Classic British Motorcycles

A 1940/54 Velocette Special on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

The Bonhams auction at the International Classic MotorCycle Show at the Staffordshire County Showground topped £1.4 million on Sunday 28th April, with the top-selling lot a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow, which realised £113,500.

Join Motorcycle Classics at the 4th Annual Road America Vintage Motorcycle Classic, June 7-9, 2013, at Road America race track in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Nicknamed “America’s National Park of Speed,” Road America has legendary status in the American racing scene, the four-mile road circuit drawing world-class racing since it was built in 1955.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein looks at a detonation/pre-ignition condition in a BSA Victor after setting the points gap.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein helps solve a backfiring problem with a Triumph TR650.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein discusses different electronic ignition options for Norton 750 Commando Roadsters.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein helps a Triumph T140E driver find the correct jetting for Mikuni 34mm round-slide carburetors.

Edward Turner’s vertical twin, the Triumph 5T.

Triumph’s first production vertical twin was not the Speed Twin; it was Valentine Page’s Triumph 6/1.

The Norton Manx’s success at the Daytona 200 proved Norton’s excellence.

Alan Cathcart rides Dick Klamfoth’s 1952 Daytona-winning Manx Norton.

A 1937 Brough Superior SS80 on display with other classic motorcycles at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Norton Motorcycles (UK) Ltd. announced that it has completed the purchase of historic Donington Hall, which will serve as its new corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities.

A Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle that formed part of a bid to set a new 24-hour speed record in 1952 is among £1 million worth of lots already consigned for the annual Bonhams sale at the International Classic MotorCycle Show in Stafford, UK, on Sunday 28th April.

Join production tester Hughie Hancox on a 1960 test run of the Triumph Cub.

Vintage bike collector stumbles upon a 1970 Triumph Trophy in police deputy’s garage.

We’ve wanted to check out a Ventura Bike Pack System ever since we first heard about it a few years ago. While the majority of riders do their motorcycle touring on newer machines, there are still plenty of owners and riders of vintage bikes who relish piling on the miles. Editor Backus makes at least one 750-plus-mile run on his Laverda every year, and we have a few close friends who regularly take their Nortons and airhead Beemers for weekend runs to Colorado or Arkansas, where the roads are just a bit curvier than they around here.

Restoration of a Triumph T20M Cub was Andy Granovsky’s most challenging project to date. 

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein discusses the intricacies of ETC systems on Triumph T100SS Scramblers. 

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves a leaking carburetor issue in a 1970 BSA Victor Special. 

In production for 28 years, the Ariel Square Four became a comfortable touring motorcycle in its later days. 

A 1951 Sunbeam S7 on display with other classic motorcycles at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Kevin Lemire shares the story of his efforts with British motorcycle restoration.

A BSA B12 Sports model on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Well known vintage bike enthusiast and founder of the Chadds Ford Classic Motorcycle Auction John Lawless is dipping his toe – or more like his entire body – into video with the premier of a five-minute mini-episode of his planned new show, Retro Moto, on PBS’ Motorweek, January 5 and 6, 2013, and again January 15 at 8 and 11 p.m. on the Velocity network.

A 1947 AJS Model 16 on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Filmmaker James Cutting looks at drag racer T.C. Christenson and John Gregory’s Norton motorcycle in Hogslayer, The Unapproachable Legend. 

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein figures out inconsistent turn signals on a Triumph motorcycle.

Velocette service manual explains the complicated Thruxton starting procedure.

A father-son pair of 1966 Velocette Thruxtons gets a second lease on life.

A 1982 Hesketh V 1000 on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

We’ve been pretty quiet about developments at the revived Norton Motorcycles in England headed up by businessman Stuart Garner, mostly because there hasn’t been much news coming out of the U.K.-based company. Now word comes that Norton has finally cleared one the biggest hurdles to entering the U.S. market, EPA certification, and is on track to deliver 2013 Commando 961s.

A 1929 Norton Model 18 on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Motorcycle Classics tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves an oil pressure problem on a 1977 Triumph T140 Bonneville.

Joe Fischer enjoys riding his restored Triumph T150 Trident around his home in the Texas Hill Country.

