Features

Tyndrum was a long old ride from Fort William and a tricky number to get right. “Does it feel 50 years ago?” I asked Alan Lampkin as he posed self-consciously with his 1966 Scottish Six Days Trial-winning C15 BSA. “No it doesn’t,” he said, “but I suppose it must be.” By finishing four marks ahead…

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It’s a pretty standard looking machine, but Chip did a few special tweaks to make his ISDE week easier. In 1980, Chip Howell, a San Diego-area motocrosser decided on a new goal, representing the USA in the ISDT. “I was working for Husqvarna and tried to qualify with a brand new 390OR and couldn’t get…

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It’s pretty radical even now – in the 1960s it must have really caught the eye. In the competition world the construction of a special used to be a reasonably common thing, the motivation for such a project being either not enough funds or dissatisfaction with the standard machine. In the case of the former…

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Though similar to GOV 132 there are subtle differences with the engine spec. Once Sammy Miller retired his Ariel-based trials bikes and went two-stroke, the machines were sold off and continued to be used at quite a high level. GOV 132 eventually came back to Miller and is in his museum in New Milton, but…

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Peter and Bill in action, is Bill lining up to pass Peter? CPOP is a three-day pageant encompassing absolutely everything that any self-respecting petrol-head could wish for. Not only can you view some of the world’s most iconic modern and classic cars and motorbikes but also see and hear them on the fabulous, tree-lined sprint…

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One of the European contingent who make this event so special is Cedric Mellotte with a pretty trick Yam. The legendary ex GP circuit, which has now earned the title, “The field of dreams” is once again drawing in the crowds as it hosts probably one of the biggest motocross events in the country, bar…

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A deviation from standard is the centre stand which Chris wanted on the bike – the originals didn’t have them, relying on a side stand only. “If I could have afforded one, then I would have had one,” says Chris Oliver as we chatted at Sammy Miller’s museum in Hampshire. What Chris was talking about…

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Our Vase B team with, left to right: Dave Smith, Geoff Chandler, Mick Bowers, Geoff Monk and Dave Hobbs with team management of Chris Oliver and Ian Driver. It’s all well and good reading up on a subject and then producing a seven page feature about it, in fact the back issues of MotorCycle in…

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A bike built to go can be good enough to show. The 1970 250cc two-stroker has just recently been purchased by the Irish motocross racer who already has in his possession a superb collection of similar vintage iron at his Ballymena home in Northern Ireland. Now before we get down to the nitty gritty and…

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A typical riding day in the Mojave Desert… Everyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle for the sheer pleasure of it has recollections of their own golden days – periods and places where, in retrospect, it just couldn’t have got any better. For me, and literally thousands of other dirt riders, that time was in…

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