The Motorcycle Portraits: Paul d’Orléans
Paul d'Orléans is publisher of The Vintagent, guest curator at the Petersen Museum, author, motorcycle nut, historian,…
My 1933 Velocette KTT MkIV: ‘The Mule’
The long history of Velocette KTT470 as documented by Paul d'Orléans, from the factory for Mack's Motorcycles to Eddie…
‘Electric Revolutionaries’ at the Petersen Museum
Curated and concepted by Paul d'Orléans, the Electric Revolutionaries exhibit focusses on 11 designers making an impact…
ADV: OVERLAND Exhibition @ The Petersen Museum, July 2021 – April 2022
ADV:Overland is the latest exhibit curated by Paul d'Orléans at the Petersen Automotive Museum, produced by the…
Shooting for Us All: Shane Balkowitsch
A photograph of wet plate photographer Paul d'Orleans at work led to a new passion, a remarkable body of work, and…
Paean to the ‘Thruxton’
A deeply won fanaticism characterizes many Velocette Thruxton owners. Paul d'Orleans has owned his since 1989, and…
Concorso di Eleganza Villa d’Este 2019
What's the inside scoop on the swankest Concorso on earth? Follow Paul d'Orleans as he relates the scene, giving you…
Selling Speed
The motorcycle industry has always 'sold speed' as a primary impulse, while presenting a respectable image. Paul…
‘Custom Revolution’ Exhibit in LA Times
The first museum exhibition of the 'Alt.Custom' scene that's forever changed the motorcycle industry, curated by Paul…
The Ride: Bryan Fuller’s ‘Bavarian Knight’
Fuller Moto nails a vintage BMW cafe racers style with a modified R75/5 'toaster tank' hotrod, test ridden by Paul…
Café Racers Invade Sturgis
The 'Ton Up!' exhibition during the 2012 Sturgis Rally was an oasis of alternative culture, co-curated by photographer…
A Day at the Races
Wet plate/collodion photographer Paul d'Orléans exposes Wheels&Waves California with his MotoTintypes
Chopper History on NPR
NPR explored the un-easy history of the 'Captain America' chopper used in 'Easy Rider', interviewing Cliff Vaughs and…
The Vintagent Original: Model X
Test riding a 1934 Matchless Model X, an Art Deco-inspired masterpiece. Paul d'Orléans roars across the Golden Gate…
The Vintagent Original: Neander
Paul d'Orleans rides Ernst Neumann-Neander's masterpiece through the Bavarian countryside, with discussion on why old…
‘The Chopper: the Real Story’ Reviewed
Speedreader reviews Paul d'Orléans' book 'The Chopper; the Real Story', Pub. by Gestalten.
The End of Motorcycles at Pebble Beach, In Verse
Set to the tune of 'Mighty Casey at Bat', Paul d'Orleans sings the sad song of the failed motorcycle concours at…
‘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…
Occupy Pebble Beach!
Paul d'Orleans reflects on what the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has become - anything but elegant - for The…
Prouvé, Ennui, and the Problem of Cash
Money is the root of all evil, so they say, but it certainly catches our attention. Is it the best way to cultivate…
San Francisco Art Deco Day, 2006
The Legion of Honor Museum of San Francisco held an Art Deco Day parade complete with period 1920s vehicles, which Paul…
Vintage Gear: 2005 Goodwood Revival
A few thoughts on period correct attire for Goodwood Revival meeting, at which it is encouraged. Paul d'Orléans…
2006 Legend of the Motorcycle
At a reception for the inaugural Legend of the Motorcycle Concours in 2006: Jared Zaugg, Peter Fonda, Gwen White, Paul…
Welcome to The Vintagent!
