Motorcycle History | Classic Motorcycles | Antique Motorbikes

T.C. Christenson, 1943-2023 [4-Time Drag Racing Champion]

Gary Ilminen — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:41:34 +0000

Thomas “T.C.” Christenson died on September 21, 2023. He was born on February 1, 1943. Christenson’s long career in the motorcycle industry included running Sunset Motors in Kenosha, Wisc., for 54 years. In that time, he took Norton from being known as a great road bike brand to the top of the motorcycle drag racing […]

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American Honda Collection Hall Opens: Cars, Bikes & Coffee Soon

Don Williams — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 01:44:47 +0000

For many years, American Honda has had an impressive museum off-site from its headquarters in Torrance, California. Now, Honda has taken motorcycles, automobiles, power equipment, and more from its museum and opened the American Honda Collection Hall, just off the American Honda headquarters lobby. The good news for fans of motorcycle history is that the […]

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Ride Free – A Memoir by Willie G. Davidson Book Review

Gary Ilminen — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 08:06:29 +0000

The word “iconic” is a word I tend to try to avoid because it is so overused in current journalism that it has lost much of its meaning. This, however, is an exception. Now in his 90th year, Willie G. Davidson is a truly iconic figure in the motorcycle world. He has done a lot […]

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2023 Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Riders Rally Coverage [39th Edition]

Gary Ilminen — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 06:00:35 +0000

The 2023 Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Riders Rally was held at Legion Park in Wonewoc. Formed in 1982 to bring the Dairy State’s Moto Guzzi riders together, the Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Riders share technical tips on the storied Italian motorcycles, as well as hold rides and enjoy good times together. Annually, the WMGR holds a rally […]

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2023 British Biker Cooperative Rally and Show Coverage

Gary Ilminen — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 02:19:48 +0000

The Milwaukee-based British Biker Cooperative celebrated the return of BSA to the motorcycle world at its 2023 British Biker Cooperative Rally and Show—the 42nd annual edition—held at the Eagle Cave Resort in Blue River, Wisconsin. The British Biker Cooperative’s mantra of “Long live the Limey” got a boost with the introduction of the new generation […]

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Yamaha Racing Heritage Club Mugello Ride [TZ350 Celebration]

Staff — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 08:13:06 +0000

Founded last year, the Yamaha Racing Heritage Club has already established itself as a major vintage motorcycle organization. The club took to Mugello Circuit last month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the TZ350 production racer—a highly successful liquid-cooled, two-stroke twin based on Jarno Saarinen’s YZ634 GP bike. Teaming up with the Yamaha Racing Experience, […]

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Burt Munro Inducted Into Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame

Staff — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 09:41:26 +0000

Forty-five years after his death, Burt Munro continues to burn brightly in the minds of motorcyclists around the globe. The famed Indian-mounted Bonneville Speed Trials racer from New Zealand has been inducted into North Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame. Munro was immortalized in the 2005 docudrama, The World’s Fastest Indian, where he was […]

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Dairyland Double-Dip: 2023 Spring Slimey Crud Run, Museum Stop

Gary Ilminen — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 06:37:18 +0000

Any warm, sunny weekend here in the upper Midwest is a good time to get some serious ride time; add a ride with old friends, a tour of the now re-opened Midwest Microcar Museum and Vintage Cycle Room, plus a monster turnout for the spring edition of the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang Café Racer Run, […]

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TITLE: Honda’s Takeo Fujisawa Enters Automotive Hall of Fame

Staff — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 09:14:34 +0000

When most of us think of Honda’s founding, we think of the Japanese juggernaut’s namesake—Soichiro Honda. However, there was another essential ingredient in the Honda recipe, and one that changed motorcycling in America—Takeo Fujisawa. Recognizing Fujisawa’s contribution to motoring, he has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit. Fujisawa was a salesman […]

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BMW Celebrates 1-Millionth Boxer GS and Teases R 1300 GS

Don Williams — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 06:31:52 +0000

The BMW GS line started in 1980 with the R 80 G/S powered by an air-cooled 50-horsepower boxer motor with two-valve heads. Now, 43 years later, the one-millionth boxer-powered BMW GS motorcycle has rolled off the German production line; however, the milestone Triple Black Style R 1250 GS features liquid cooling, a four-valve head, a […]

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Ultimate Collector Motorcycles Book Review [Riders Library]

Gary Ilminen — Sun, 21 May 2023 05:46:30 +0000

Masterpiece. Stunning. Superb. Roll out the superlatives; they all apply to Ultimate Collector Motorcycles by Charlotte & Peter Fiell, as it is the ne plus ultra of classic motorcycle literature. There is little this magnificent two-volume set does not offer the serious motorcyclist, collector, aficionado, broker, trader, builder, designer, restorer, historian, or expert. Of the […]

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Elvis’s Final Motorcycle To Be Auctioned [1976 Harley-Davidson]

Don Williams — Sat, 13 May 2023 04:04:42 +0000

Rock ’n’ roll icon Elvis Presley was also an avid motorcyclist. He owned many motorcycles over the years; however, there was only one final bike that Elvis bought—a 1976 Harley-Davidson FLH Bicentennial. Mecum Auctions will be putting this historic motorcycle under the gavel at Dana Mecum’s 36th Original Spring Classic (aka Indy 2023) at Indiana […]

