiers, The Later Years

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:32:14 +0000

The history of one English motorcycle manufacturer says a lot about what was best (at the beginning) and worst (at the end) of the British manufacturers.

When Villiers began to make 2-stroke engines available for other manufacturers, the company's order book included names such as: Aberdale, ABJ, AJS, AJW, Ambassador, BAC, Bond, Bown, Butler, Commander, Corgi, Cotton, Cyc-Auto, DMW, Dot, Excelsior, Francis-Burnett, Greeves, HJH, James, Mercury, New Hudson, Norman, OEC, Panther, Radco, Rainbow, Scorpion, Sprite, Sun, Tandon, and not forgetting Seagull for outboard engines!

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