Motorcycle Reviews
From reliable touring bikes to nimble racers, we ride and evaluate the best bikes of yesteryear.
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8/20/2010 10:47:50 AM
The staff at Motorcycle Classics samples Moto Guzzi's latest retro motorcycle - the 2010 Moto Guzzi V7 Café Classic - and it leaves them impressed.
8/17/2010 9:22:38 AM
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.
8/12/2010 10:47:03 AM
A closer look at the Then Came Bronson Sporster and Don Collins' custom replica built from a 1974 Harley-Davidson Sportster.
8/12/2010 10:01:09 AM
Harleys may still be the kings of the modern custom crowd, but few bikes satisfy the creative fantasies of classic custom motorcycle builders better than the Yamaha XS650.
8/10/2010 4:47:09 PM
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.
8/6/2010 3:39:17 PM
Cynics said there was no future in big 2-stroke motorcycles; the Suzuki Titan T500 proved them wrong, and it is still one of the most popular classic Japanese motorcycles.
8/3/2010 3:25:17 PM
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.
6/8/2010 11:10:24 AM
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?
6/8/2010 10:59:43 AM
Rene Waters' love of café racer bikes led him to purchase a beat up 1978 Ducati 900GTS and turn it into a beautiful custom Ducati motorcycle.
6/7/2010 1:00:30 PM
The latest videos from Motorcycle Classics.
6/3/2010 2:38:53 PM
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.
6/3/2010 2:02:30 PM
The Slash 5 series was announced for the 1970 season, and represented a revolution in BMW motorcycle design.
6/2/2010 3:51:37 PM
Go-fast good looks and low production make the John Player Norton Commando a top collectible among classic Norton Commando motorcycle fans.
6/2/2010 3:35:13 PM
After the radical Suzuki RE5 Rotary almost sank the company, the conservative yet thoroughly modern 1977 Suzuki GS750 saved the day and has become a classic Suzuki motorcycle.
4/28/2010 1:08:24 PM
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.
4/23/2010 12:22:17 PM
Technical specifications for the 1968 Honda CL175.
4/7/2010 11:25:28 AM
The Honda CB750F Super Sport is easy to work on and generally hugely reliable, making it a great usable classic Honda motorcycle.
4/5/2010 10:47:26 AM
Two AHRMA racers talk about their passion for hand-shift motorcycles.
4/2/2010 10:09:00 AM
Guy Webster's circa-1954 Ceccato 72cc Twin-Cam Italian racer is the sole survivor of five made making it one of the rarest classic Italian motorcycles.
3/30/2010 4:39:46 PM
The 1984 Honda Ascot VT500 marked the beginning of the nearly no-maintenance bike that became one of many popular classic Honda motorcycles.
3/30/2010 10:26:56 AM
Test bed for the Black Shadow and the immortal Black Lightning, Gunga Din, the most famous Vincent of all time, has finally been restored.
2/11/2010 11:39:37 AM
1947 Indian Chief Roadmaster American dream March April 2010 By Phillip Tooth When it comes to American style, few bikes match the Indian Chief, which continues to influence motorcycle styling decades on witness Kawasaki’s 1999 2005 skirted fender V
2/9/2010 10:50:49 AM
No simple “cut and shut,” this Ariel-Norton hybrid motorcycle could easily pass for a factory-made machine.
2/9/2010 10:21:28 AM
With an unbroken production run of 53 years, the overhead valve Harley-Davidson X-series Sportster has outlived all of its early rivals, and is still able to raise its middle finger to the vagaries of the motorcycle marketplace.
1/28/2010 9:58:04 AM
Robert Smith bought a 1969 BSA 441 Victor Special in 1976, and still has it.
1/27/2010 4:40:54 PM
Originally built as a one-off show bike, Erik Buell’s RR1000 Battle Twin launched a new era in American sport bikes.
1/27/2010 4:19:32 PM
Two cylinders, twin cams and loaded with technology, the Honda CB450 put the world on notice: Honda was at war, and planned to win.