Thoughts from 2006 on what TheVintagent is about, from its founder, Paul d'Orleans
One Hundred Years Of Racing: Isle of Man TT
Often called the 'world's most dangerous road race', the Isle of Man TT has been run since 1907, and was once the most…
David Lancaster: ‘Speed is Expensive’
David Lancaster explains how his whole life led up to making 'Speed is Expensive: Philip Vincent and the Million Dollar…
Brooklands History by Postcard
The construction of the world's first motorsports banked track, Brooklands, as documented in postcards from 1907 and…
DKW’s Remarkable Streamliners
DKW's wild streamliner racer bodies were designed by streamlining expert Baron Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld,…
Electric Revolutionaries: JT Nesbitt Interviewed
JT Nesbitt's remarkable career includes designing motorcycles for Confederate and Curtiss. His Curtiss One reinvents…
How You Find Them #1: 1923 Douglas Racer
You have to be ready to buy when the opportunity arises, and keeping my eyes open. This is our series on How You Find…
’10 Wheels and Waves’: Biarritz in a Book
'10 Wheels and Waves' is the only official book documenting the event, a tribute to all the creativity and hard work it…
Décor Motor: Spinzi Wheels in the Spice
Tommaso Spinzi brings wheels into a 1716 Baroque palazzo in Turin to celebrate the city's design heritage, and his…
Never Gonna Let You Go: Phil Lane’s Dunstall
Few motorcyclists have owned their machine for half a Century, and of those, rarer still is an owned-since-new cafe…
Quail 2022: Behind the Scenes
Feeling impatient, I blurted out the case for Max Hazan’s Vincent as Best of Show from an aesthetic and technical…
The Current News: May 14, 2022
News about solid-state batteries: pie in the sky or a real breakthrough? New LiveWire looks promising, and Specialized…
Electric Revolutionaries: Panel Discussion
Electric Revolutionaries features 11 designers at the edge of the EV industry. A fascinating panel discussion was held…
‘Is This Not His Fate?’ Amphetamine History
Amphetamine compounds like Ritalin and Adderal are now the most prescribed ‘medications’ in the US, mostly for…
Walt Siegl: High Performance Attaché
Walt Siegl's career arc is unique, from art-school dropout in Austria, to Austrian cultural attaché in NYC, finally…
The Roads Less Traveled: Bernard Testemale
Bernard Testemale's extraordinary wet plate portraits are on exhibit at RAW Culture gallery in Lisbon. 'The Roads Less…
Those Dashing Racers of the 1920s: C.T. Ashby
You can almost smell the castor oil burning off the hot motor of Cecil Ashby's 1925 Zenith 'Championship' racer at…
Road Test: 1928 BMW R63
The R63 was an expensive machine when new, and cost about the same as a Brough Superior SS100 in the UK, and it's…
The Vintagent Originals: Vincent Black Lightning
The Vincent Black Lightning is legendary for all the best reasons, and in real life, it's the fastest and best-sounding…
The Vintagent Original: ADV Overland Exhibit
ADV:Overland includes round-the-world and long-distance racing machinery from 1903 to the present, plus sci-fi and NASA…
The Current News: March 3, 2022
This week’s EV news roundup includes two weirdly wonderful tricycle concepts, an electric Meyers Manx, fresh funds, and…
Quail Motorcycle Gathering is Back!
The Quail Motorcycle Gathering is the premier motorcycle lifestyle event / concours d'elegance in the world.
Actually, It IS Rocket Science
Dr Robin Tuluie built fantastically successful racers that won Daytona. He also designed F1 cars that took four World…
Valen Zhou: The Railway Engineer
Valen Zhou spent whole nights working on his second custom motorcycle, to capture his grandfather's spirit as a railway…
A Suzuki Hayabusa from Paper
Like meditation, the art of modeling is a kind of prayer, and the ultimate homage to an object. This paper Suzuki…
America’s First Motor Vehicle Race: 1895
Motocycles seemed a mighty pain in the ass compared to bicycles, and the 1895 Chicago Herald-Tribune race did little to…
Top 10 Mecum Las Vegas 2022
People just seem to hate their money right now." - Sam Murtaugh, COO of Mecum Auctions, on why prices for collector…
Winnie, Queen of the Desert
Crossing the Nullarbor Plain solo on a motorcycle was considered suicidal, especially for a woman in 1950. But…
The Harley-Davidson Heritage Collection
The Harley-Davidson Heritage Collection includes nearly 100 beautifully restored models covering every year of the…
Olive Hager, the ‘Mile a Minute Girl’
She was one of the first and most famous Wall of Death riders of all time. Others used the name after her, but Olive…
(Re)Born in Flames: the Top Mountain Museum
Amazingly, the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum was completely rebuilt in 10 months. It's open now, but the grand opening…
A Collection of Collections: Mecum Las Vegas 2022
With the New Year fast approaching, motorcyclists and collectors will be salivating over Mecum’s 31st Annual Vintage &…
‘One Man Caravan’ in ADV:Overland
Robert Edison Fulton Jr. rode around the world in 1932 on a Douglas Mastif, and wrote 'One Man Caravan' about his…
Your Man in India: Adil Jal Darukhanawala
He is the father of motor journalism in India, but Adil Jal Darukhanawala thinks the title is "rather pompous to be…
The Current News: Oct 21, 2021
Our weekly roundup of EV news: new releases from Soriano Motori and Daymak, and an intriguing new website that allows…
‘Sparks and Speed’: Shinya Kimura
Toru Tokikawa’s new film, 'Sparks and Speed: The Story of Shinya Kimura', displays is a lyrical and poetic portrayal of…
The Vintagent Original: ADV:Overland
Adventure is in our soul. ADV:Overland exhibit at the Petersen Museum, July 2021 - April 2022. Off-road, round the…
EV Tax Credit: Ditch Your Car?
