Issue One Hundred and Nine: May 2013

Every month, RealClassic features road-tests, owner reports, real-life rebuilds and hands-on restoration projects of brilliant British bikes and international exotica. Here's what's in the latest issue:

Typical Brit Poll Results: You voted, and we counted, and here we reveal which British motorcycle of the 20th century can claim to be the quintessential Brit. Clue: the top ten includes Velo singles, Enfield Bullets, Norton Commandos and even BSA Bantams. But you'll have to read the story to see which model ended up ranked at Number One. And don't blame us, by the way; you did the voting!

Ariel 350 Rebuild: This project has been going on for years; mostly not-going-on but in a sudden flurry of activity Frank Westworth has finally reinstalled the magdyno. This is progress. Slow, but progress nonetheless.

BSA Bantam Build: In Part Two, Odgie attempts to start an engine which has been sat in a box for the better part of 30 years. Might need more than just fresh petrol…

Matchless Silver Hawk: A darling of the pre-war era, this fabulous V4 was years ahead of its time in terms of engineering. In the first of a two-parter we examine the background to the model (and next month consider the restoration of this actual example)

Matchless G3: And here's another example of Plumstead's finest - but a rather more down-to-earth model of the marque. Its owner explains why this workaday 350 single is so special to him

Panther 120 Outfit: This rather special 650 sloper single hauls a sidecar for a living. Odgie met its long-term owner who put the Panther back on the road some two decades ago

Royal Enfield Constellation: One of Enfield's sweetest big twins, reckons Frank's Westworth, who took this 1959 example for a spin

Scott Squirrel: The first part of a new rebuild series starts with what should have been a straightforward task, fettling a Flyer into running order. As ever, things weren't quite so easy as they looked

Suzuki RE5: If there's a simple way of doing anything, then Suzuki did exactly the opposite with their rotary-engined roadster. Have your protractor ready for this model profile, roadtest and owner review…

Plus: It's time to go travelling on a Triumph to Africa or Venice (on two separate trips, you understand); we recommend a couple of fine motorcycling tomes which have recently come back into print; PUB has been cooking up motorcycle components on the hob; Dave Minton admires the art of capturing action and RC readers share their stories about buying a 961 Commando, racing lightweight Triumphs, filtering Triumph oil, the modern qualities of Hammerite, and the perplexing problem of failing spark plugs…

Issue One Hundred and Eight: April 2013

This month's RealClassic magazine features three BSAs, three Triumphs: five singles, three twins, two triples: two Nortons, an Enfield and a really weird Moto Guzzi. How can you resist?

BSA Gold Star: Not all Gold Stars are café cowboys or concours queens. Odgie meets an off-road hero

BSA Rocket 3: Last autumn, Trevor Drury went home from the South of England Show with the RealClassic award in his pocket after we clapped eyes on his astonishing Rocket 3 special. Here's the story behind this remarkable machine, which FrankW then takes for a spin…

BSA Bantam Build: The secret Bantam. Part One: It always starts with Part One, says Odgie in a moment of revelation, as he unpacks boxes of bits and starts to turn them into a motorcycle

Moto Guzzi Centauro: Sneered at when launched, this unusual eight-valve V-twin never quite found a following when it was new. These days, it's developing quite a cult. Frank Westworth investigates

Norton Sidevalve Singles: Dave Ramsden says his Norton 16H might just be the best thing since sliced bread. He's owns a Big Four, too

RE Crusader Rebuild: Stephen Herbert's eBay bargain finally hits the road as his first rebuild project reaches its conclusion. So. Wot'll it do, Mister?

Triumph Trident T150: Just to balance the Beesa R3, here's the second of two top triples in this issue. Nolan Woodbury enjoys sunny days and shiny Trumpets with the new generation of classic bike enthusiast

Triumph TR65 Thunderbird: In the 1908s, this short-stroke 650 was touted as a bargain economy version of the late Triumph twin. Rowena Hoseason thinks it's better than a T140

Plus: We bid Graham Ham a fond farewell (for the time being) as his current quest on Daisy the Speed Twin comes to a close; PUB looks forward to the so-called riding season (she's hard, that woman. All weathers. No hesitation); Dave Minton remembers filming for Honda and a trip to see Jack Grey, and Frank Westworth reveals what goes through the mind of the concours judge at shows (mainly; 'is that hog roast I can smell?')

