Real Classic

RealClassic magazine features the very best British motorcycles from all eras, plus charismatic Continental machines (and the odd Japanese classics crops up occasionally, too). Long term classic riders will recognise many of the members of the RC team, which includes authors, historians and journalists like Steve Wilson, Dave Minton, Matt Vale, Odgie, Jacqueline 'PUB' Bickerstaff, Rowena Hoseason and editor Frank Westworth -- but the magazine's key feature is that it is firmly grounded in the real world. Our articles are written by real life riders and reflect far more than a simple road test ever can. We're never scared of getting grubby in The Shed (and we even admit it when things go horribly wrong!)

FROM THE FRONT

TOP TRIPLE! • When is a triple not a Triumph? When it's a Yamaha. Frank Westworth heads down memory highway aboard an XS750...

IN COMING • RC readers write, rant and rattle on...

Piege MORTEL • Vintage motorcycles don't come cheap - especially not chic machines which are old enough to take part in the hobby's most prestigious events. Yet Odgie has found a classic bike old enough to take part in the Banbury Run, rebuilt to a very tight budget. This takes make do and mend to a whole new level ...

MORE ABOUT MOTOBÉCANE

THE POWER OF THE past • BSA-Trium triples tend to divide opinion at the best of times, and the T160 may be the three-cylinder superbike's most controversial incarnation. Rowena Hoseason reminds herself just why that might be so ...

AN OWNER SPEAKS

A TUTTO What ? • If you ride all year round then you definitely need a winter hack. An Enfield Bullet was the obvious choice, so Martin Peacock didn't buy one ...

THE One TO Have • Which classic motorcycle would you suggest for a younger rider, eager to experience the delights of an old British bike? Rowena Hoseason plays safe with one of Small Heath's sturdy stalwarts

RIDING LIFE GO CAFÉ! • How and why did the cult of the cafe racer take hold? Stuart Francis explores the backgroun to the breed and recalls some of its most memorable creations

INSIDE INTERCEPTOR ENGINES • Roger Slater reveals how Enfield1 s big twin was so smooth and powerful, and shares his experiencon how to make the most of this mighty motor ...

REBUILT IN BRITAIN • If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside a water-cooled Norton rotary engine, be prepared to be amazed as Richard Negus rebuilds one with expertly accomplished insouciance...

PROJECT WORLD BEATER • Odgie is building a flat-track racer based around a Can-Am military machine. Now comes the really tricky bit: machining critical components in the two-stroke motor. Did someone mention squish calculations?

PUB TALK • Progress on the pre-war project ebbs and flows, or perhaps more accurately flows and ebbs ...

Ollie's ODDJOBS

TALES FROM THE SHED • Frank has been performing a little more industrial archaeology, and has attempted to motivate a fine pair of twins...