National Emergency Library
The Internet Archive opens its digital doors to everyone, and a quick search turned up 495 motorcycle books. Get…
The Vintagent Archive: “A Two-Wheeled Steed” (1869)
From the first year of pedal-cycle mass-production, and 1869 account of the joys of two wheels. Everything the writer…
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Training Schools in 1918
In a canny business move, Harley-Davidson provided the US Military with free motorcycle training schools to instruct…
Fours Before Honda: 70 Years and 50 Brands
Four-cylinder motorcycles have been around since at least 1899, but Honda made them the most famous in 1968. What…
100 Years Ago: Motorcycle Ambulances in WW1
Motorcycle ambulances were a technical innovation in WW1, and these photos show the different ways they were used…
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Military Testing in 1918
In 1918, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and sidecars were shown off for inspectors in hopes of securing lucrative military…
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Manufacturing in 1918
In 1918, the US Gov't inspected the Harley-Davidson factory as part of their military contracts for WWI
100 Years Ago: Excelsiors in 1918
The Excelsior Motor Co under Ignaz Schwinn supplied V-twins to the US Army in WW1 - these unpublished photos show…
100 Years Ago: Inside the Indian Factory in 1918
The USA was a very different place before joining World War 1 in 1917; it was pacifist, with a tiny military! These…
Rondal Partridge: Santa Clara Hillclimb in 1940
Imogen Cunningham's son traveled California in the Spring of 1940, photographing youth culture for a New Deal agency,…
The Big X and the Big 3: the Excelsior-Henderson Story
The Excelsior-Henderson brand is coming up for sale in Las Vegas this month! Why does it matter?
Almost Lost: A Cross-Country Pioneer
In 1915, Hamilton Mack Laing rode his Harley-Davidson, nicknamed Barking Betsy, from New York to San Francisco. His…
1914: the Whirl of Death
In 1914, Erle 'Red' Armstrong built his Whirl of Death, the first fully vertical motordrome in the world. Then he made…
First Four-Cylinder at the Isle of Man TT
The first four-cylinder motorcycle racer in history wasn't Italian or Japanese, it was Belgian! FN showed up to race…
‘Confessions of a Vintagent’ – 1943
What was the first use of the term Vintagent as applied to motorcycles? This article from 1943, written by Dennis May…
Charles Burki: Streamliners
As a Dutch graphic artist with an incredible back story in WW2, Charles Burki deserves to be better remembered today.
Quarantine Cinema: Part 4
This week's batch stay-at-home watching includes the Independents - self made, self funded, self motivated film makers…
Two Wheels, Single Shots: Motorcycles and Espresso in Italy
Wendy Pojmann, an academic at Siena College in NY, is a motorcyclists and coffee lover, and shares her thoughts on…
‘The Speed Kings’
Motorcycle historian (and Daytona 200 winner) Don Emde hits the mark with his latest book on board track racing…
From Russia With Love
In the 1970s, Norton-Villiers-Triumph developed plans for a factory in the Soviet Union to build a version of their…
Pacific Northwest Hillclimbing Circa 1930
An archive of photos from the East Side Motorcycle Co of Portland showing early years of this peculiarly American sport…
Tough on the Streets!
Street scramblers were straight out of the Steve McQueen era - rugged, streetwise and of their time…or fashion……
Moto Major: Italy Reinvents the Motorcycle
It created a sensation when first shown in 1947, and remains a thing of intrigue and beauty: the Moto Major is still a…
Road Test: 1925 Sunbeam ‘Crocodile’
When invited to ride an ultra rare vintage Grand Prix Sunbeam in a hillclimb in southern Germany, who would say no?…
Rocket Cycles, Part 1: Fritz von Opel
Fritz von Opel was more extravagant and daring than Jay Gatsby. Far too rich and dashing, he leveraged an enormous…
‘SpeedisExpensive’: the Australian Shoot Road Trip
When Philip Vincent-Day discovered a trove of 1950s films from his grandfather Phil Vincent's archive, he began an…
Martin Chambi: “I Am Not Hispanic: I am Pre-Hispanic.”