On Top Of All That we have news and events and reader ads and such, and acres of detail photos with captions that actually show you useful parts of each feature bike and explain what you're looking at. Terribly unfashionable, but that's what we're like.

Issue One Hundred and Seven: March 2013

In the new issue of RealClassic magazine we discover what might be the world's first Triton, meet Ariels a-plenty at the house of the horse, consider whether Edward Turner did for Indian, and feature more classic machines from Morini, BSA, Bridgestone and Royal Enfield.

Ariel Singles: Allan Penrose owns several Ariel singles; a Red Hunter, a Black Ariel and even a trials special. One pre-war, one post-war, and one he built himself from an assortment of spare parts. So which one did he choose to ride for over 900 miles across Australia?

1970 Bridgestone GTO: Never mind one lump or two: Rowena Hoseason finally understands the attraction of a two-stroke twin after a ride on this spiffy little 350 twin

BSA A10A: You don't see many pre-unit Beesa twins equipped with both alternator and dynamo systems, although these were factory-built production machines. Rob Smith investigates the mystery of the missing A10As

Edward Turner And The End Of Indian: Indian are most famous for building big V-twins, but they came close to joining the post-war boom with a different configuration. Tim Pickering explains how Triumph's success brought about the end of Indian, and sank the American vertical twin from the get-go

Morini Strada 350: Most people opt for the Morini 350 Sport, but this owner chose a 1975 drum-braked touring Strada which needed some TLC to return it to top-notch condition

Royal Enfiled Crusader Rebuild, Pt2: Stephen Herbert's eBay bargain begins to take shape, but he must now navigate the bodges of Proud Previous Owner…

Triton Special: Take an International Norton. Throw most of it away. Add a swinging arm and a Triumph engine. Odgie rides the result, and shares a little industrial history

Triumph T100C: If you were choosing a bike to ride on tight voyages of exploration, which would it be? Richard Holt chose a Triumph T100C, and he explained why to Frank Westworth

Velocette KSS Special: Roger Slater wasn't too impressed by the performance of the standard cammy Velo 350 roadster, and nor was the owner of this KSS. A project to boost the mid-range was on the cards…

Plus: Graham Ham rides his Triumph Speed Twin in search of laverbread; Dave Minton wonders why people chose not to buy rotary Nortons; RC readers discuss instant gaskets, steam power, tech talk and more; PUB explores LEDs and Frank Westworth wonders what that strange spitting noise is that appears to be coming from his G12 engine…

Issue One Hundred and Six: February 2013

You won't find the monthly RealClassic magazine on sale in the shops, so if you want to read about old bikes being restored, ridden and rebuilt by real people, then here's how to get hold of the latest issue...

Bert Hopwood Story: Inspired to investigate the people who created the bikes we call classics, Richard Jones started with one of the old industry's most well-known characters. He follows Bert Hopwood's later career at Triumph, Norton and BSA

(Test) Rider'S Digest: How many different bikes did you ride in the last year or so? Frank Westworth rode a startling variety of classic motorcycles, and even liked a few of them…

1991 Moto Guzzi Le Mans: Nolan Woodbury reckons that the last Lemon was the sweetest of all, and takes a 1000 CI for a spin

Moto Morini 125 Rebuild: The final instalment: After some thirty weeks in the workshop, Stuart Thomson's restoration of his unusual Italian single is complete. So it's time for the test ride…

Norton Commando: Barry Huron doesn't think too highly of how Commandos were originally put together so he set about bringing a 750 up to his own standards (and then some). Yes, that is a supercharger…

TriBSA Combination: Odgie investigates an unusual outfit which was built specifically for the Beamish Trial. A BSA Golden Flash frame with a unit Triumph 500 engine, Roadholder forks, and a sidecar stuck (as you'd expect) on the side…

Triumph L2/1: You may be familiar with the Tiger 70 250 which Triumph built in the late 1930s. This is the machine which preceded it; a svelte OHC girder/rigid single, and the story of its restoration

Triumph T140 Hurriclone: Want to stand out from the T140 crowd? Paul Miles sampled a 750 Bonneville with added Hurricane appeal…

Plus: Graham Ham goes Over The Hill to the wilds of Wales; PUB gets steamed up; Dave Minton discusses the difference between a real motorcyclist and slick biker, and Frank Westworth dons his AMC anorak to prepare a Matchless G12 for its MoT.