The Flying Flea, the Royal Enfield RE125 was a two-stroke single that was very important to the British military during World War II.

Alan Cathcart wonders what might have been had BSA followed through and raced its unusual twin cam MC1 250cc single.

Best bets on tomorrow’s classics: 1953-1969 Triumph Tiger Cub — The Baby Bonnie

Low numbers make BSA A70L 750 Lightnings highly collectible.

A last gasp model from a dying motorcycle manufacturer, the BSA A70L 750 Lightning was too little, too late.

A 1926 Royal Enfield commuter motorcycle on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Triumph motorcycles will be the featured marque at the Motorcycle Classics/Dairyland Cycle Barber Vintage Bike Show at the 8^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Guest judges include Barber’s own Brian Slark, motorcycle journalist and vintage racer Alan Cathcart, and helping with the Triumph class Triumph North America CEO Greg Heichelbech!

Michael Bailey finished up this 10-year Norton project bike just in time for his birthday.

A 1926 A.B.C. out of Great Britain on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Motorcycle Classics tech expert Keith Fellenstein revisits head/cylinder compatibility on Triumph 650 engines, noting pushrod tube compatibility.

Motorcycle Classics tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves a inconsistent starting issue on a 1973 Triumph Trident.

Motorcycle Classics tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves more Boyer ignition troubles, this time on a 1970 Triumph Bonneville.

A 1975 Norton Commando MK 3 on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

A 1923 Scott Sprint Special on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Former Matchless/Norton employee, motocross pioneer, bike restorer extraordinaire and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum technical director/restoration consultant Brian Slark will be inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 AMA Legends Weekend at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 16-17, 2012.

Avon Motorcycle Tyres North America (Avon Tyres) has contributed tires to a custom-built military-themed 1967 BSA Lightning built by Bryan Nikkel and Justin Bailey of Darwin Motorcycles/Brass Balls Bobbers for Re-Cycle for the Troops.

A classic Norton Dominator Model 99 on display with other vintage motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

An extremely rare racing motorcycle from the 1920s that lapped the famous Brooklands race circuit at over 100mph in 1937 is expected to generate intense competition among bidders at the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Presale estimate is $80,000-$110,000.

Meet Robert Watson and his perfectly restored 1939 Vincent Series A Rapide, one of just 79 and a Vincent motorcycle that still gets ridden.

Vancouver motorcycle enthusiast Dan Smith built his own Vincent Rapide A Twin using modern methods.

This 1955 Vincent Black Prince is on display with other classic motorcycles at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Jeffery Lane shares photos and a story from his father's flat track racing days on a BSA Gold Star in the Fifties.

A 1965 Royal Enfield Continental GT motorcycle on display with other classic bikes at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Jennifer Lankford talks about her motorcycle restoration project, rebuilding a vintage Triumph Bonneville. In this project update, she gets the chassis rolling, rebuilds the forks and begins to reassemble the wiring.

The Brough Superior known as “Old Bill” – featured in just about every book ever written about the incomparable Brough marque, will be sold by H&H at auction as part of the Roger Allen Collection at the company’s sale on October 4, 2012, at Duxford, U.K. “Old Bill” carries an estimated value of $390,000-420,000, and H&H currently holds the world record for the sale of a motorcycle at auction – the Brough Superior SS100 that fetched $470,000 in 2010.

The 1963 Norton Electra 400ES was the first electric-starting Norton

New stuff for old bikes: Triumph hydraulic clutch actuating system from Flatland Custom Cycles

To major motorcycle enthusiast Steve McQueen, biking was second only to breathing. Discover the details of his lifelong love of bikes and his motorcycle collection. 

Enter the dangerous world of 1950s Ho Chi Minh City, and trace the history of a rare Vincent Black Shadow engine.

Each collector of the Vincent Black Lightning was unwilling to part with the rare motorcycle.

Jennifer Lankford begins restoration of a 1972 Triumph T120V basket case. Originally published as "Give the Gift of Restoration" in the Real Life Wrenching blog at motorcycleclassics.com.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein helps set the timing gears on a Triumph 650 engine build.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves the problem of replacing fork gaiters on a Triumph Bonneville without removing the fork.

