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

Matchless in America • This picture was reproduced alongside a letter from the rider, decrying the products of his home country… Albeit he’d also abandoned his Brit twin, by the time of publication.

News & Events

THE WAY WE WERE IN MAY

Book Review

Motorcycling on Scottish estates • Early work from an author who was to become a well known name in later years.

The Southport ‘Hundred’ • Sand racing for a big cash prize attracted some star names, plus plenty of others too, to the northwest beach.

Readers’ Letters • YOUR VOICE & YOUR OPINIONS

NUT cracker • A fabulous V-twin, from the NUT concern, was chosen as Best in Show at the Bristol Classic MotorCycle event, over February 22/23.

‘JAP goes the fastest, Matchless goes the furthest’ • In conjunction with the epic collection to be displayed at The International Classic MotorCycle Show at Stafford over April 26/27, 2025, we take a delve into the world of the Brough Superior SS100, guided by a marque and model guru.

Middleweight masterstroke • Compact, capable, and full of charm, the Moto Guzzi V50 helped revive the brand in the face of stiff competition. Those qualities also won over collector Gordon Hallett.

Well covered • There was a craze in the late 1950s to attract riders away from scooters onto motorcycles, with machines that were shrouded in panels and finished in natty colours, as exampled here.

The start of it all • This example of an NSU Sportmax, the production racer which was the privateers’ 250cc choice in the 1950s, and good enough to win a world championship, has a fine tale of its own to tell.

Strongman competition • In a world where every maker needed something to stand out from the crowd, George Wagner emphasised the strength of his product’s frame-cum-exhaust pipe.

Preview of what’s to come • In February, a collection of machines from the Brooklands Museum were brought out for an airing – powered by a new fuel.

An open and shut case… • The TT Mountain Course gates have long been debated, while the fencing has evolved over the years too.

VELOCETTE MSS – LATER MODEL

A can of worms • Attention has turned to the chassis this month, and with budget unable to stretch to professional prepping and painting, it’s out with the emery paper and rattle cans for Phil.

Sketchbook Travels • MOTORCYCLES, SEEN THROUGH THE SKETCHBOOKS OF MARTIN SQUIRS

Of weighty matters • Getting a motorcycle going is the easy part of a restoration, deciding what to do with it is the hard bit.

Diary

Sliding scales • Fiddling with a Bing carburettor is bringing about improvement, but, with such modifications, knowing how far is too far, is key.

What to ride? • Choosing a machine to ride in an event is perhaps all part of the fun, leading to classic diversity.

Performance promises • In this series, we’ll look at go-faster goodies on offer since Queen Victoria was monarch until the 21st century. Some delivered, many just looked the part, and others were akin to robbery with violence…