Classic Bike

Classic Bike helps and inspires enthusiasts to get more from their passion for classic motorcycles. The magazine shares their fascination with motorcycling’s heroic past while also helping them buy, fix and improve the bikes in their shed. Our main areas of content are: - Inspirational and entertaining reads that celebrate the glory of motorcycling, from riding stories that put the reader in the seat of history’s greatest bikes to incredible racing tales - Restoration stories and instructional features that inspire and help people get their tools out and sort out their old bike - In-depth technical features from the most expert and authoritative writers in motorcycling If you share our passion about classic motorcycles from the last century, you'll enjoy reading Classic Bike.

Welcome

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE

Turned out nice again • The ‘riding season’ means all seasons to this bunch, who gathered on New Year’s Day for a chinwag

Bike for sale, only 129yrs old • A rare survivor of the world’s oldest production motorcycle is being auctioned in February. This is how it works

Andre Malherbe 1956-2023

Dirty business • Go for a look – then end the day by dismantling a motocross bike in the car park so it'll fit in your Fiesta. Be warned: the classic off-road world is addictive

Classic Bike

The Big O before a big off

7 Kindred spirit • Jonathan Bentman’s Norton Model 7 was inherited from his father – and reflects their shared joy of bikes

Swiss bike bank • Housing 91 bikes – some straight from the crate, restored models and some built from NOS parts – admission to this Kawasaki museum in Härkingen is by invitation only. Luckily, we got an invite

CHARM OFFENSIVE • Fancy a BMW, but don’t want to go the usual GS route? An R80ST makes an oddly endearing mile-muncher

Mike Nicks • A chat with the veteran motorcycle journalist who saw BSA win at Daytona in ’71 and persuaded John Surtees to write for this very magazine

Lazy big twin • In 1986, CB Editor Mike Nicks asked ex-world champion John Surtees to write about his own Vincent racer. This was the result…

‘England was like a paradise’ • One of Italy’s most famous classic dealers explains how he got hooked on Brits

PARALLEL UNIVERSE • Avoid the obvious choices and you can enter a whole alternative world of parallel twins – aplace inhabited by the eight eclectic models highlighted here

What the papers said • How did our contenders compare to the Brits at the time? Performance data from period tests in Motorcycle Mechanics, Cycle World and Bike magazine compared

ENJOY A YEAR OF Classic Bike

Classic Workshop • Spannering supremo Rick Parkington welcomes you to our

Rick's Fixes • Solving the problems of the classic world

Enjoying the daily grind • It’s great doing jobs yourself – but there are always some things you have to farm out to a specialist – ideally a firm that takes real pride in the work. Luckily Rick’s already got someone in mind to sort out Will’s Project Thunderbird parts...

Show me the light • Hugo’s entered his Morini Camel in a long distance trial. It’s time to make the headlight shine brighter...

Triumph T595 v Triumph 955i • The T595 Daytona was Hinckley Triumph’s first proper sports bike, while the 955i was the model that replaced it. Either can be had for under £3000 – but which one should you buy?

Cool triple • Suzuki’s water-cooled GT750 is a big beast from the early ’70s – asizeable and sophisticated three-cylinder stroker with unique attractions

Bidding battles and bargains

LOOKING BACK

MY GREAT GRANNY

I was a Ring Road King