Classic Bike Guide

Classic Bike Guide is a down to earth, practical - and sometimes irreverent - magazine that gets right to the heart of the classic bike world. With a mixture of features, tests, reviews and event reports it is the title that has become a must for the active rider and restorer. Classic Bike Guide magazine - with the biggest and best readers adverts - FREE! Enjoy the digital edition - and save over 50% on the print susbcription price.

It’s been emotional

■ ‘You can sit in a car. But a motorcycle, you are part of it. It is physical’ – Hans Muth

Butler & Smith BMW F750 Boxer Racer Test • The 1970s BMW R90S road bike racing success helped the German company rise in the USA, but there was a rather special factory racer that preceded it – and much was learned…

Classic Bike Guide

Classic news

Triumph gives the Bonneville a good going over • The successful Bonneville range gets a little nip here and a tuck there for 2026…

We Went to 2025 Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show • The Autumn Stafford Show concentrates on the newer classics and didn’t disappoint

Kawasaki H1 Mach III • It stood out then and still stands out today. The H1 makes a great classic, but does it live up to its ‘Widowmaker’ nickname?

November Diary • There are not an enormous amount of outdoor meets this month, as you might imagine, but there are a handful of jumbles and December’s Kempton Show to look forward to, and Motorcycle Live certainly looks like a good one, as when you are tired of looking at shiny new bikes and have collected enough keyrings and leaflets, it’s an opportunity to pop across the M42 and visit the National Motorcycle Museum.

Old bike mechanics Directory • Your guide to those who are willing to help us!

Italian siblings • What are the chances any of us ever getting to ride not one, but two wonderful and rare MV Agustas, back to back? Roland Brown did – and rubs our nose in it by telling how wonderful they were…

Frank Westworth looks back at: BSA Starfire • Beezer Supernova – light blue touch paper and retire rapidly. BSA’s Starfire can provide explosive entertainment!

YAMAHA TRX850: One of a Kind • At the time, we thought the TRX850 was a Japanese copy of a Ducati – but with hindsight and insight, Alan Cathcart tells us there was much more to this interesting machine

Dynamo vs. alternator • Let’s look at the two main methods of charging our batteries – dynamos and alternators

Rebuilding an AMC gearbox • Used on many later Brit bikes, the AMC gearbox is widely used and possibly abused, so we decided to rebuild our Norton ES2 one in case…

Don’t buy a new fuel tap – fix it! • As parts get harder to find or cheap replacements don’t live up to the job, get fixing…

Frank’s Famous Last Words • The old bike market is falling, we’re told. But what does it all mean?