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Honda CRF230F Motorcycles
2004 CRF230F ENGINE Engine Type 223cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke Bore and Stroke 65.5mm x 66.2mm Compression Ratio 9.0:1 Valve Train SOHC; two-valve Fuel Delivery 26mm piston-valve Ignition CDI DRIVETRAIN Transmission Six-speed Final Drive #520 O-ring-sealed chain; 13T/50T CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES Front Suspension 37mm leading-axle Showa fork; 9.5-inch travel Rear Suspension Pro-Link Showa single-shock …
Honda Valkyrie GL1500C Motorcycles
1997 GL1500C’97 Valkyrie It came in one of four color schemes: Black, American Red with Pearl Glacier White, Pearl Majestic Purple with Pearl Glacier White, or Black with Pearl Hot Rod Yellow The engine was a special tuned horizontally opposed six cylinder displacing 1520cc and had 6 carburetors The serial number began 1HFSC340*VA000001. 1998 GL1500C’98 …
Honda CB400SF (Super Four) Motorcycles
1992-95 Honda CB400SF (Super Four) Engine Engine Liquid cooled, transverse four cylinders, four stroke, Displacement 399cc Bore x Stroke 55 x 42 mm Compression Ratio 11.3:1 Fuel Delivery Four 32mm carburetors Max Power 53 hp 38.6 kW @ 10000 rpm Max Torque 40.18 Nm @ 7500 rpm Drivetrain Transmission 5-speed Final Drive Chain CHASSIS / …
Rio Vista Delta Ride 2011
THE FIRST RIDE OF THE SEASON The Rio Vista Delta Ride 2011, on Saturday, March 5, 2011, was just the latest installment of this popular ride through the scenic & historic Sacramento River Delta country, northeast of the Bay Area. NEW MEMBER WELCOME I just recently joined the BSAOCNC (BSA Owners Club-Northern California), and volunteered …
Rickman Motorcycles
RICKMAN MOTORCYCLES – THE RICKMAN BROTHERS Don & Derek Rickman raced scrambles and motocross throughout England in the 1950s and were quite good, and had achieved great renown. By the late 50s however, they were growing increasingly disgusted with the motorcycle offerings of the major British manufacturers. Most were essentially street bikes that had been …
1973 Rickman-Montessa 250 Restoration
Rickman 250 Restoration Project: RICKMAN 250 RESTORATION PROJECT – GERM OF AN IDEA This one is a little different for me. I am a regular attendee of MidAmerica Auctions HUGE Classic Motorcycle Auction in Las Vegas every January. Whether I’m buying or selling, there are over 500 incredible classic bikes there for sale, and it’s …
1973 Triumph TR7: Return of the Yellow Bike
The Return of the Yellow Bike: THE RETURN OF THE YELLOW BIKE First off, what is the Yellow Bike? It’s my personal favorite motorcycle that I’ve ever owned, and I’ve owned several. It started out life as a ’73 Triumph TR7 that I built from scratch, nearly down to the last nut-and-bolt. It’s the bike …
Classic British Rat Bikes
CLASSIC BRITISH RAT BIKES – BORN OF CHOPPERS When I was growing up and learning to ride, around 1970, people were chopping all kinds of things, not just Harleys. Lots of guys were chopping their Honda 350s, 450s & 750s. I even saw a Kawasaki Mach3 chopper once, with extended forks & no additional rake. …
Classic British Racing Motorcycles
CLASSIC BRITISH ROAD RACING MOTORCYCLES This 1969 Triumph Trident T150 Road Racer was campaigned by the legendary Gene Romero (above). The development of motorcycle racing has largely dominated many racing sports over time. The sport involves road racing, off road racing, both either on circuits or open courses and track racing. There is now a …
The Quail Ride 2011
IT’S A RIDE, IT’S A SHOW…IT’S A SHOW & A RIDE! The Quail Ride is part of the Quail Motorcycle Gathering held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley CA on Saturday, May 14th, 2011. The Quail Ride was on the day before. Okay, first off it was Friday the 13th. And it was my …
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2011
THE QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING: A RIDE, A SHOW & AN AUCTION ALL ROLLED INTO ONE I attended this year’s Third Annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering at the beautiful Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley CA, and what an experience! To begin with, these ‘Gatherings’ are far more than just an awesome Classic Motorcycle Show, they’ve evolved very …
1956 – 1962 Pre-Unit Triumph TR6
THE PRE-UNIT TRIUMPH TR6 The preceding page offers a complete history of the Triumph TR6 from beginning to end. For the purpose of breaking up the large number of model years for the Triumph TR6, we have broken them up into their two logical subsets: “Pre-Unit TR6”, spanning 1956 to 1962; and “Unit-Construction TR6”, from …
Norton Rotary Motorcycles
BACKGROUND OF NORTON ROTARY MOTORCYCLES Norton’s air-cooled, twin-rotor Wankel motorcycles made up a unique and interesting chapter in the history of this legendary classic British marque. After the last Commando rolled off the assembly line in 1975, things grew quiet at Norton until the early 1980s. Norton and merged with BSA in 1973 just as …