The idea of building a 500cc AJS V4 seems unlikely, yet if it hadn’t been for the Great Depression, the firm might have done just that.

A vintage 1936 Norton Manx racer (Borro Castellani's race bike) on display with other classic motorcycles at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

When most people think of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, what generally comes to mind is cars. Really good cars. Acres of really good cars. But what most people don’t know is that motorcycles have been there with them on the green every year since the beginning, as they were March 11, 2012.

Norton Motorcycles has announced the factory’s intent to compete in the 2012 Isle of Man TT Senior race, and the development of their new race bike.

New stuff for old bikes: Venture Motorcycle Accessories’ luggage rack for Norton Commandos.

Fernando Vela and his fast-moving 1975 Norton Commando.

Scott Horr's 1976 Triumph 750 Bonneville was a pristine garage find.

This 1959 Triumph Thunderbird was on loan to the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Two iconic motorcycles, Marty Dickerson’s 1948 Vincent Rapide, aka the “Blue Bike,” and Dan Gurney’s “Alligator Bike,” will be on display at the fourth annual The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, taking place on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel, Calif. This year, the day-long event will pay tribute to the Evolution of the Motorcycle, featuring Indian Motorcycles, while also showcasing legendary motorcycles from the past, present and concepts for the future.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves a lost idle issue on a 1978 Triumph Bonneville.

Motorcycle Classics’ tech expert Keith Fellenstein answers an inquiry about which different Triumph heads can be used on a Triumph Bonneville 650.

The Norton Commando 850 was the last of the line for Norton, but was it the best?

Triumph celebrates 110th birthday with Triumph Live event

In a nod to the hit cable series Mad Men, Newsweek has published a special Mad Men themed issue, complete with retro ads reflecting the 1960s lifestyle portrayed in the show. The issue includes retro-themed ads from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, AllState, Dunkin’ Donuts, Estee Lauder, Johnnie Walker and – wait for it – Triumph Motorcycles. Taking the fun one step farther, industry insider Ad Age Media has decided to run an online contest for the best ad, giving classic bikes fans a chance to vote for Triumph!

The great British world beater that almost wasn’t, R.E. Geeson’s REG 250

A 1928 New Hudson Model 88 ee at the National Motorcycle museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Cam Norris describes a joyful ride on his classic 1969 Norton Commando S.

Latus Motors Racing is launching into the 2012 racing season with a tribute to the late Gary Nixon during the Daytona 200 weekend. The Nixon family will attend the weekend to see defending race winner Jason DiSalvo compete on a Triumph – with a paint scheme and leathers that features Nixon’s #9 – that is reminiscent of the Triumphs Nixon raced in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. 

Some of the leading manufacturers in the early history of the British motorcycle industry were Norton, Velocette and BSA. Discover how some companies flourished while others failed in Shooting Star: The Rise and Fall of the British Motorcycle Industry (ECW Press, 2009).

Motorcycle Classics tech expert Keith Fellenstein solves ignition trouble on a Triumph T120.

Learn more about the compelling history of Triumph Motorcycles in "Travelling with Mr Turner."

Two Brits follow Che Guevara’s route on a journey through Latin American each aboard a Norton 500

Neale Bayly breaks a land speed record at the Maxon Monster Mile aboard a 1974 Triumph Trident

1939 Ariel 250 Red Hunter at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

New Brough Superior motorcycles are made-to-order and will be available soon.

Ton up boys and Ace Café men welcomed Triumph’s highly-anticipated Steve McQueen Bonneville Tribute at Progressive’s New York International Motorcycle Show. Paying homage to the legendary actor and racer who helped cement Triumph’s status as a cultural icon, Triumph will be offering just 300 units for sale in the U.S. when it hits the market in June.

Fast and elegant, the Brough Superior SS100 was considered the Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles

New Métisse motorcycles are coming, thanks to new owner Gerry Lisi.

John Stratton shows us photos of his brother-in-law's 1969 BSA Rocket, then and now.

Slow, dependable motorcycles like the AJS 18S were very popular before the end of World War II.