The US government proposes tax credits on the purchase of new eBikes. Would you make the switch?
Top 10 Mecum 2021
Mecum's Las Vegas motorcycle auction is the largest in the world, and there is literally a bike for everyone who rides…
It’s Fuell Not Buell
Riders the world over were ecstatic when news broke that Buell Motorcycles has resurfaced. But despite that company’s…
The Swedish Chief: Ola Stenegard
Swedish designer Ola Stenegard brings apex mid-1950s cool to the new Indian Chief models
Aristocratic Motorcyclist, Issue 0
Artist Lorenzo Eroticolor worked with Bill Phelps, Alberto Garcia-Alix, Chas Ray Krider, and others, to create a…
Research Into Contemporary Outlaws (RICO)
The only collection of 1%er biker club ephemera in private hands is safely housed within a Class II vault in LA, at the…
‘The Motorcycle’: Ultan Guilfoyle
The curatorial team of Charles Falco and Ultan Guilfoyle, famous for 'The Art of the Motorcycle' at the Guggenheim, are…
Thousand Yard Stare
Wil Thomas built his custom Knucklehead bob-job based on a rare photograph of Black riders in the 1940s.
BikeEXIT: the Chris Hunter Interview
Chris Hunter founded BikeEXIF in 2008: now he's sold it to the Iron&Air team of Adam and Greg. We ask Chris a few…
Velo on the Chase
Riding an sophisticated overhead-camshaft British motorcycle across the USA is no small feat: Larry Luce sorted it out…
Road Test: 2020 BMW R18
BMW took a leaf from H-D's book with the new R18, digging into their heritage to give their new cruiser some historic…
The Promenade Percy
Promenade Percy was a derisive name for motorcyclists cruising the seaside for attention in the 1930s. We dig into the…
Coping with COVID: the Auction Scene in 2020
How is the auction scene coping with Covid? Sam Murtaugh of Mecum Auctions gives us the story.
Daredevil in Training: Corinna Mantlo
Corinna Mantlo, the Vintagent's Editor for Film, has a most amazing life as a daredevil, founder of the Motorcycle Film…
‘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…
John Wallace and the Duzmo
At 14, he knew he'd build motorcycles - and he did! On the way he worked with some of the most remarkable names in the…
8 Valves for the Road
Hot stuff! Designers and special builders have explored the power potential of 4-valve cylinder heads on twin-cylinder…
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 3
This week's movies to watch while stuck at home. This week they're all from Europe, and they're awesome!
Social Distancing Machine?
Is the motorcycle an ideal social distancing machine? Dr. Wendy Pojmann explores how it might not be, with her two…
Mecum Gallery: Vehicle Sales Online
As live auctions are cancelled, Mecum is selling premium vehicles direct on its Mecum Gallery website.
National Emergency Library
The Internet Archive opens its digital doors to everyone, and a quick search turned up 495 motorcycle books. Get…
Jan Hoek: Boda Boda
Amsterdam-based photographer Jan Hoek was inspired to give Nairobi moto-taxi riders, called Boda Boda, a new look, and…
The Vintagent Classics: Orphée
A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.
The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire
The team that brought you the Art of the Motorcycle exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum is back! Ultan Guilfoyle and…
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…
‘Chai Racers’ of Mumbai
Back in 2009, photographer Thierry Vincent captured the budding custom motorcycle scene in Mumbai. The modifications…
Top 100 Most Expensive Motorcycles
Our Top 100 World's Most Expensive Motorcycles is the only accurate list of the most expensive bikes sold at public…
Tough on the Streets!
Street scramblers were straight out of the Steve McQueen era - rugged, streetwise and of their time…or fashion……
The Current News: New Year Edition!
Sophia Vassiliadis notes there's a lot going on in the electric motorcycle scene, with BMW building a prototype sports…