1/27/2010 11:05:58 AM
New retro bikes continue to grow in popularity. Royal Enfield, Triumph, Harley and Moto Guzzi all build motorcycles geared to riders whose tastes lean to yesterday’s classics. Add one more to the list thanks to the newly incorporated California Scooter Company, which is launching a line of bikes directly inspired by the classic Mustang motorcycles built in Glendale, Calif., from 1947 to 1965.
12/21/2009 4:36:28 PM
Better late than never, Yamaha blew away the big bike competition with its fast and fabulous XS1100.
12/21/2009 4:17:27 PM
Yamaha's RD350, the little bike that changed the rules.
12/21/2009 3:22:18 PM
A chance sighting turns up a legendary racer, the Kretz Indian.
12/21/2009 3:14:14 PM
The Triumph TR5T Trophy Trail 500 isn’t a serious motorcycle, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad motorcycle, either.
12/21/2009 2:49:27 PM
A 1976 BMW R75/6 with an attitude.
12/21/2009 12:50:07 PM
Métisse Motorcycles launches the 8v Mark 5.
12/9/2009 5:18:06 PM
Riding the first-ever Superbike winner, Steve McLaughlin’s 1976 BMW R90S.
12/8/2009 4:48:23 PM
In spite of the name on the gas tank, the Indiana was not, in fact, built by Ducati, but by Cagiva.
12/4/2009 12:31:59 PM
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.
12/2/2009 2:29:05 PM
The strange story of a Canadian 1971 Rickman-Enfield Interceptor.
11/10/2009 9:51:05 AM
Ever wonder what it’s like to ride a truly vintage motorcycle? How about an 82-year-old water-cooled 2-stroke twin? It’s amazing enough to discover anyone even built such a bike back in the 1920s, more amazing is riding one and discovering that except for the expected deficiencies in braking, it’s a remarkably user-friendly machine.
10/8/2009 12:05:21 PM
If someone told you they were introducing a 10hp, 125cc 2-stroke twin-cylinder machine like the 1952 Rumi Sport 125, would you be even remotely impressed? Probably not.
10/7/2009 4:12:40 PM
Every time I ride a BMW R75/5, it makes me wonder what I was thinking when I parted with mine a few years back.
10/7/2009 3:52:52 PM
A shop-class 1981 Honda CBX slips through the cracks.
10/7/2009 3:09:10 PM
Is the Kawasaki KZ1000 Z1-R the ultimate Zee-bike?
10/7/2009 9:44:56 AM
The R5 was in many respects the crown jewel of Yamaha’s continuing 2-stroke program.
10/7/2009 9:19:45 AM
A close look at the 1967 BSA Hornet.
10/7/2009 9:07:18 AM
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.
10/6/2009 4:53:28 PM
The latest attempt to bring the well-known Indian name back to life comes courtesy of the 2009 Indian Chief built by born-again Indian Motorcycle Co., headquartered in Kings Mountain, N.C.
10/6/2009 4:19:23 PM
The 1973 Benelli 650S Tornado is a very compact but robust looking bike — sort of like a Honda Benly that’s been pumping iron and abusing steroids.
8/21/2009 4:26:21 PM
Imagine it’s 1976 and you’re hearing two new sounds, trying to determine which will have more staying power. One is the sweet exhaust note of Yamaha’s new three-cylinder XS750; the other the chain-saw guitar on The Ramones’ debut record.
8/21/2009 4:08:10 PM
With deceptive speed, the slim, black Harley-Davidson XLCR carved a swath through the miles of slow-moving metal.
8/21/2009 4:00:45 PM
Paul Zell likes classic British motorcycles. And like many aficionados of old British bikes, he believes they can sometimes stand a little improvement. Case in point: his 2005 custom Vincent motorcycle.
8/21/2009 1:48:07 PM
The high-speed BMW R90S set the motorcycle industry on its head.
8/21/2009 1:04:53 PM
True love kept John Gary Brown and his 1956 NSU Supermax together. Well, that and a dead coil.