Riding a 1948 Vincent Series B Rapide

Clash of the Commandos: Classic Norton Commando 850 vs. a new Norton 961

Best bets on tomorrow’s classics: 1952-1962 Royal Enfield Bullet 500

1922 Triumph motorcycle on display at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

1952 Vincent Rapide Series C on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

The odd tale of James Tenhoff’s 1955 Series D Vincent Rapide and how it ended up as “the Vincent in the barn.”

A brief history of the Featherbed Norton Manx and how the featherbed frame provided durability and superb handling.

Wayne Dowler became resourceful and added a sidecar rig to his 1948 BSA A7 when his family expanded, instead of giving up the motorcycle life completely.

Steve Tonkin hand builds a street-legal Norton Manx, the British motorcycle every rider dreams of owning. 

Okay, so most of us remember “The Fonz” from Happy Days, and that he rode a Triumph whenever he jumped on two wheels. But did you know the late great Bud Ekins supplied the Triumph Henry Winkler rode in Happy Days? The 1949 Triumph Trophy TR5 Scrambler ridden by The Fonz will be one of the highlights at Bonhams’ upcoming Classic California Sale in Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011.

Bonneville owners and fans alike will engage in Triumph history in the new book Triumph Bonneville: Portrait of a Legend by James Mann and Mick Duckworth. 

Tom Foote and his friend, Jim, have shared some fun times on a 1959 Triumph Tiger Cub.

The specially constructed 1,100cc SS model Brough Superior completed two opposite-direction runs through the measured mile at Bonneville Salt Flats on September 1, 2011, at a mean average speed of 124.98 mph, breaking the AMA 1350-A-VG Speed Record established by a 1350cc Indian in 2005 at 114 mph!

Stan Keyes shares the experience of racking up more than 200,000 miles on a 1973 Norton 850 Commando that he bought new.

The most iconic BSA model ever, the BSA Gold Star DBD34 was actually something of an anomaly for the company.

Engaging and well-researched, Shooting Star: The Rise and Fall of the British Motorcycle Industry by Abe Aamidor tells the story of the British motorcycle industry’s fall in a way even the non-historian will enjoy.

Tim Nier discusses owning and restoring his 1978 Triumph Bonneville 750 T140E.

Larry Suglia's 1975 Norton Commando 850 MkIII becomes the 55th Colorado Norton Works Commando.

The BSA A50 Royal Star was born In 1962 when BSA announced the arrival of new unit-construction engines available in the 500cc A50 and the bored-out 650cc A65.

You might meet the nicest people on a Honda, but Adam Wright will tell you that the coolest café racers are still British.

With a mix of British and Italian engineering, Floyd Clymer’s Indian Enfield Interceptor 750 was the last gasp of the once famous Indian brand.

Dan Delehant shares memories of riding his beloved 1969 BSA A65 Lightning.

Two of the best representatives of girder-forked 500cc British singles.

Alan Cathcart road tests a 1961 McIntyre Special Replica.

Royal Enfield gives the classic Bullet a significant makeover with the 2010 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic C5.

1967 was Triumph’s best year ever in the U.S., with an estimated 28,000 bikes sold here.

Curt Haring shares the story behind the restoration of his 1970 Triumph TR6C.

Alan Cathcart's road test of the Norton 961 Commando Café Racer verifies that Norton is back.

David Haydon was living in Canada when he heard about the Triumph Thruxton Bonneville through an England-based buddy.

The new Hyde Harrier Bonneville is in every way a 21st century take on a 1960s British café racer format.

What do you do when you want a 1935 AJS V4, a motorcycle AJS never offered for sale? Why, you build one, of course — from scratch!

Jerry Mueller popping a wheelie on his 1964 Triumph TR6 in 1971.

Oscar Buenconsejo shares a photo of him riding an early-1950s Triumph Thunderbird.

The story behind Rolle Free and the Vincent Black Shadow "Bathing Suit Bike."

George Silk believed that discerning riders would prefer a small, lightweight motorcycle with bags of torque, decent speed and race-bred handling — a modern version of his vintage Scott motorcycle. This philosophy led to development of the 1977 Silk 700S Sabre MK 2.

