Welcome to lockdown issue number two! Although we’ve seen some easing of restrictions, we are of course nowhere near back to ‘old normal’ - as I believe it will be called for some time, as opposed to ‘new normal’ - and, let’s be honest, that’s likely to be the case for much of 2020. Still, as ever, we make the best of what we can.
As we’ve been unable to go out and ride motorcycles and so do new features, we’re eking out what roadtests we have left ‘in the can' and trying to balance them with archive based material, and things we can do safely (for all concerned) in the current situation. To that end, I’ve delved into my memory bank and written my top 10 ‘most memorable’ rides of the many years I’ve been involved with the magazine. I’ve left out more than I’ve included and set myself some rules too (like only one from each maker) that made it all a bit complicated. Still, it was good fun to do, I hope that you enjoy reading it - with a bit of luck, it’ll not be too long before I can start getting out and about and adding some new experiences.
On the subject of new experiences... So as well as putting together this month’s issue of The Classic Motorcycle (from home) I’ve also been caretaker editing our sister title Classic Racer, which has been a different experience. Coincidentally, we seem to have a few racing bits in this issue of TCM, but that is purely that - coincidence - and a consequence of our lockdown-influenced state as to what features we are able to do. When one looks through the period press, for all the timespan we cover, it shows how important the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ mantra was for the road motorcycle industry.
Many of our favourite marques - Norton being the most obvious example - were dogged in the pursuit of racing success, justified as a way to ensure sales. Others, of course, took a different tack, with Triumph and BSA largely keeping out of road racing, but BSA, in particular, keen on off-road involvement. I find it interesting to see how different companies approached things, and the strategy each pursued for the shared goal of sales.
Enjoy the issue, and please keep the correspondence coming in - I’m enjoying hearing from so many people.

JAMES ROBINSON
Editor