1928 Douglas DT

Did you know that many current Mercedes cars have no dipsticks? And if you buy a new car today, you probably won’t see much of the engine when you pop the hood: it’ll be covered by a giant plastic shroud. I was reminded of that when I first clapped eyes on this lovely picture, which is from the Newcastle Speedway History website. It’s a Douglas from 1928, possibly a DT6 (meaning ‘Dirt Track’) model. And for me, it sums up the appeal of vintage and custom motorcycles: you can see the parts that are doing the work. The 'Dougie' was...