The Vincent Black Lightning was the fastest and most desirable motorcycle in the world when it was released in 1948. A factory-delivered Black Lightning was capable of 150 mph if you were brave enough, and no small amount of bravery was required as braking technology hadn’t yet caught up with rapidly increasing horsepower levels. The…
The Beginnings of Laverda The Laverda GT 750 is one of the most famous, and most popular, motorcycles from Italy’s “other” motorcycle manufacturer – a sibling of the bigger and better funded factories of Ducati, MV Agusta, and Moto Guzzi. Laverda is a company with some notable parallels to Lamborghini – both made a name…
Malcolm Smith is one of the world’s pre-emiment off0rad racers, he primarily raced motorcycles but in the 1970s while recovering from a broken leg, he built his own off-road racing buggy and competed in both the Baja 1000 and the Baja 500.
BMW R80 RT Monolever The BMW R80 RT was released in 1982 as a road touring motorcycle fitted with the Paris-Dakar Rally winning BMW type 247 engine and drivetrain. From a road touring perspective, the BMW R80 RT was one of the best options in the world at the time. A version of the desert…
Introduction This is almost certainly the most detailed project we’ve ever featured on Silodrome. It includes a functioning pulse-jet powered scooter, accompanied by synthetic historic images, multiple handmade period-correct toys and kits, hand-painted posters, magazine ads, and an insignia chart – all made bespoke by Randy Regier to create the illusion that a jet-powered scooter, officially…
The Meirson Sprint Motor (MSM) V-twin Prototype The Meirson Sprint Motor (MSM) V-twin prototype is an engine that you’ve probably never seen before. Just one was made in 1967 by a talented father and son team in Australia; Clarry and Allan Meirs – the name Meirson is a contraction of “Meirs” and “Son”. The two…
UFO Garage UFO Garage was founded by Efraon Triana Lopez, one of the founders of both Cafe Racer Dreams and Pan Speed Shop, as a way to work independently and build custom motorcycles 100% to his own specifications. A native born son of Venezuela, Efraon left his home country at the age of 13 with…
The BMW R nineT Urban G/S The BMW R nineT Urban G/S is a member in the R nineT model range designed to evoke the spirit and styling of the iconic 1980 BMW R80 G/S – the motorcycle that launched the modern adventure bike genre and rocketed to icon status when it won the 1981…
Walt Siegl is deservedly known as one of the finest custom motorcycle builders in the world, but we’ve always associated him more with Ducatis than any other marque. The Bol d’Or is a step away from Ducati, but not a step away from Italy – it’s a comprehensively modified MV Agusta F3, and it’s no show…
The Yamaha FZ-09 The Yamaha FZ-09 is an inline three cylinder motorcycle designed to compete squarely against the popular Triumph Street Triple. Although multi-cylinder engines with an odd number of cylinders are less common, the three cylinder configuration makes a lot of sense for motorcycle use as it’s smoother running than a parallel twin, and…
The Metalbike Garage BMW K1200RS Metalbike Garage was founded by Simone Lecca after he left Gruppo Bertone – the storied Italian automotive styling, coachbuilding, and manufacturing company. Since Metalbike was founded 10 years ago, they’ve made a name for themselves via their signature aluminum bodywork – typically shaped using traditional tools and careful hand fettling….
The BMW K100 The BMW K100 was the motorcycle developed by the German marque to take the fight to the new breed of Japanese inline-4s, whilst at the same time meeting the increasingly stringent emissions regulations in Germany. It was never likely that the Germans would copy the favorite engine layout of the Japanese that…
