Classic Bike

I wonder how many people like me, who read the MCN race coverage of the Imola 200 on Wednesday, April 26, realised then just what a significant moment in motorcycle history – and more importantly in Ducati history – Paul Smart’s victory had created? I clearly remember our pub chat on that Wednesday night being one of shock that Ducati had won, but also delight that it was Smartie who had done the deed! Looking back at MCN’s coverage of the race, you get the sense that everyone else was in shock at what he achieved at Imola. Norrie Whyte’s opening gambit in the race coverage read: ‘Not given any serious chance at the beginning of the week, the local factory whose headquarters at Bologna are only 20 miles up…

PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY MARGERUM Short journeys are the worst for internal combustion engines, they just kill bikes,” says London mechanic Rex Martin, standing by the 1931 Velocette 250 GTP he’s converted to electric power. “But electric motors don’t care about that – they’re perfect for short commutes.” This was the theory that inspired Rex to create the world’s first classic hybrid. The electric powertrain –a battery under the saddle and electric motor in the rear hub – runs in tandem with the 249cc two-stroke engine, so Rex does his daily five miles across London under electric power, then uses petrol for longer weekend runs. Plus, if he runs out of battery, he can just fire up the two-stroke. “Everything that’s gone on, you can unbolt and put the original parts back,”…

PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY MARGERUM & GARY PINCHIN The Bath & West Showground near Shepton Mallet in Somerset hosted a pair of classic bike events recently – with both being busy and both of them great events in their own right. The VMCC’s annual jumble was held on Saturday February 19, with the two-day Bristol Classic Show taking place on the following weekend. The scene’s gradually been getting back to some kind of normality for a while now, but the start of 2022 has seen people more relaxed about getting out and about – and the kind of feelgood atmosphere we’ve not been able to enjoy for almost two years has returned. We saw at the busy Telford Classic Dirt Bike Show over the weekend of February 12/13 just how eager everyone…

I FOUND THESE photos in my parents’ collection when I had to clear the house after they passed on. The picture of the four servicemen on two bikes shows my uncle, Harold Fownes (wearing the helmet) and his comrades. He served in the Royal Army Service Corps from 1940 to 1946; I’m guessing the picture dates to between 1941 and 1943, when injury kept him off bikes for the rest of his life. Can’t entirely blame Mr Hitler for that, as he was hit whilst riding his despatch bike by a British army lorry going the wrong way in a one-way system. My family go back several generations in the borough of Dudley – as it’s not far from Wolverhampton, there are several possibilities as to the location of the…

I remember being stopped by a police car when I was out on the cammy Ajay in this photograph. Because the bike was not registered, there were no numberplates, so I used the plates off an old Triumph – very naughty! I thought I was going to be in big trouble. But both officers got out of the car and one said to the other: “There you are, Bill –I told you it was a cammy Ajay.” They just wanted to have a good look at the bike. All was well – happy days! Philip Barlow, Whitby I think Philip’s bike was one of the redesigned models of the overheadcam AJS that appeared for 1934, ultimately leading to the hugely successful AJS 7R and Matchless G50, still racing today. The…

This project has a long history. I bought it in 1995 as a rolling wreck, restored it back then, but returned to it in lockdown in 2020 to refresh it. But my story with the Moto Guzzi Zigolo as a model started in 1964. As a 17-yearold bike-mad teenager, I pleaded with my mother that I needed a bike to ride too work and college, as I’d started an apprenticeship. I wore her down – not only did she agree, but she said she’d pay for it, with the proviso that she could veto the model. I wanted a 250 Aerone Sport, to which she replied: “No, you’ll have a nice little popper”! Luckily, she agreed to a 110cc Zigolo, which was ordered from Pride and Clarke and picked up…