Retrobike

On pages 90–93 of this issue you’ll find some of my pictures, shot at the Newcastle running of The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, the world-wide phenomenon raising money for charity and giving people an excuse to dress up. Despite getting a very wet

IT WAS going to be called The Meteor. That would have been unfortunate — Royal Enfield, of course, released a model of that name soon after the ideas for this bike were being bounced around. “We realised that we’d have to come up with something else.

WITH ITS massively finned overhead-cam engine, and the rakish appearance lent by its spindly-looking yet purposeful girder fork, the 350cc Velocette KTT Mk VIII is unquestionably one of the most beautiful racing motorcycles ever built. Racebikes are

IT WAS Kawasaki Superbike celebration at the Broadford Bike Bonanza this year, owners keen to show off their bikes and celebrate the model turning 50 years old. Back after a COVID-enforced hiatus, the annual festival was back at the Broadford Motorcy

AS A welder, fabricator and engineering shop owner, Trevor Dodds doesn’t mess about — he builds motorcycles from the ground up, methodically making sure they are right and doing something about it if it’s not. So much so when he decided to slot his 1

WAY BACK in the 1980s, a former dentist and Moto Guzzi enthusiast talked the factory into supporting his plans to develop a racing frame for the legendary V-twin: Dr John Wittner’s bike would go on to win the 1987 Battle of the Twins series in the US

A BIG V-TWIN bark was the signal for the rider to accelerate, to try to stay ahead of West Australian racer Owen Coles … but it was always in vain, the Vee Two Alchemy would loft its front wheel and shoot past the Ducati Darmah I was astride, a passe

WAY BACK in 1964 Ducati engineering guru Fabio Taglioni designed the company’s first customer road bike capable of breaking the 100 mph barrier, the legendary 250cc Mach 1. Just 838 examples of this nowadays much prized ton-up model were constructed

BEAUTIFUL WHEN it rolled off the production line in 1972 it may have been, but when this CB750 arrived at Jax Garage recently it was badly in need of a makeover, or maybe even some more serious surgery. According to the owner, it hadn’t run in quite

MEMORIES from your youth … it’s the ones that make you smile that are the most precious. As the son of a confirmed petrol head who raced cars and rode bikes, it was clear ‘Super’ fuel was going to run rich in my veins. I’ve so many memories of aftern

PHOTOS NIGEL PATERSON FROM THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN’S RIDE, NEWCASTLE 2022 ■

With design influences going back centuries, the RXT Warrior helmet combines good looks with modern safety and functionality, making it perfect for many types of Retro riding. In its most basic form it’s a ventilated open-face helmet, but look closer

BANG. THE TV lit up. No, not the war news, men in yellow shirts blown around like rag dolls. Chaos, but not really. Already the fire extinguishers, the ambos. It happened in an instance but the response was as fast as they’d practised. Trackside ange