8/21/2009 11:57:10 AM
If you’ve toured on a Yamaha XS650 for more than a sitcom’s worth of time, you probably fall into one of two groups.
8/18/2009 1:44:01 PM
Wrecked and retired, a 1977 Harley-Davidson custom FLHS thunders back to life.
8/14/2009 12:15:08 PM
While the Norton motorcycle company faded from existence as the sun finally set on the British motorcycle industry, fans of the bike endeavored to keep them running, and one fan in particular endeavored to keep them running better and longer. And he called his operation Colorado Norton Works.
8/3/2009 4:40:44 PM
Best bets on tomorrow's classics: 1968-1970 BSA 441 Shooting Star
8/3/2009 3:25:27 PM
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.
8/3/2009 2:44:07 PM
Rick Manning’s eye-catching 1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport.
8/3/2009 2:31:42 PM
Moto Guzzi has decided to go whole-heartedly down the retro route, and the V7 Café is the latest Guzzi to be given the treatment.
8/3/2009 2:15:59 PM
The history of the triple is an excellent example of how the British motorcycle industry put itself out of business.
8/3/2009 2:03:16 PM
The beginning and end of the Morbidelli 850 V8.
8/3/2009 1:50:35 PM
A closer look at the 1982 Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica.
8/3/2009 1:28:06 PM
Riding Mike Hailwood's history-making Ducati 900F1 racer.
8/3/2009 1:09:44 PM
Until recently, new “retro”-themed bikes have been a bit of a sketchy proposition.
8/3/2009 1:09:36 PM
How do you like your old Indian motorcycles – restored to concours condition or in their work clothes showing the wear and tear of a hard life?
8/3/2009 12:36:18 PM
Most bike nuts who grew up in the Sixties are fans of British, Italian or American iron. Greg Davis likes Japanese bikes.
8/3/2009 10:22:41 AM
Forget everything you thought you knew about Harley-Davidson motorcycles, because the XR1200 is like nothing H-D’s ever made, including Harley’s 1970-1980 XR750 flat tracker that inspired it. Although everything about the XR1200 screams yesterday, it’s a thoroughly modern machine.
7/31/2009 4:44:50 PM
Although manufacturers have played with 6-cylinder bikes since at least the 1920s, the era of big 6-cylinder bikes was short lived.
7/31/2009 3:22:13 PM
New Hampshire Vincent enthusiast David Dunfey says he’s unearthed the last Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle ever made.
7/28/2009 3:14:57 PM
With a trail of hamburger that used to be his hide, retired California Highway Patrol trooper John Moraga bought and paid for the right to say whatever he wants about the Moto Guzzi Eldorado.
7/28/2009 2:59:01 PM
Bill Morris had taken only a passing interested in motorcycles before he traveled to the former Soviet Union in 2002 and noticed locals riding Cold War-era Urals and Dneprs.
7/28/2009 2:15:08 PM
Simmering heat. Blistering sun. And Dunstall Norton Commando that's stood in a scrapyard for the last three years. Welcome to Death Valley.
7/28/2009 1:42:09 PM
In the workshop, is the bike I’ve come to see: the penultimate version of the Ducati Mk3D Desmo with its unique fiberglass bodywork in silver metalflake. It’s the motorcycle Australia’s Two Wheels magazine nicknamed the “Silver Shotgun.”
7/28/2009 1:21:40 PM
Back to the beach on the 1955 Daytona-winning Harley
7/28/2009 12:51:27 PM
On the open road, the 1952 Ariel Square Four is at home in modern traffic in a way that most classic British bikes cannot approach.
7/28/2009 12:24:37 PM
Dual-sport bikes are hardly new. By some accounts, BSA launched the category in 1965 with its offroad-styled 500cc A50 Wasp and 650cc A65 Hornet. Three years later, the company introduced the Firebird Scrambler, its latest — and arguably best — variation on the theme. Trouble is, they forgot to market it, and the Firebird stalled.
7/28/2009 12:01:09 PM
The Le Mans Mk1 put Moto Guzzi in the superbike race.
