WRITE 4 REAL

Have you got something to say about your old bike? Would you like to see your P&J preserved on the printed page? Claim your 15 minutes of fame and write for Realclassic…

➤ WE WANT MORE STORIES about real life classic bikes. We like profiles of a single model or a comparison of two machines. Most magazine features are between 1000 and 2500 words. If your story is much longer then it’s probably not for us. Shorter stories appear in the letters section.

➤ TO SEE WHAT WE MEAN look at the Matchless, Rudge, Ariel or Enfield articles in this issue.

➤ DON’T WORRY about your writing, grammar or punctuation; we’ll make sure that your article reads the right way. Just concentrate on telling a good story and we’ll do the rest.

➤ INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO as possible. Tell the RC readers exactly what model your classic bike is, when it was built and its history since then. What condition was it in you bought it? What mods have you made? How well has it performed? Did you rebuild it from a box of bits? Has it won an award? Have you ridden it across the country? What’s it like to ride? How does it compare to other classics you’ve ridden? Whatever your classic bike means to you, it’ll be of interest to other old bike enthusiasts.

➤NOW’S YOUR CHANCE to share your experiences with other owners and prospective purchasers. Have you discovered a secret supplier of exactly the right bolt, nut, washer, rivet, fastener, screw, pin, plug, spacer, shim, bearing, bush or cog? Can you make your Triumph oil-tight? Does your Commando start on the button? Or did you make a ghastly mistake, and can you save someone else from a similar experience by admitting all?

➤DON’T FORGET to mention top suppliers and any unsung heroes who helped you. This is where you can give the good guys the credit they deserve.

➤ WHAT WE NEED is your story in Word or plain text, plus lots of photos so that everyone can see what you’re talking about. We need at least dozen photos: 20-plus is better. Take the pics against a clear background, and show BOTH SIDES of the bike from several different angles. Make sure the bike is in the light, and not in the shadows. We can use old-fashioned photos or digital jpgs. Digital images must be 2MB or bigger.

➤ YOUR EFFORTS will be rewarded with complimentary copies of the issue your story appears in, an extended magazine subscription, and an extra ‘something special’ to say thanks. Plus, of course, you’ll have your 15 minutes of fame…