Issue One Hundred and Five: January 2013

You won't find the monthly RealClassic magazine on sale in the shops, so if you want to read about old bikes being restored, ridden and rebuilt by real people, then here's how to get hold of the latest issue...

AJS Model 18: The road to riding delight can be a bumpy and unpredictable one. Stuart Urquhart wanted a bike like his dad's…

Ariel 500 Twin: Ariel twins are some of the more neglected of the British parallel lines, but why? Frank Westworth rides one and ponders

Bert Hopwood Profile: Inspired to investigate the people who created the bikes we call classics, Richard Jones started with one of the old industry's most well-known characters. He follows Bert Hopwood's early career from Ariel to Triumph, to Norton and then BSA

Featherbed Special, Final Episode: Martyn Roberts created a modern café racer from a Suzuki engine and a featherbed frame. And finally the Manki is finished! It runs! It rides! It brings a smile to Martyn's face!

Kawasaki Z1R Turbo: Meet Black Molly, one of the world's first stabs at a factory turbo motorcycle. Paul Miles discovers the meaning of warped speed…

Morini 125 Rebuild: Part Cinque: Stuart Thomson's restoration of his small capacity single-cylinder Morini continues with sprockets, oil filters and the dreaded electrics...

Royal Enfield Bullet, Part 2: They're everywhere. They're affordable. They're a load of fun. Odgie caught a Bullet and stripped it back to basics

Triumph 3SW: Some outlandish alterations are inflicted on innocent two-wheelers during military emergencies. Rowena Hoseason meets one of WW2's less well-known warriors and learns about one of its unusual applications

Meanwhile... Frank Westworth tackles an Ariel, a Matchless, grease, grime and backache in The Shed; Dave Minton says farewell to Gordon Lucas; PUB grapples with gearbox grief, and Burman's b'stard bearings, and Graham Ham considers the best old bikes for riding vast mileages.

Issue One Hundred and Four: December 2012

A Norton desert sled! Two Beesa 500s! A Bullet, a Beemer and a Bonnie! And… a woman in a nurse's uniform! It's all in the new issue of RealClassic...

BMW R60: A 1968 US-spec Boxer is brought back from the brink. Its owner explains how, and why this model attracted him in the first place

BSA A50: The unit-construction BSA 500 twin was built between 1962 and 1970 or so. In that time it changed significantly in character, if not much mechanically. We test one from each end of the era to see how different they feel on the road today

Norton P11: What would happen if you took the beefy Norton 750 Atlas twin engine and squeezed it into the scrambles chassis intended for a single-cylinder 500? The famous P11 desert sled is the result, and Frank Westworth rode one

Kenilworth Motorcyclette: Back in 1921, 15mph was considered to be a more than adequate cruising speed for an open-framed ladies' mount. Odgie meets a truly remarkable 142cc pushrod four-stroke, and is amazed

Morini Corsaro Rebuild, Part 4: Morini's small capacity single-cylinder models are usually overshadowed by the popular 350 twins. Stuart Thomson tackles the top end

Royal Enfield Bullet, Part 1: Odgie spent £1400 on a 2002 Bullet on eBay, and before transforming it into something extraordinary he fettled it into roadgoing condition and ran around on it for a bit. Well, he tried to. But that clutch takes some adjustment…

Suzuki Featherbed Special, Part 2: This was going to be the final chapter but we couldn't fit it all in. So this time Martyn Roberts fits his Suzuki single engine into a Norton featherbed frame

Triumph Bonneville: Yes it is another T140 Triumph 750 twin, but this is not just any old T140 Triumph 750 twin. Tis the very rare Anti Vibration version, with rubber where it matters. We test its mettle against a similarly bendy Norton Commando and a Devimead BSA 750, and count white fingers in the caff

Meanwhile... Graham Ham goes on a special trip with a very special pillion passenger; RC readers discuss Phil Irving, the correct gear camplate for speed twins, defining torque and the problem of patina; Jacqueline Bickerstaff investigates early rotary engine; Dave Minton discusses magnetos, and Frank Westworth starts reassembling his Ariel single in the Shed.

