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.
"Shooting Star" belongs on the short shelf of books about British motorcycle history that provide a concise account of the industry's rise and fall.
A motorcycle trip through Texas on British singles.
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.
by Richard Backus
There’s still plenty of time to plan a visit to the 22nd Annual Clubman’s All-British Motorcycle Weekend at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, Calif., March 28, 2009. Saturday’s show will feature more than 100 British bikes, with Ariel as the featured marque. The show and swap meet runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and $1 raffle tickets for a 1973 Norton 850 Commando Roadster will be for sale. There will also be a “Morning After” ride on Sunday organized by the Ariel Owners Club. Better still, you could attend for free if you win our drawing for tickets!
Almost 30 years since he died and 46 years since his epic jump in The Great Escape, Steve McQueen still holds us under his spell. But if you think about it a moment, just why is a bit of a mystery. For one thing, McQueen didn’t even make the jump; that duty fell to offroad racer and stuntman Bud Ekins, a close friend of McQueen’s. Insurers for the film wouldn’t let McQueen expose himself to that kind of danger, so Ekins made the famous jump that’s been tied to McQueen ever since. Yet motorcyclists never tire of talking about that jump, which was recently recreated with help from Gerry Lisi at Metisse Motorcycles, who just launched a limited run of 300 Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racers.
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).
by Landon Hall
From the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum comes info on yet another fun event at the museum, the third annual British & European Motorcycle Saturday. The press release reads "Motorcycle owners are invited to the AMA's Motorcycle Hall of
