My neighbour isn’t a motorcyclist and has no interest in bikes. He couldn’t tell a Velocette LE from a Ducati 900SS. Yet there’s one machine that grabs his attention when it rolls up outside; not only that, but he can recognise it at 100 paces. Triumph’s Bonneville. Is there a more famous motorcycle?

Four decades. That’s 14,600 days and thousands of inspirational bikes, compelling people and an awful lot of PG Tips. And it means that, now we’re 40 years young, the world’s favourite classic motorcycle magazine has become a classic itself

We meet Christine Wise and hear the inspiring story of her Moto Morini that she's owned from new, commuted in snow, won the National Rally, written off and it's even been raced at the TT. V-twins stir an emotion in many of us and this special issue celebrates the charismatic motor that’s forever been at the heart of motorcycling; from the raw craziness of a board track racer, through the sheer class of Brough Superior and landmark Vincent Black Shadow, to Honda’s innovative CX500. We’ve got the story of the giant-slaying Moto Guzzi racers built by a dentist, we got to ride the exotic road version. Plus it’s a month of rumbling exhausts, fabulous engineering and, crucially, pure riding joy.

It’s incredible to think Yoshimura and Suzuki have been together for 40 years. Surely it’s one of the longest running and most successful partnerships in motorcycle sport.

Touring holidays, ambitious tuning, a period dolled-up as a street tracker, disassembled and hidden in boxes, and an eight-valve conversion.

It’s the sort of romantic story easily dismissed as a myth. Man goes to shed, man buys pile of rust, man finds he’s inadvertently bought a bike raced by a British hero. This time it’s most definitely true, however. …

Mike Hailwood’s TT comeback was, and is, remarkable. Returning to the Island after an 11-year absence was unprecedented, but storming to victory in 1978’s TT F1 race was staggering.

Think Norton, think Commando. There are many revered models in the brand’s history, yet it’s this big parallel twin that the fabulous logo always brings to mind.

Everyone expected a price like a phone number, however when bidding hit £652,414 even Bonhams must have been surprised. That’s the thick end of a million dollars.

Have a fascinating look behind the scenes at one of classic racing’s most colourful equipes - Team Obsolete's base in Brooklyn. Back on home soil, we also go behind the scenes at one of our unsung national treasures, Wasp Motorcycles – a firm that continues to make a wide range of motorcycles and rolling chassis kits using old-school production methods.