This photo was taken just a few days after Dad bought a new 1972 Norton Interstate.

The Triumph T100 story begins in 1957, with Triumph’s introduction of the 348cc 3TA (“A” for unit construction) “Twenty-One” model, Triumph’s first twin with the transmission built in unit with the engine. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular classic Triumph motorcycles.

One of four built, this super-rare 1954 AJS E95 won the first-ever award for motorcycles at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
 

The Motorcycle Classics and Dairyland Cycle Insurance Custom Triumph Bonneville Build is finished!

It was 1966 when Bob Blair and his mechanic/parts manager Steve Zabaro worked together to blend components from two motorcycles to create the prototype of what would become one of the most legendary classic Norton motorcycles - the 1967 Norton P11.

As part of our Motorcycle Classics/Dairyland Cycle Insurance Bonneville Build, we knew from the beginning we'd want to do something with our 2010 Triumph Bonneville's stock instrument panel. While the stock setup is perfectly functional if even somewhat minimalist, it’s not minimalist enough for what we’re going for with our bobberized Bonneville. An integral element of our project was/is to alter the Bonneville's tallish stance and morph it into something low and lean. The stock gauge setup sits proud of the handlebars and angles back. That arrangement works fine for the stock Bonneville with its upright riding stance, but it wasn't going to cut it with our bike. Enter Seth Bernstein at D9 Brackets.

Bob McKeever is still active in racing classic Norton motorcycles at age 90 with the Norton Champagne classic motorcycle racing team.

The 1971 Triumph Bonneville was responsible for Triumph missing that year’s U.S. sales season, and it just about bankrupted the company. So how did South African tuner and racer Nev Fisher turn this Ugly Betty into a custom Triumph beauty queen?
 

Just as the sun was setting on the British Empire, Norton set the racing world on edge with its revolutionary stainless steel-framed racer - the John Player Norton Monocoque.

Go-fast good looks and low production make the John Player Norton Commando a top collectible among classic Norton Commando motorcycle fans.
 

The Motorcycle Classics and Dairyland Cycle Insurance custom Triumph Bonneville build takes shape.

Herb Harris' magnificent collection of cutaway classic motorcycle engines.

Good press wasn't enough to make the 1968 Triumph Trident T150 the home run the company needed but this triple is recognized today as one of the most popular classic Triumph motorcycles.

Jay Leno is a bone-deep, no-apologies, classic motorcycle collector and enthusiast.

Motorcycle Classics and Dairyland Cycle Insurance team up to craft a modern take on a custom classic — the bobber.

Test bed for the Black Shadow and the immortal Black Lightning, Gunga Din, the most famous Vincent of all time, has finally been restored.

No simple “cut and shut,” this Ariel-Norton hybrid motorcycle could easily pass for a factory-made machine.

Carefully draining fuel from a Manx Norton into a gas can is Clarence Czysz, a top Norton tuner in the years following World War II. The location is Daytona and the Daytona Beach Course, and the year is 1948.

Robert Smith bought a 1969 BSA 441 Victor Special in 1976, and still has it.

The Triumph TR5T Trophy Trail 500 isn’t a serious motorcycle, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad motorcycle, either.

Métisse Motorcycles launches the 8v Mark 5.

The X75 Hurricane has been hailed as the first factory custom and the first cruiser. Its story is unique, and while it’s been told many times, its tellers have often gotten the facts wrong.

The strange story of a Canadian 1971 Rickman-Enfield Interceptor.

Joseph Ward astride his BSA Goldstar 350, next to his father, Leonard Ward.

Birmingham Small Arms Company rode the wave of off-road motorcycle racing popularity when it released the 1967 BSA Hornet.

Riding a machine like the 1962 Velocette Venom Clubman competently is a skill that most riders today have never mastered because nobody builds motorcycles like this any more.  

Classic British motorcycle aficionado puts pieces together to form a one-of-a-kind custom Vincent motorcycle

Colorado Norton Works keeps the snarly, but smooths out the gnarly on classic Norton motorcycles

The Velocette Owners Club of North America celebrated the British motorcycle manufacturer's 100 year anniversary in mid-2005

It’s hard to believe the single-cylinder BSA 441 Shooting Star was actually described by a period magazine as a “touring mount.”

