Classic Bike Guide

greetings! ever fancy a change?

IS THAT A SIX-VOLT GLIMMER OF LIGHT I SEE at the end of the last year’s dreadful tunnel? Wave your pullovers and petticoats above your head – it may well be! From all here at Classic Bike Guide, we hope you enjoy those first forays out; mind the hedgehogs and deer, and remember those car drivers are as rusty and blind as they ever were… It has been busy here in the workshop, trying to give everything a ‘birthday’ in preparation for ‘getting out there’. The Suzuki has had a carb and tank clean, the BMW ‘pig’ started first time from hibernation but needs fettling, the Benelli has gone to Maria’s Uncle Dee for some electrical gremlins to be banished, and the B31 needs a number of little jobs – none…

egli enfield 624 café racer from india via switzerland

ARGUABLY, SWISS PERFORMANCE GURU FRITZ Egli, today 84, invented the V twin Café Racer more than 50 years ago. He ran the gamut of two-wheeled excess, with a series of bikes he and his team constructed to the highest engineering standards in the converted hilltop lumber store south of Zurich, which comprises the Egli factory, powered by a variety of engines ranging in complexity from one to six cylinders. The 3000 or so hand-built motorcycles Egli created from 1968 up until his 2012 retirement, when he handed his business over to the Frei family who run it today, have included esoteric two-wheelers of every extreme. These range from the Vincent twins and singles that kicked off the café racer cult back in the 1960s through the dozen or so TZ750…

norton comes up trumps for the nmm

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM has launched its summer raffle, and it has been backed by the resurgent Norton company. Museum director James Hewing stated: “Thanks must go to Norton Motorcycles, who have been extremely generous in donating a brand-new Norton Commando as first prize for our Special Summer 2021 Norton Raffle. The Commando 961 Classic is a blend of Norton’s iconic styling combined with modern components, cutting-edge engineering and expert craftsmanship. You now have the chance to win one hand-built Commando out of a limited series of 40, as well as two other exceptional Norton prizes in this amazing one-of-a-kind competition.” The other prizes are a new/old stock 1993 Norton Commander Rotary 588cc which has never been run or registered, showing 12 push miles, and a Norton Motorcycles HQ VIP private tour around…

it’s all kicking off in kent and sussex

ELK PROMOTIONS, ORGANISERS of a range of shows and events for the discerning classic motorcyclist, have restarted their events calendar. The popular Romney Marsh ‘jumbles are now in their 30th year, and the Romney Marsh Jumble & Show has been extended to two days, on June 26-27, making it Elk Promotions’s first two-day jumble and show. The venue is at Hamstreet, near Ashford, Kent, TN26 2JD. On Sunday, July 25, the South of England Classic Motorcycle Show & Autojumble is being held at Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL. Visitors will need to take Covid-19 measures when attending the events: observe social distancing, wear a face mask inside unless exempt, follow all one-way systems in place, and use the Test & Trace check-ins. The events are all-motorcycle and have been family-run…

breakfast and bikes at sammy miller’s

THERE ARE THINGS in life that are better than a ride and a decent breakfast, but only a few. The Sammy Miller Museum Tuesday Breakfast Club is getting great turn-outs of riders, especially when the weather is good and everyone can keep dry and reasonably warm in the courtyard. A Full English at the Bashley Manor Tearooms, attached to the museum, costs £10. The museum proper has now reopened with a new 10,000sq ft extension which has been closed due to lockdown for almost a year. Events coming up include the Despatch Riders Rally on May 29-31, and on Sunday, June 27, the museum hosts the Honda Owners Club (GB) Classic Show. There is an Italian Bike Ride-In on Sunday, July 4, and on Sunday, July 11, there is an…

road and trials legends head for stafford

TWELVE TIMES WORLD trials champion Dougie Lampkin MBE will appear alongside TT legend Phillip McCallen as guest of honour at the upcoming International Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford County Showground on July 3-4. Fans at the event will hear stories from Dougie about being a member of the famous Lampkin clan, who have been a household name since the 1960s with their appearances on TV Grandstand Trophy on Saturday afternoons. Winning his very first trial at just nine years old, Dougie rapidly progressed to the British and world trials scenes with the help of his father and mentor, Martin. Dougie won his first world round at Houghton Towers in 1994 when he won his first British title and finished sixth in the world title chase at his first attempt. In the…