7/27/2009 4:54:58 PM
A Nimbus motorcycle that was intended to be a utilitarian workhorse, a back-woods hauler; run it slow, and it would run nigh on forever. Case in point, Jamie Spitzley's 1957 Type C Nimbus sidecar rig.
7/27/2009 3:47:57 PM
Hitching a ride on the sole surviving AJS 500 V4 Racer.
7/27/2009 3:06:14 PM
The Rikuo V-twin is the motorcycle Harley-Davidson helped the Japanese make.
7/27/2009 2:41:27 PM
In a quiet neighborhood east of New York City, Peter Nettesheim has assembled 50 BMW motorcycles and cars representing his dedication to the brand.
7/27/2009 2:29:23 PM
Found hidden in a bricked-up wall in a Chicago suburb 40 years ago, the 1916 Traub motorcycle is still a mystery today
7/27/2009 2:15:41 PM
A classic Honda motorcycle enthusisast sets out at dawn on his 1975 Honda CB750 to ride right off "The End" of Long Island.
7/27/2009 1:22:44 PM
You wouldn’t doodle on a Picasso, would you? Conventional thinking says you don’t mess with a Vincent, either. But the builders of these wild Vincents weren’t listening — and what they made is anything but conventional.
7/27/2009 11:57:00 AM
“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.
7/23/2009 3:53:45 PM
Think your BMW GS is the ultimate adventure bike? Check out the Zundapp KS750. Built for the German military, it has 10 speeds and tops out at 60mph. And nigh on indestructible, it’ll take you where mortal bikes fear to tread — and back.
7/23/2009 3:23:39 PM
In the world of motorcycles, Suzuki’s AC50 Maverick is a relative unknown. But when it comes to small displacement bikes — often referred to as “tiddlers” — these smart and sunny bikes stand proud with their pint-size stature and surprising sophistication.
6/5/2009 12:28:37 PM
Add one more bike to the growing list of new retro-themed bikes — this time from right here in the good old U.S. of A. Harley-Davidson has released the new XR1200, a Sportster-based hot rod whose styling draws heavily from Harley history, mimicking H-D’s iconic and race winning XR750 of 1970-1980.
6/4/2009 11:27:48 AM
There are those who might consider that some motorcycles are over exposed, and that some of the parts on display would be better hidden. Take the Moto Guzzi Falcone Sport, for example. Is it perhaps a little too naked, maybe wearing too much of its heart on its sleeve?
6/4/2009 11:19:45 AM
From road racer to plodding sidecar hack, this 1937 Zundapp KKS500 has led quite a life.
6/4/2009 11:14:58 AM
Triumph’s Bonneville SE is the best yet.
6/4/2009 11:07:39 AM
Josh Withers always loved BMW’s Toaster-style tanks, and who doesn’t love the café look? To fulfill his love of both, he built an R60/5 special perfect for ripping around the streets of Los Angeles.
6/4/2009 11:00:46 AM
American muscle and British style come together for a modern take on a classic theme
6/4/2009 10:49:50 AM
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.
6/4/2009 10:42:35 AM
The Kawasaki H1 was introduced in late 1968. The Sixties were in full swing, and dizzying changes in art, music and politics were taking place. Motorcycles were changing, as well.
6/3/2009 5:00:36 PM
Every successful bike maker has a standout model, the ne plus ultra, the one where everything comes together perfectly, producing a classic bike that exemplifies the brand. For Triumph it was the Bonneville, for Moto Guzzi the Le Mans and for Indian the Chief. For Laverda, it was the Jota.
6/3/2009 4:33:15 PM
A look at the very first Vincent Black Shadow, owned by Bob Culver.
6/3/2009 4:24:42 PM
The mid-1980s were challenging times for the motorcycle industry. Faced with a changing and constricting market, Yamaha, like every company, took a long look at its products and considered how it should adapt to a new reality. Along with the monster V-Max and the immortal FZ750, Yamaha introduced the Radian, a smaller, kinder, and yes, faster standard for the street.
3/23/2009 5:08:56 PM
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 Matchless G3L.
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