SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE #524
GREATEST THINGS IN THE CLASSIC BIKE WORLD
Obviously, classic bikes are brilliant, and they are why we’re all here. But when you think about it, it’s much, much more than metal that makes the classic bike world such a fantastic place to be. There are the amazing events, the extraordinary history, the stories, the skills, the tools, the specialists, the knowledge. And there are the emotional benefits too – like the fantastic sensation of completing a restoration or the joy of riding.
I don’t want to give anything away – our countdown starts on page 25 – but sadly my attempt to include the 150mph Smiths Chronometric tacho didn’t make the cut, so I’ve popped it in below as number 51.
And in writing this, I’ve only just realised that we should have included the sounds, too. And the smells, because surely the aroma of a Manx Norton running on Castrol R is worthy of inclusion. Feel free to write and tell us what we missed (address at the bottom of the page) and maybe we’ll put together a 100 Greatest Things next time...
The UK’s summer of 2023 ruled itself out of inclusion as one of the greatest things in the classic biking world, with trenchfoot rather than sunburn a more likely medical outcome from exposure to August’s weather, but there was still classic biking fun to be had. Rick Parkington and Greg Moss both squelched around the route of the West Kent
Run and they’ve now just about dried out. The story is on page six. Hopefully the weather will improve. This issue of Classic Bike should drop through letter boxes just before the Manx GP on the bank holiday weekend of August 26-28. If you are on the Island for the Manx, th
