Jack Ehret, the Black Lightning, and the road near Gunnedah On January 19th, 1953 Jack Ehret rolled his Vincent Black Lightning onto the gleaming asphalt near Gunnedah in eastern Australia where a 2 ¼ mile straight straight stretch of road had been closed by an accommodating constable, so Jack could take a shot at setting a new…
It’s thought that just 4 examples of the Laverda TT1 RGS Corsa semi-works racer were ever built, they were shipped to factory-approved racing teams in Italy, Belgium, Australia, and Japan where they were raced against the best in the world. The 1980s were a difficult and tumultuous time for Laverda, but few would disagree that…
The name Hesketh will probably always be most closely associated with the flamboyant world of 1970s Formula One racing, and for giving James Hunt his Formula One debut in 1973. The team were notoriously fond of champagne and would drink cases of the stuff regardless of their actual finishing positions, typically in the nearest 5…
The Honda VFR750R Type RC30, often just referred to as the RC30, is a unicorn motorcycle on par with the likes of Paul Smart’s Ducati 750 Imola Desmo, the Vincent Black Shadow, the Norton Manx, and the Brough Superior SS100. Now before the angry emails start rolling in from the vintage motorcycle fraternity, let me…
The Briggs & Stratton Motor Wheel was the first motorized vehicle ever owned by many tens of thousands of Americans, many were attached to bicycles and some were fitted to the rear of the Briggs & Stratton Flyer Cyclecar – remembered now as the cheapest car in history. A Brief History of the Briggs &…
The rotary-engined Norton Commander is a very rare motorcycle, just 300 or so were made before Norton was paid a final visit by its creditors at Midland Bank, and production was shut down. It’s a shame as with better funding, the almost turbine smooth twin rotor Wankel could have been a benchmark touring bike for its…
The ExoDyne Electric Motorcycle The ExoDyne is what happens when a talented veterinary orthopedic surgeon turns his attention to building himself an electric motorcycle. It’s there work of Alan Cross, an Atlanta based Vet who also happens to have a degree in engineering, and a wide swathe of metalworking and fabrication skills that are self-taught….
Survivor is a short film by director Cam Elkins, the man behind the popular Stories of Bike series that’s essential viewing for all motorcyclists. The film was created for the world famous Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – an annual charity motorcycle event that takes place across 505 cities in 90 countries – raising over $3.6M USD (in…
Hubert Auriol and the Paris Dakar BMW have a long and proud history of Paris Dakar wins, perhaps none more iconic than those of French rider Hubert Auriol – the first person to win the legendary and grueling event piloting both motorcycles and cars. Auriol took his first Paris Dakar win aboard a BMW R80G/S…
The Norton Atlas was introduced in 1962 as an upgraded version of the Dominator, primarily focussed on the American market. The Atlas brought together two iconic Norton elements to create a motorcycle that’s now much sought after by enthusiasts – a Featherbed frame and the parallel twin first used in 1949. The Norton Featherbed Frame…
There’s something immediately approachable about mini bikes. In fact they might be the only motorcycle genre that almost all motorcyclists like, a rare feat in the tribal world of two-wheelers. The ST/CT Series by Honda are quite different from their Monkey Bike counterparts, they have pressed-steel frames with a “T” shaped profile and an underslung…
The Yamaha Virago XV750 caused quite a stir when it was released in 1981, it was an obvious shot over the bow of Harley-Davidson, and moto journalists of the time waxed lyrical about the Milwaukee-based company’s impending demise. The Yamaha XV750 Virago Yamaha developed the Virago from a blank slate, although many have suspected over the years…