Issue One Hundred and Three: November 2012

This month's RealClassic magazine is stuffed full of specials: a Triumph sprinter, a cammy Norton and a featherbed Suzuki (pardon?) Just as well there's also a BSA Bantam, an Ariel single, a Moto Guzzi twin and a Laverda triple to ground us in reality...

Ariel NG: A heart-warming tale of a long-term purchase process, an excellent restoration, and a fine result. Philip Tedstone tells it as it was, and everything which has been done in between, with plenty of hands-on advice and trade recommendations

BSA Bantam: Few folk would choose to ride a small stroker more than a thousand miles in less than a week, but, as Rick Howell reports, his pretty poulet proved to be top of the pecking order

Laverda 3C: The Italian triple. No, it's not a Jota. Yes it is superb and desirable. Nolan Woodbury rides another Laverda; a 3C and investigates its introduction into America

Moto Guzzi V7 Café Classic: Air-cooled, pushrod twin. Deliberately classic style, modern amenities. Sound good? Reuben Fowles thought so too, and bought his own Moto Guzzi 750

Moto Morini 125 Rebuild: Part Tre: Morini's small capacity single-cylinder models are usually overshadowed by the popular 350 twins. Stuart Thomson stripped down his 125 single, and applied skill and paint…

Norton International: Why do some folk go all misty-eyed whenever overhead-cam singles are mentioned? Frank Westworth takes a personal approach to a featherbed 580cc special

Suzuki Featherbed Special: Martyn Roberts is an engineer, and like many engineers he decided to engineer his own motorcycle from a featherbed frame and a Suzuki single motor. Part one: the project begins

Triumph Sprint Special: Two Triumph Twins in perfect harmony. Sounds like the stuff of dreams? Odgie investigates, and explains life in the very fast lane…

Triumph 6T Thunderbird: What to do when two of your friends ride Triumph 650 Thunderbirds? Martin Hughes-Games found Thunderbird 3 for himself

Plus: The slightly frightening French BFG; Minton remembers the end of Phil Vincent's career, PUB gets to grips with an AJS project, And FrankW spends more time in the filing cabinet than in The Shed…

Issue One Hundred and Two: October 2012

Beezers abound in the October 2012 edition. And a BMW. And a Bonneville. And another bike or two which don't begin with 'B'...

BMW R100R: The Mystic was the last of the airhead line. Frank Westworth takes one for a ride

BSA B31: First rebuild the gearbox, then cure the oil leaks, and then ride a rigid 350 single to the Isle of Man

BSA A10: A plunger 650 twin, rebuilt in working trim, ready to be ridden. So what's it like to ride?

BSA M20: Back in the day, this sidevalve survivor wasn't considered a classic. It was just another old bike. Its owner recalls many miles with an ex-military machine

BSA 250 Unit Singles: A buyer's eye view of the market, including C15s, B25s and even T25s and TR25s too. The price of oil-in-frame B25s is on the rise…

Morini Corsaro Rebuild, Part 2: Morini's small capacity single-cylinder models are usually overshadowed by the popular 350 twins. Stuart Thomson strips it down and prepares to paint

Triumph Bonneville: In a moment's madness, we discover how you might fit nitrous oxide to a big bore Meriden twin. And then stand well back

Yamaha RC250LC: Paul Miles relives his hooligan youth with a liquid-cooled stroker, and muses over the Yamaha's relationship to a much earlier, British built water-cooled two-stroke

Meanwhile... Graham Ham reveals the art of pulling a trailer with a motorcycle; Jacqueline Bickerstaff goes to the Windmill Rally; Dave Minton reveals how Laverda came to be imported to the UK by the Slater brothers, and Frank Westworth finally starts painting his Ariel project

Issue One Hundred and One: September 2012

In the September 2012 edition, RC writers get to grips with...

