The Classic MotorCycle

Started in 1903, The Classic MotorCycle has more to offer the true vintage motorcycle enthusiast than any other publication, backed by Europe's largest motorcycle image archive.

Welcome

The Classic MotorCycle

Headed for France • Two big V-twins to the fore as riders and motorcycles prepare to head across the Channel to take part in a hill climb.

News & Events

One man’s motorcycle • This machine was built by a Lincolnshire man in 1925. Though it displayed some clever and innovative thinking, it never made it into production.

BSAs for sporting quartet • Four visiting American athletes buying a Small Heath product apiece from Scottish dealership Alexander’s.

Readers’ Letters • YOUR VOICE & YOUR OPINIONS

A ‘beam come true • Was the Sunbeam S7D just “a nice bit of engine stuck between two ring-doughnuts”? Well, a lot depends on the quality of the doughnuts!

Show time • ‘Classic spotting’ and a look at the modern machines at the NEC motorcycle show, Motorcycle Live, threw up a number of interesting things.

Out of this world • Looking like it has come from outer space or at least the future, the 1950s Motom 98 was possessed of a specification to support that latter notion.

Unexpected location • Never mind world’s fastest Indian, Burt Munro’s record-breaker is also the most famous, mainly thanks to a Hollywood film, though it’s somewhat of a surprise where the original motorcycle now lives…

The lightest touch • This well turned out Velocette Venom was possessed of the lightest clutch imaginable.

Top terrain in Spain • The Colombres Rally, plus the North of Spain Rally which immediately precedes it, offer some of the best classic motorcycling to be had anywhere in the world.

Danish delight • Though the British firm of Montgomery built motorcycles for many years, its products are a rarity today – this example, brought in from Denmark, makes that seem a shame.

Out of the comfort zone • Looking for a new classic motorcycling experience? Well, one Bristol-based enthusiast was, and he decided a big ol’ Harley-Davidson was the way to go.

Fickle fashion and inclination • Attractive styles at equally attractive prices equate to increased sales. But it’s also important to second-guess where the market is going. So while others copied its sloping engine design, BSA was ready to move on.

A brief chat with... Northumbria VMCC • Though the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) is a national organisation, a lot of activity happens through local sections. We chat to one of them.

Moto Guzzi California – first generation

Bown together • For many years, this autocycle had languished in a shed, before receiving a recent new lease of life from a man who remembers it from childhood.

BANKED TRACK HEROES • Presents: The Fast Times of Harry Martin

A different fork • The beauty of building something from an unrelated pile of bits is the builder is unfettered by the need for originality, though this has its own problems.

Diary

Money well spent is never wasted • The idea of motorcycles as an investment in terms of financial gain is a relatively new one – but the outlay has always rewarded in terms of enjoyment.

Prolonging the process • Applying psychological theory to the rebuilding of motorcycles, there’s an explanation available for extending an enterprise with additional refinement.

A twist of the wrist • Motorcycle twist grips were fitted to some production motorcycles 120 years ago, although for many makers, they didn’t start sidelining lever handlebar controls for another 20-plus years.