Bertie Simmonds

Brigstock

Journalist, mainly writing about motorcycles, sometimes about other things. All views are my own, but really they should be shared by everyone else, right?

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Articles

1999 Suzuki SV650: still going strong

4 weeks ago | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

Twenty-five years on and still going strong: what is it about Suzuki’s seminal SV650 family that makes them marvellous motorcycles? Read on. There’s plenty to be said of Suzuki’s SV650 platform – a tried, tested and well-proven machine of the last quarter-of-a-century. In fact, I’m probably going to do a reverse road test and come out with the end game right now and instead finish on a ridiculous pun.
Ducati racing - 1990s style

2 months ago | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

Eight World Superbike Championships in a decade marked Ducati’s 888 and 916 production racers as ‘simply the best’ but it wasn’t always plain sailing for the Bologna bullets. If one man created the World Superbike Championship it was former racer and businessman Steve McLaughlin.
Take a look at the new Triumph Bonneville Bobber TFC - only 750 to be sold!

Jan 23, 2025 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

If you like your Triumphs and love a Bobber – this is probably the ultimate bike for youThis is a new Triumph Factory Custom (TFC) and only 750 will be sold around the world. They feature gloss carbon-fibre bodywork bits; two-tone paint, some of which is hand-finished (with the painter’s signature under the tank); and at its heart is a 1200cc motor, tuned and with Akrapovic exhausts. Hmmm, bet that sounds good.
Triumph Rocket III: Test riding a beefy British classic

Jan 16, 2025 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

Big, bad-ass, British and brilliant – the immense Triumph Rocket III is now 20 years old and as beefy as ever…When you’ve been around the block a bit in the biking world, there are not many machines out there that can intimidate, but there are still a few.
Triumph Rocket III at 20

Nov 26, 2024 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

Big, bad-ass, British and brilliant – the immense Triumph Rocket III is now 20 years old and as beefy as ever…When you’ve been around the block a bit in the biking world, there are not many machines out there that can intimidate, but there are still a few.
From the archive: Isle of Man TT in the 1950s

Nov 7, 2024 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

This 1958 Isle of Man TT race shot is of Ernst Degner, a notable defector to the West in 1961 and winner of Suzuki’s first world championship in 1962. Degner’s defection meant that MZ’s expertise with racing two-strokes went to the west with him, although it would be Suzuki that would benefit just one year later with the 50cc World Championship. We love the setting of this shot – and many others like it – that we have in our archive.
Classic Racers: Anthony Gobert

Oct 17, 2024 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

Anthony Gobert was an incredibly talented off-road and Tarmac racer, who should have become a world champion. “Without any doubt, Anthony Gobert was the biggest natural talent I ever saw ride during my career,” said Colin Edwards, two-time World Superbike champ and former MotoGP star. James Whitham also echoed this sentiment, saying: “When I followed him on track, when he was on his game I couldn’t follow him for more than two corners before throwing it into the trees.
Foggy's first World Superbike championship, 30 years on

Oct 9, 2024 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

It’s three decades since Carl Fogarty became World Superbike champion for the first time. Photographs: Mark Wernham Collection at Mortons ArchiveWhat followed from the nail-biting last-round championship win in 1994 was Carl’s domination on the Ducati V-twin, with three more titles coming in 1995, 1998 and 1999. Foggy would go on to break records for wins in the class, which were only recently beaten by six-time WSB champ Jonathan Rea.
Classic Racers: Jimmy Aird

Sep 20, 2024 | classicbikehub.uk | Bertie Simmonds

What can be said about hard-as-nails Jim ‘Jimmy’ Aird, legendary off-roader, Scottish champion and proprietor of SCOTT Leathers? We love these shots of Jim in action. Especially the splendid Nick Nicholls shot from 1974 which shows Jim riding a KTM 360 at a Newbury ‘scramble.’ How far both have come, eh?
Classic Racers: Jimmy Aird

Sep 19, 2024 | classicracer.com | Bertie Simmonds

What can be said about hard-as-nails Jim ‘Jimmy’ Aird, legendary off-roader, Scottish champion and proprietor of SCOTT Leathers? We love these shots of Jim in action. Especially the splendid Nick Nicholls shot from 1974 which shows Jim riding a KTM 360 at a Newbury ‘scramble.’ How far both have come, eh?