An Interview With a Norton Parts Expert
Phil Radford, Norton Parts Expert Extraordinaire, owner of Fair Spares America, Inc., & all-around nice guy, beside a freshly-rebuilt Commando engine. MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE When I pulled up to the non-descript commercial building in a large industrial complex in San Jose CA, the small sign that said “Fair Spares America, Inc.” would have …
Norton Motorcycle Books
NORTON MOTORCYCLE BOOKS Norton was always a design leader with bikes like the Norton Manx, the Dominator twins, and the game-changing Norton Commando. Check out all the great books we have about Nortons. We have a wide selection of books about Norton history, photo exposes, shop manuals, restoration guides and much more. If you’ve been …
Norton Commando Production Racer
NORTON COMMANDO PRODUCTION RACER BACKGROUND When British motorcycle industry giant AMC (Associated Motor Cycles) collapsed in 1967, the only brand in its once proud stable (which included Matchless, AJS, Sunbeam, James, Francis-Barnett, and Norton) the only one making money was Norton. And it was the Norton brand that enticed Manganese Bronze Holdings to buy the …
Norton Cafe Racer
The Norton Cafe Racer EARLY NORTON CAFE RACER The Norton Manx, the BSA Gold Star and other big singles like them really paved the way, and laid the groundwork for Cafe Racers prior to World War II. After the war, a plethora of new bikes, including fast new vertical twins from Triumph, BSA, Norton, and …
The Moto Talbott Collection Motorcycle Museum
The Moto Talbott Collection THE MOTO TALBOTT COLLECTION MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM Moto Talbott, as it has become known locally, opened about a year1 ago in the beautiful Carmel Valley, on California’s central coast. Just minutes from the Quail Lodge, which hosts the Quail Motorcycle Gathering each year. So this very prestigious area is becoming known for …
Mother Lode Ride
The Mother Lode Ride THE MOTHER LODE RIDE: ANOTHER GREAT BSAOC RIDE The boys & girls of the BSAOC-NorCal have been busy planning a full calendar of rides for the year. I’m now on the Ride Committee & so will help with the planning for next year, and based on what I’m seeing this year, …
Morning After Ride 2012
Morning After Ride 2012 ABOVE: We meet behind Hobbe’s. THE MORNING AFTER RIDE 2012 RIDE ‘EM, DON’T HIDE ‘EM! As a follow-on to the Clubmans Show on Saturday, March 31, 2012, the BSA Owners Club of Northern California (BSAOCNC) sponsors the Morning After Ride. It’s their invitation to the show entrants to take their lovely …
Military Motorcycles
Miltary Motorcycles YEAR-BY-YEAR 1937 BSA WM20 1941 BSA M20 1941 Harley-Davidson WLA 1942 BSA M20 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA 1943 BSA M20 1945 BSA M20 1946 BSA M20 1999 Harley-Davidson MT500 A WORK IN PROGRESS In our efforts to complete our online index, and make this the world’s greatest website about classic British motorcycles, we’re building …
MidAmerica Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction 2011
At the MidAmerica Auction-Las Vegas 2011, the bidding action is hot & heavy for this drop-dead gorgeous, 100-point restored 1970 BSA A65 Lightning. THE BIGGEST I’m a big fan of MidAmerica Auctions. They’re a great place to buy or sell some amazing Classic British Motorcycles, or classic motorcycles of any kind, for that matter. Because …
Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction 2020
THE MECUM LAS VEGAS MOTORCYCLE AUCTION 2020 IS ALMOST HERE! We go almost every year, but this auction has been going for 29 years now, and is the grandaddy of classic motorcycle auctions. It started out as the MidAmerica Motorcycle Auction, but Mecum bought them out a few years back, and they have grown it …
Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction 2017
MECUM LAS VEGAS MOTORCYCLE AUCTION 2017-ONE HELLUVA WEEK I just got back from nearly a week in Las Vegas, and what a week. Mecum’s 2017 motorcycle auction ran 4-days, from Wednesday through Saturday, at the South Point Hotel & Casino, as usual. And also as usual, I stayed at the South Point myself, which is …
Explained: The BSA Mahindra Takeover
BSA-MAHINDRA UPDATE, December 9, 2020 When Indian tractor giant Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) bought the old BSA brand for $5.4 Million USD in October 2016, they had big, ambitious plans to launch the revived brand as an upscale retro bike for the US and European markets. Now, 4 years later, we’re still waiting. What happened? …
Old-School BSA Choppers
Old School BSA Choppers BSA CHOPPERS WERE HIP Back in the very-late-1970s and very-early-1970s, crazy guys (usually without a whole lot of money to work with) were chopping everything with two wheels. I had a couple of buddies who chopped their 350 Hondas, and Honda 750 choppers weren’t uncommon. For the guys who couldn’t afford …
