Head’s up The first, most obvious item of protective gear is a helmet. It is the only item that is legally required – I know, crazy, eh? – and can cost from less than £50 to up to a grand. There are a few key pointers here worth considering. Firstly, never, ever buy second hand […]

Getting your bike licence and taking to the open road on your own is one of the most liberating experiences possible. And while it can seem a daunting prospect, it’s actually an enjoyable, straightforward and achievable process.  Back in the day, getting going on two wheels was simple; you applied for a provisional license, rode […]

I’m lucky enough to have done a few car track days over the years, in a variety of machinery. This ranged from a three-door Ford Sierra RS Cosworth that was a prize for a magazine giveaway (back when magazines had money to spend), to a little track-prepared Ford Puma and even a Morgan Plus 4 […]

I’d been riding a Suzuki V-Strom 1000, a big adventure-bike-style tourer which, although it looked like it could hold its own on the Dakar rally, was more aimed at long-distance road use than mud-plugging. I’d tried a brief foray off-road but luckily (as hindsight showed me), the day I picked saw too many ramblers and […]

The world of classic and specialist motorcycles is just as, if not more varied than that of cars. There are myriad makes, models and of course, engines. But what’s what? What do these different engines offer, and what are the negatives of each engine? We’ve waded into the world of motorcycle engines to find out, […]

Kawasaki Ninja GPz900R – Top Gun In 1986, when Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell got his shot and arrived at Miramar air base having saved Cougar in the Indian Ocean, he chased an F-14 jet down the runway, punching the air and expressing his love of all things that eschew speed. The angular machine he was riding […]

Of all the types and styles of motorcycles, the Café Racer is perhaps one of the best looking, though for a motorcyclist of a certain age, it’s also probably the most uncomfortable to ride.  Characterised by a stripped-down look with low-mounted handlebars, round headlight, high and rear-set footpegs and a faired seat cowling, café racers […]

For as long as I can remember, I have loved cars and like most teenagers, couldn’t wait to drive. I guess it was genetic – my grandfather was a car salesman after the war and my father was, as a result, always at the wheel of something interesting – at least when I was young. […]

The Ducati 998R is one of the most iconic bikes ever created. There’s no need to hedge that statement with something like ‘of the ‘90s’ or ‘out of Italy’, it simply is one of the most remarkable machines ever made. To explain a large part of why that is, we must approach it from the […]

It’s high time we get some features about motorbikes here on Car & Classic. We would have done it sooner, but our Editor can’t ride a bike and as such, he knows very little about them. Worry not though, as we have drafted in Chris Vardon, a seasoned rider who knows the good from bad. […]