Ariel (single) vs Triumph (twin): Love at first sight. Comparing a 1947 Triumph twin to a 1944 Ariel single may appear to be a strange occupation, but Reg Eyre knows what he likes about motorcycles with military history

BMW K75 Refurb, Part 2: Ex-Police motorcycles are often very affordable and well-equipped. Steve MacGregor returned a K75 RT to prolonged civilian life, and shares his conclusions with us

Bsa Star Twin: Long-term ownership of a motorcycle is a sure way to learn all about it. Gordon Johnston and his BSA A7 500 twin have been together for more than thirty years…

Kawasaki Special: It's a super-rapid retro! Jonathan Hoare inspected some serious muscle and attempted to explain why you'd dress up an old Kawasaki to look like a recent Triumph

Matchless Trials Single: The old traditional big Brit banger is alive and well, and surprisingly active in VMCC off-road events. Odgie examines a much-modded G80 500 single

Morini Corsaro Rebuild, Part 1: Morini's small capacity single-cylinder models are usually overshadowed by the popular 350 twins. Stuart Thomson picked 175cc single for his winter project

1930 Norton 16H: It's nearly 90 years since the vintage era of sporting sidevalves. Rowena Hoseason encounters one of the long-lived survivors of that time

Velocette MSS: It's an easy starter. It rides like a gentleman. It is very quiet. How can this be a Velocette? Frank Westworth delights aboard an MSS

Meanwhile... Graham Hill goes Over The Hill on his trusty Speed Twin once again; PUB investigates more on Motosacoche; Dave Minton spends money on his old motorcycles, and Frank Westworth runs out of reasons not to start work on his Ariel 350 project.

Issue One Hundred: August 2012

After nearly ten years, we arrive at RC100, curiously taller than its predecessors, but otherwise much the same as it ever was...

1924 AJS B1: There is something uniquely excellent about an unrestored motorcycle. Odgie discovers delight in an antique AJS

AJS Model 31: It's finally finished. Frank has been rebuilding the £100 Ajay what feels like forever (but is only 100 months: don't exaggerate). Which means it's time for Rowena Hoseason to see if it'll withstand the rigours of a proper road test

BMW K75 Rebuild: Ex-Police motorcycles are often very affordable and well-equipped. Steve MacGregor returned a K75 RT to prolonged civilian life

BSA GOLD STAR CB34: If we could have summoned the enthusiasm, then we would have organised a 'ton up' theme for the bikes in this issue. But it all felt a bit artificial, so even though this Goldie is entirely capable of 100mph, we didn't bother. Some motorcycle enthusiasts chop and change their bikes all the time. Not so the owner of this iconic classic. One man. One motorcycle. For forty years!

Honda CBX750F: According to Mark Williams, the UJM reached its peak in 1985, although he had to wait another 26 years for his (And yes, this is the same MW who appeared in RC01. We'll probably have to wait for RC200 for his next story)

MV Agusta Ipotesi: Like father, like son? Paul Miles seeks the soul of the big fours in MV's 350 Sport

Triumph TRW: Gently does it. Relaxed and reliable, durable and dirt-resistant. Frank Westworth remade an old acquaintance with this military sidevalve twin

Plus: Readers discuss whether the needles on a Katana really do travel in different directions (they don't. But they look as if they do); debate restoration or recreation; say au revoir to Radco; Graham Ham and his trusty Speed Twin make progress en route to Sweden; Dave Minton remembers two very special Velocettes; Jacqueline Bickerstaff rides her TT Triumph to Banbury and a Vincent to Cassington, and Frank Westworth reminds himself not to fix anything which isn't actually broken yet (and yes, that is a not-so-subtle comment on the nature of publishing as well as motorcycling…). Then there's all the usual gubbins like news, events and reader ads too, although we didn't have space to mention our new T-shirts, sadly.

Issue Ninety Nine: July 2012