The Norton name is back in the U.K., this time under the sole ownership of a British businessman with passion for motorcycles, Stuart Garner.
 

The history of the BSA Rocket 3 is an excellent example of how the British motorcycle industry put itself out of business.

New Hampshire Vincent enthusiast David Dunfey says he’s unearthed the last Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle ever made.

Scrapheap challenge: Riding a 1970 Dunstall Norton Commando, rescued from an auto recycling yard, across Death Valley

Penned by Triumph legend Edward Turner, the Ariel Square Four was the smoothest British motorcycle of all time

1968 saw the introduction of the BSA Firebird Scrambler, BSA's latest — and arguably best — variation on the dual-sport motorcycle theme.

Alan Cathcart looks at the exotic, sole-surviving 1939 AJS 500 V4 Racer

You wouldn’t doodle on a Picasso, would you? Conventional thinking says you don’t mess with a classic Vincent motorcycle, either. But Dale Keesecker thinks otherwise.

Exploring Washington's famous volcanoes on one of America's best motorcycle rides.

Six months ago we turned the first wrench on our Triumph TR6C project, and it’s now finally drawing to a close.

“Bespoke.” A proper British word, it loosely translates to “custom-made.” But custom is a word that’s been thrown around so much that today, when applied to motorcycles, it just doesn’t carry the meaning it once did.

A motorcycle trip through Texas on British singles.

Blame a long, cold winter, but progress on our 1971 Triumph TR6C moved at a glacial pace after our last report in the March/April issue. But with spring’s welcomed arrival, we finally had a chance to get back into the shop and make some headway. And as the pics show, our project bike is starting to come together.

At Daytona in 1952 a team from Janesville, Wis., consisted of (left to right) R.L. Patterson, crew chief, John Haskell riding a BSA Gold Star, “Bud” Harder the local BSA and Triumph dealer and sponsor of the duo, and Fran Shackleford on a Triumph.

The 2009 Triumph Bonneville SE is the best yet.

American muscle and British style come together for a modern take on a classic theme

It’s not every day you see a 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn sailing along the high desert highway. But it was this unlikely rig that brought Tom Mellor, his wife, Diane, and their 1969 Triumph Trident T150 to the Bonneville Salt Flats last summer, where the Canadian rider set four new World Speed records on the 40th anniversary of the Trident’s first appearance in the summer of 1968.
 

A closer look at the prototype 1948 Series B Vincent Black Shadow.

Ice racing motorcycles in Wisconsin.

Ugo Cirri is a genial and typically warm Italian who resides in a small village not far from Pisa, and is the proud owner and restorer of a fine but unusual 1943 Matchless G3L.

Alan Cathcart road tests the Métisse Triumph Steve McQueen Replica. 

Smoothness and efficiency are all very well in a motorcycle, but plenty of rival bikes provided a lot more performance and excitement than the 1955 Douglas Dragonfly.

 

A 1950 Series C Vincent Rapide and the Big Sur Highway offer the best of two worlds: a classic bike and a classic road.

One part Harley, one part Norton, lightly shaken: Nick Roskelley's Harleyton combines a Norton featherbed frame and Harley flathead engine.

If a bike’s impact on the industry and longevity in production are any measure of success, there are few designs that come close to Triumph’s 500cc Speed Twin.

Dale Keesecker’s 1971 Egli-Vincent wins the MC East Meets West Run-Off.

Touring Northern Spain at 87mpg — does riding a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 around the Picos of Spain count as eco-tourism?

A home-built version of Triumph's forgotten prototype, the Triumph Quadrant.

Although Royal Enfield in England folded over 30 years ago, thanks to a subsidiary in India you can still buy machines that hark back to those glory days when British bikes ruled the roads.

It's not every day you come across a bike on eBay that was owned by Steve McQueen. The bike,  a 1951 BSA C11, comes with a signed title in Barbara McQueen's name.

Back in 1951, young men with gasoline in their veins wanted nothing more than a fast British twin (well, nothing we’re going to talk about here anyway).

