August 6, 2017
‘Crazy’ George Disteel and the Vincent Hoard
George Disteel tried to buy and hide every Vincent in Northern California, but...
August 5, 2017
100 Years After the ‘Indian Summer’, Part 3: Charles Bayly Franklin
Charles Bayly Franklin was Ireland's first international motorcycle racer, and...
August 2, 2017
100 Years After the ‘Indian Summer’, Part 2: Jake De Rosier
Jake De Rosier was perhaps the first professional motorcycle racer, and Indian's...
July 27, 2017
100 Years After the ‘Indian Summer’, Part 1: Billy Wells
Over 100 years ago, Indian swept the Isle of Man TT with a 1-2-3 win. It was...
July 26, 2017
Road Test: 1930 Brough Superior-Austin Four
Impressive, beautiful, and certainly unusual
July 25, 2017
Book Review: ‘BMW Rennsport’
Author Stefan Knittel publishes another terrific book from the BMW Archives,...
July 25, 2017
The Motorcycling Du Ponts
The Du Pont family is intimately tied with the American motorcycle industry, and...
July 22, 2017
Book Review: Garden Gate Manx
The Vintagent's Book of the Year for 2015; 'The Book About My Bike', published...
July 22, 2017
The Skull and Crossbones
Is Aldo Carrer's photo of 'Renzo' the Italian Arditi in 1916 the first use of a...
July 19, 2017
The Alt.Custom Scene – Co-Opted?
The Alt.Custom scene has been coopted and copied by the Industry - is this a...
July 19, 2017
The Sex Machine
The motorcycle is the second most intimate of machines; the first being, of...
July 19, 2017
Robert Hughes: Art Critic, Motorcyclist
Art critic Robert Hughes, star of the 'Shock of the New' TV series, was a...
July 18, 2017
Song of the Salt
Lake Bonneville dried up 20,000 years ago, leaving a terrible place for...
July 17, 2017
An Egli Reunion
Dr Fritz Egli debuted his magnificent Egli-Vincent 50 years ago. The Egli...
July 17, 2017
The Paris Scene
Journalist Francois-Marie Dumas discusses motorcycle events in Paris at...
July 16, 2017
Kenzo Tada
Kenzo Tada was the First Asian to Compete in the Isle of Man TT, and the first...
July 16, 2017
And Then Came Rudge…
AMA Hall of Fame rider Carey Loftin performed the motorcycle stunts for many...
July 12, 2017
‘The Chopper: the Real Story’ Reviewed
Speedreader reviews Paul d'Orléans' book 'The Chopper; the Real Story', Pub. by...
July 10, 2017
Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2015 (Pt 2)
The incredible Vintage Revival Montlhéry, the most romantic vintage motorsports...
July 5, 2017
Vintage Revival Monthléry 2015 (Pt 1)
The incredible Vintage Revival Montlhéry vintage auto and motorcycle racing...
July 3, 2017
Book Review: ‘Lewis Leathers’
Lewis Leathers, established in 1892, is Britain's oldest motor-clothing...
July 3, 2017
NLG: Brooklands’ First Winner
W.E. Cook raced a 1907 NLG-Peugeot to victory in the first official competition...
July 2, 2017
Anke Eve Goldmann: ‘Soviet Racing Women’
In 1962, Anke Eve Goldmann documented the extraordinary Soviet motorcycle racing...
June 30, 2017
Wheels&Waves 2017: The Best Yet
The Sixth Wheels&Waves was the best yet, with carefully curated exhibits, and an...
June 15, 2017
Road Test: The New Crocker
The Crocker motorcycle is back, in limited production with brand name owner...
June 15, 2017
The Remarkable Minneapolis
The Minneapolis Motorcycle Co. pioneered the use of a gearbox before any other...
June 14, 2017
Days of Future Past: the Mercury
Laurie Jenks designed the Motorcycle of the Future, an all-aluminum masterpiece...
June 13, 2017
Brooklands
They raced for trinkets, enameled copper stars, spark plugs and tires, dotted...
June 13, 2017
1935 Böhmerland ‘Reise’
The Bohmerlans was the longest production motorcycle in history, capable of...
June 13, 2017
Book Review: Charles Burki
Charles Burki illustrated his Norton racing motorcycles while imprisoned in WW2
June 13, 2017
Catsuits, Boilersuits, and Racing Suits
The one-piece leather racing suit has its origins in utilitarian workwear, which...
June 5, 2017
Bill Phelps: Catching Heroes
The Autodromo de Linas-Montlhery is a speed bowl filled with ghosts and,...
March 21, 2017
2015 Vintage Revival Montlhéry, Part 1
The greatest vintage motorsports event in the world, if you don't like crowds or...
May 2, 2016
The English Dirigibles
The English dirigible R100 flew across the Atlantic and landed in St.Huber,...
April 22, 2016
World’s Most Expensive Basket Cases
Demand for blue chip motorcycles extends even to totally dismantled and...