Photographer Martin Chambi was the first native Peruvian to document his people, culture, and landscape. His photos…
The Bilbao TT: 1932
Few remember that Bilbao, Spain, had a TT of its own in 1932, with serious international participation. We translate…
The Current News: Aug. 28, 2019
EV Editor Tim Huber scouts stories from around the world, as the electric motorcycle market surges forward on nearly…
The Original Triple: DKW’s ‘Singing Saw’ –
It was so loud they nicknamed it 'the chainsaw', but it was also wicked fast, and a technical wonder. Meet the…
Selling Speed
The motorcycle industry has always 'sold speed' as a primary impulse, while presenting a respectable image. Paul…
The Commando Miracle
Given 11 months to create a flagship model out of thin air, Norton's engineers created a machine for the ages.
The Current: A History of Electric Motorcycles (Part 1)
The electric motorcycle as a concept dates back to 1869, a trifecta of the development of the electric motor, the…
The Mighty MFK: the Giant’s Fist
In the late 1940s, German racers had to make their own: this MFK overhead-camshaft racer is a remarkable home-built…
The Early History of Indian, Part 2: Hedstrom Sets the Pace
Hedstrom Sets the Pace: Carl Oscar Hedstrom rented facilities in Middletown, Connecticut, to build his motorized…
Legends of Montlhéry at the Cafe Racer Festival: Part 2
In the second part of our story, an amazing collection of record-breakers from the Cafe Racer Festival at Montlhéry,…
Legends of Montlhéry at the Café Racer Festival: Part 1
The annual Cafe Racer Festival at Monthlery is that track's only all-motorcycle event, and this year featured a…
The Phantastic Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was a motorcycle racer and a real rascal, who redeemed himself by saving 1200 Jewish prisoners during…
Indians for the European Grand Prix
Indian developed special racers based on the European model to bolster their sales abroad.
Stolen Glory: Zenith, OEC, and the 1930 World Speed Record
In 1930, the motorcycle World Speed Record was a close contest between BMW, Zenith, and OEC, and the final speed run at…
Around the World with Aloha Wanderwell
Aloha Wanderwell was the first woman to circle the globe on wheels, as well as an author, filmmaker, pilot, and…
Art and the Motorcycle (2): The Futurists
The Futurists were the only Modern Art movement to explore the motorcycle as subject matter. Who were they?
‘A Handlebar Derby’ – Daytona Beach Racing
Before the Daytona Speedway was built in 1963, racing was strictly on the beach! We explore the history of nature's…
Vespa Streamliners
In the 1950s, fierce competition between Vespa and Lambretta created an 'arms race' of top speed scooters!
Martin Munkacsi
A pioneer photographer of sports, fashion, and celebrities, Martin Munkacsi's work was nearly lost to history.
Cliff ‘Soney’ Vaughs and ‘Easy Rider’
Cliff Vaughs designed the most famous motorcycles in the world. Why is he still unknown?
Atlanta’s ‘Black Streaks’
From 1913-1924, black motorcyclists raced on Atlanta's board tracks and speedways in a special Championship series.…
From Glorious to Notorious; the Fay Taylour Story
Fay Taylour is the most successful female motorsports competitor in history, making her name and her living from racing…
The Japanese Harley-Davidsons
Harley-Davidsons made in Japan? It's a fascinating story! Tens of thousands of H-D clones were built in Japan from…
The Vintagent Trailers: I Fidanzati Della Morte (Engaged to Death)
Forgotten for nearly 60 years, “I fidanzati della morte” is movie like no other in its genre, recovered and restored…
1915 ‘Race for Life’ – the First ‘Wall of Death’?
The world's first Wall of Death appears to have been called the 'Race for Life', an attraction at the 1915 Panama…
Book Review: ‘Flat Out! The Rollie Free Story’
Rollie Free proved the Vincent Black Shadow was the world's fastest production motorcycle in 1947, but his life was so…
Book Review: ‘BMW Rennsport’
Author Stefan Knittel publishes another terrific book from the BMW Archives, this time about their history of racing…
Selling ‘Captain America’
It's the most famous motorcycle in the world, and it's coming up for auction: the Captain American chopper from the…
‘Ton Up!’ Exhibit In Cyril Huze Post
Cyril Huze Post Visits our Ton Up Exhibit in Sturgis at the Michael Lichter 'Motorcycles as Art' Gallery, co-curated by…
Welcome to The Vintagent!
Thoughts from 2006 on what TheVintagent is about, from its founder, Paul d'Orleans