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Cycle Magazine 1953 Retrospective: A Look Back 70 Years

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 05:00:27 +0000

In 1953, Cycle magazine touted its 1000-mile road test of the latest 350cc single-cylinder swinging-arm Velocette on the front cover, complete with a leggy movie-star model. The rear swingarm with adjustable shock mounting angle was a new thing for Velocette that year, so the company took the opportunity to coordinate a full-page advertisement with the […]

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Classic Motorcycles Book Review [32 Bikes Road Tested]

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 06:08:53 +0000

Over the years, author Lester Morris has ridden some of the world’s rarest, most expensive, and highly exotic motorcycles and written comprehensive road tests on them. His latest book, Classic Motorcycles 32 Great Bikes and their Road Test Reports, compiles updated road tests of some of the most interesting bikes. When I got in touch […]

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The Art of Advertising – BSA Promotional Art 1967-1970 Review

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 07:04:44 +0000

Three of Brad Jones’ recent books provide a history of the BSA brand of motorcycles that is quite unlike that available on any other brand. The series includes BSA Motorcycles – The Final Evolution, From the Inside – BSA/Triumph’s Umberslade Hall Research Establishment Revealed. Now, Jones has added The Art of Advertising – BSA Promotional […]

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MV Agusta Since 1945 Book Review: Birth, Death and Resurrection

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 06:56:46 +0000

Though the book’s title—MV Agusta Since 1945—indicates Ian Falloon tells the MV Agusta story only from 1945 onward, the author also provides background on the company’s deeper origins as an aircraft manufacturer before World War I. Falloon also provides insight into the Italian firm’s adaptations and survival during the Great Depression and immediately after World […]

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Harley-Davidson Begins 120th Year Celebration January 18

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 04:46:23 +0000

Harley-Davidson has announced it will start the celebration of its 120th year of continuous production of motorcycles on January 18. Even if you’re not deep into industrial history, you have to admire any company that has been in business for 1.2 centuries, especially if its primary business has been manufacturing motorcycles. While it’s true the […]

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Opel Motorcycles – A Short History

Don Williams — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 05:43:55 +0000

2022 marks the 160th anniversary of Opel, a German company founded by Adam Opel that got its start building sewing machines in Rüsselsheim am Main. Opel’s bespoke sewing machines were a success and were exported throughout Europe. Opel expanded into the bicycle business in 1868, one of the first German companies to do so. The […]

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Miss Shilling’s Orifice: Innovative Female Motorcyclist Designed

Staff — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 09:17:47 +0000

Before she helped win World War II for the allies, Beatrice Shilling was a prominent motorcyclist. Before she hit 30 years of age, she had earned a gold star for putting in a 100+ mph lap at Brooklands on a Norton 500. As smart as she was fast, Shilling (“Tilly” to her friends) later attended […]

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1922 Brough Superior Mk1 Auction [Mecum Kissimmee 2023]

Don Williams — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 05:55:39 +0000

Over a century after its creation, this 1922 Brough Superior Mk1 will be on the block at Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee 2023 event. Running January 4 through 15 and billed by Mecum as “The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction,” Kissimmee 2023 has nearly 4000 lots consigned for sale. There are only two known examples of the […]

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Icon Motorsports at 20 Years [Longest-Term Test Results]

Gary Ilminen — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 06:59:09 +0000

Most media coverage of motorsports is about the here-and-now of events and the latest products being offered. Even long-term reviews are rarely over a year in duration. That said, consumers expect riding gear to last much more than a year or two in normal use. In that spirit, we try to offer some true long-term, […]

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“Jump First, Think Fast” Book Review [Gilroy Indian and more]

Gary Ilminen — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:06:49 +0000

Frank J. O’Connell is perhaps one of the most broadly experienced top business executives ever to lead a motorcycle manufacturing company. He is also a serious motorcycle enthusiast who has written a new book: “Jump First, Think Fast — An Unconventional Approach to Higher Performance”. O’Connell’s résumé includes leadership positions at Reebok Brands North America, […]

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BMW Motorcycles – 100 Years Book Review [Rider’s Library]

Gary Ilminen — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 04:46:38 +0000

To look at BMW motorcycles today, you’d never know the parent company didn’t have its roots in the motorcycle industry and came close to abandoning the motorcycle product altogether. In his new book, BMW Motorcycles – 100 Years, Alan Dowds looks back on the sometimes-tough history of BMW Motorrad with tremendous historical and technical detail. […]

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1966 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson CR Sprint [A Look Back]

Don Williams — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 16:51:56 +0000

The beauty of purpose-built racing motorcycles is undeniable. This 1966 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson CR dirt tracker embraces minimalism, as everything on the bike is there to get it to the checkered flag as quickly as possible. Marvin Long took this racebike to a National Short Track win in Montana. The Harley-Davidson dirt trackers of the era […]

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Sheene’s Final Race-Winning Motorcycle at Bonhams Auction

Don Williams — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 00:59:09 +0000

Barry Sheene enjoyed an illustrious career through the 1970s and into the ’80s. He started GP racing in the 125cc class in 1970, and had his first GP win in the same class a year later. Sheene took the Formula 750 title in 1973, and the most-prestigious crown of all, the 500cc GP championship, in […]

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