April 19, 2016
Nick Veasey: Beneath the Surface
Nick Veasey pushes photography into unseen territory, making art from x-rays
August 29, 2015
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...
January 4, 2015
Tutorial for the ‘Car Guys’: Why Bikes?
Thoughts on collecting with Stephen Cox led to thoughts on why car collectors...
November 7, 2014
Peter Fonda: ‘Cliff Vaughs Built Captain America’
Peter Fonda acknowledged in this 2014 letter, for the first time in 45 years,...
September 18, 2014
Selling ‘Captain America’
It's the most famous motorcycle in the world, and it's coming up for auction:...
June 30, 2014
Behind the Scenes at the 2014 Villa d’Este Concorso
Oh, the magnificence of the most beautiful lake in Europe, populated with...
October 22, 2013
A Truly Global Custom Scene
Valen Zhou is a photographer and pioneer motorcycle customizer in Chengdu,...
September 18, 2013
‘The Loveless’: Way Beyond Torn Up
It was Kathryn Bigelow's first film, made with future David Lynch collaborator...
August 1, 2013
Occupy Pebble Beach!
Paul d'Orleans reflects on what the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has become...
July 7, 2013
Alberto Garcia-Alix: Wheels&Waves 2013
Renowned Spanish photographer Alberto Garcia-Alix captured the anarchic spirit...
May 1, 2013
Nuovo Nuovo Falcone Cafe
Don Cronin and Dan O'Shea build unique cafe racer customs that win major prizes...
April 21, 2013
Prouvé, Ennui, and the Problem of Cash
Money is the root of all evil, so they say, but it certainly catches our...
November 22, 2012
Denis Sire; ‘Baron d’Holbach’
The premier pinup/vintage vehicle artist Denis Sire exhibits his new series in...
February 9, 2012
3 Days in Paris: Retromobile 2012
Paris in February? Oui, as that's when the awesome Rétromobile show happens.
December 14, 2011
Grayson Perry at the British Museum
Sculptor Grayson Perry designed an outrageous Harley-Davidson Knucklehead custom...
November 3, 2011
A Short History of Wankel Motorcycles
How many manufacturers built Wankel-engined motorcycles? Quite a few! This is...
October 11, 2011
‘Paradise Lost’: Conrad Leach
British artist Conrad Leach explores speed, danger, and British identity in his...
June 26, 2011
The Universal Racing Motorcycle
Dimitri Coste attempts the impossible: racing in many different types of...
April 7, 2011
Steam Cycles and History
How we see history, and what we consider relevant, can change with time or...
February 13, 2011
Building a Norton Four
In the mid-1960s, there were no 4-cylinder motorcycles to buy, so riders made...
February 11, 2011
Before the Bandit
In 1967, Triumph's legendary designer Edward Turner came out of retirement to...
November 30, 2008
Book Review: ‘Illustrated History of the Shickel Motorcycle’
An early American two-stroke capable of pulling a trailer? The Schickel was a...
October 3, 2008
The Blue Box
The Audi Museum in 2009 only exhibited DKW motorcycles, but a visit to the...
August 23, 2008
Rocket Cycles! Part 2: Archibald Low
Archibald Montgomery Low was a pioneer in unmanned aviation and rocketry,...
August 11, 2008
Harry Beanham’s Outback ABCs
Harry Beanham was a motorcycle collector and amateur photographer from the early...
April 29, 2008
Conrad Leach at the Legends of the Motorcycle
Artist Conrad Leach displayed his motorcycle-related paintings at the Legends of...
February 12, 2008
Dennis Loveday: Brooklands Racer
Dennis Loveday raced at Brooklands in the 1930s on Velocettes and Ariels
February 6, 2008
Book Review: ‘Private Owner’
Les Higgins was bitten by the racing bug while still a schoolboy, and spent his...
August 15, 2007
2007 Banbury Run
The Banbury run is the oldest pre-1930 motorcycle run in the world, attracting...
July 5, 2007
Rem Fowler’s 1907 TT Norton
'Norton' George Cohen restored this 1907 TT Norton as a replica of the first...
November 6, 2006
2006 All-British Ride
A ride for only British motorcycles in the hills of West Marin county, on a...
October 20, 2006
Vintage Gear: 2005 Goodwood Revival
A few thoughts on period correct attire for Goodwood Revival meeting, at which...
October 15, 2006
Shinya Kimura at the Legend of the Motorcycle
Japanese custom builder Shinya Kimura brought his remarkable hand-made machines...
October 12, 2006
2006 Legend of the Motorcycle
At a reception for the inaugural Legend of the Motorcycle Concours in 2006:...
October 11, 2006
A Pair of Vintage Racers
Two Vintage racing British bikes from the stable of Paul d'Orléans
October 2, 2006
Welcome to The Vintagent!
Thoughts from 2006 on what TheVintagent is about, from its founder, Paul...