John Niesley is the kind of guy you’d love as a neighbor: friendly, easy-going and unpretentious. But back in 1958 riding his first AJS 18CS, he would have been feared as a bit of a hell-raiser.

On Sept. 15, 2007, I celebrated 25 years of owning my 1975 Norton Commando. In that time the bike and I rolled through a litany of adventures and misadventures, our relationship sometimes harmonious, sometimes not.

I’d wager many of us daydream about building a special custom motorcycle of some kind, combining bits and pieces of favorite bikes into something uniquely our own. Something like Delfour’s combination of a Norton and a Laverda that he calls a "Norton Ala’Verda."

Not surprisingly, Bonhams’ record-breaking price for the Verrall Vincent is sparking more interest in the classic bike market than ever and in the market for classic Vincent motorcycles in particular.

Lee Palser remembers his 1981 factory tour of the struggling Triumph workers' Co-op.

1982: It was the year of the Falklands’ War, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the death of John Belushi. It was also when, in March, Bill Sarjeant’s Triumph Bonneville T140 ES rolled off the production line at Meriden and made its way, Bill reckons, to British Motorcycles on Fraser Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Most people wouldn’t think of motorcycle touring a 1928 Norton Model 18 — let alone with their 10-year-old son on board. Then again, Phillip Tooth isn’t most people.

When we learned we had a 2007 Triumph Scrambler test bike coming our way, we quickly wrote up a list of things to do with it.

Paul d'Orleans can often be found on twisty roads in the countryside outside his West Coast home, riding one of his three favorites: a 1926 flat tank Norton, a late Twenties Sunbeam and this 1933 KTT Velocette, nicknamed "The Little Mule" because of its prowess off road.

If it’s July, it must be time for the Woodstock of classic bike shows, the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) annual Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 25-27. 

Triumph's retro-themed T100 Bonneville is a backroad blast, as Andrew Perkins discovered riding one to Legend of the Motorcycle in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

The 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor is British motorcycling's best-kept secret.

Wrecking Crew Redux: Kenny Eggers recreates his race-winning 1954 BSA Star Twin

Motorcycle Hall of Famer Marty Dickerson was back at Bonneville in 2007, and at 81 years old, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Alan Cathcart looks at the Irving Vincent 1300, a contemporary revival of the Vincent Black Lightning

The forgotten S, SS, and R Norton Commandos.

Unless you’re a student of early motorcycle technology, it’s doubtful you’ve ever seen anything quite like the sliding spring fork on the 1912 Abingdon King Dick.

 Bud Ekins, the iconic stuntman who doubled for Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, dies at 77.

Meet Keith Martin, a Triumph specialist in Texas with three very different takes on Triumph's classic parallel twin.

In the mid 1960s, two of the fastest bikes on the road were British: the Triumph Bonneville and the BSA Lightning. Both were 650cc parallel twins, but in design and execution they were very different machines. So which was the better bike?

Restyled and road-ready, the 1975 Triumph T160 Trident was the bike Triumph should have launched in 1968.

Test riding the new Royal Enfield Bullet proves time-travel is possible

The Triumph Thruxton Bonneville propelled Triumph to the winner's circle, and inspired the modern Thriumph café racer

Biting the Bullet: Some thoughts on the 2005 Royal Enfield Bullet Deluxe loaned to Motorcycle Classics from Classic Motorworks

Our long-term Royal Enfiled Bullet receives a host of performance and appearance upgrades.

The Triumph T140V Bonneville is a great rideable classic and is much more affordable than its earlier counterparts.

The 1959 Triumph TR6 Trophy was one of the best selling big bikes of the late 1950s and is one of the great classic Triumph motorcycles today.

John Mossey Restorations is building new Egli Vincent motorcycles, and you can have one - for a price.

We take a beat up and unloved 1971 Triumph TR6C Trophy Special and aim to get it back on the road.

The Norton 650SS, though quickly eclipsed by the 745cc Norton Atlas, was a great bike in its day and is a unique classic British motorcycle today.

Part two of our rebuild of a 1971 Triumph TR6C Trophy.

Showing 8/10 of a mile on the odometer, this 1969 BSA Rocket III is about as original as you can get.