The British Motorcycle Club of Pakistan
British Motorcycle Club of Pakistan ride the Himalayas The British Motorcycle Club of Pakistan sent in these photos of their club, their bikes, their members, and their fascinating country. For more info, contact Nadeem at [email protected]. Can you imagine what it must be like to ride classic Brit Iron through the Himalayas? ABOVE: Club member …
Brooks Cycles Auction
ABOVE: The Brooks Cycles Auction was conducted by Auctioneer Doug Neale, who is also the patriarch of Neale & Sons Auction Company. BROOKS CYCLERY – A LOCAL LEGEND Brooks Cycle Shop was THE Motorcycle Shop in San Jose CA in the 1950s & 1960s. They carried at various times, Triumph, BSA, Hodaka, Suzuki, Lambretta & …
Bonhams Auction-Las Vegas 2011
ABOVE: While bidding at the Bonhams Auction-Las Vegas 2011 had a distinctly gentlemanly tone, it was fierce & competitive nonetheless. Bonhams Auction-Las Vegas 2011 OLD SCHOOL Bonhams & Butterfields is one of the 3 oldest auction houses in the world. Established in 1793, at the same time as both Christie’s & Sotheby’s, Bonhams is still …
Baxter Cycle
Baxter Cycle a small-town British bike shop Pulling into Marne, Iowa, in search of the legendary Baxter Cycle, we, my wife Gail and I, figured there had been a screw up. Maybe there was another Marne in Iowa? This town, surrounded by seemingly endless acres of corn fields, was nothing more than single-family homes, a …
The Barber Motorsports Museum
I visit the Barber Motorsports Museum THE BARBER MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM I was recently in Birmingham, Alabama on business and managed to steal a few hours to visit two incredible museums in the area. One is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (mostly NASCAR) at the Talladega Raceway. The other is the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum …
A Brief History of AMC Motorcycles
AMC = Associated Motor Cycles BIRTH OF AN EMPIRE Associated Motor Cycles was more popularly known as AMC (not to be confused with ‘the other AMC’, American Motors Corporation, the US company that owned Rambler, Metro & Jeep, which sold out to Chrysler in 1987). Associated Motor Cycles was the result of various takeovers & …
Ariel Twins
Ariel Twins YEAR-BY-YEAR 1958 HUNTMASTER 650cc OHV vertical twin 1958 CYCLONE 650cc OHV vertical twin 1959 HUNTMASTER 650cc OHV vertical twin
Ariel Motorcycles Books
ARIEL MOTORCYCLE BOOKS Ariel’s two great successes were the single-cylinder Red Hunter-series, and the legendary Square Four. Check out all the great books we have about Ariels. We have a wide selection of books about Ariel history, photo exposes, shop manuals, restoration guides and much more. If you’ve been looking for that book, please buy …
A Brief History of AJS Motorcycles
THE HISTORY OF AJS MOTORCYCLES The name AJS stands for A.J. Stevens & Co., the firm’s full official name. But that’s an awful lot to fit on the side of a motorcycle tank, so they made do with the initials. Founder Joe Stevens owned Stevens Screw Co. in Wolverhampton, England, and by 1987 had built …
Matchless Motorcycle Books
MATCHLESS MOTORCYCLE BOOKS Matchless and its sister-brand AJS were part of the AMC (Associated Motor Cycles) empire of classic British motorcycle brands. Check out all the great books we have about Matchless & AJS. We have a wide selection of books about Matchless history, photo exposes, shop manuals, restoration guides and much more. If you’ve …
BSA Motorcycle Books
BSA MOTORCYCLE BOOKS For many years, BSA was the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles. Check out all the great books we have about BSA. We have a wide selection of books about BSA history, photo exposes, shop manuals, restoration guides and much more. If you’ve been looking for that book, please buy it here. Sales …
2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering
2017 QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Below is the Quail’s own coverage (ie: Press Release) on this year’s Show. Mine will follow very soon: “Carmel, Calif. – May 9, 2017 – Spectators turned out in force at the 9th Annual The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, presented by GEICO Motorcycle, despite cool and windy conditions …
Mecum Auctions Monterey 2011
MECUM AUCTIONS MONTEREY 2011 – 200 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLES ON THE BLOCK Mecum Auctions put on one heckuva show, this past Thur-Sat, August 18-20 in Monterey CA at the gorgeous Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa. On the lush, sprawling grounds of the Del Monte Golf Course, over 600 classic cars & trucks lined up to be …
Matchless Motorcycles
taken september 1937 Dear sir, can you please identify the model of this bike for me. I am trying to compile my family history and this picture (not very good i’m afraid) is of my dad on his matchless bike taken in 1937 – the date on the back of the pic. I would be …
