August 29, 2020
‘Confessions of a Vintagent’ – 1943
What was the first use of the term Vintagent as applied to motorcycles? This...
June 18, 2020
Quarantine Cinema 7: Juneteenth Edition
Films about African-American motorcyclists are rare, and have trouble finding...
January 21, 2020
Rags to Riches – The Bullet Story
The longest production run of any motorcycle model, from the worlds oldest...
January 2, 2020
Tough on the Streets!
Street scramblers were straight out of the Steve McQueen era - rugged,...
October 10, 2019
Rocket Cycles, Part 1: Fritz von Opel
Fritz von Opel was more extravagant and daring than Jay Gatsby. Far too rich...
October 3, 2019
Auerberg Klassik 2019: Uwe Rattay
Is the bi-annual Auerberg Klassik hillclimb the finest vintage motorcycle event...
September 27, 2019
‘SpeedisExpensive’: the Australian Shoot Road Trip
When Philip Vincent-Day discovered a trove of 1950s films from his grandfather...
August 30, 2019
The Bilbao TT: 1932
Few remember that Bilbao, Spain, had a TT of its own in 1932, with serious...
June 20, 2019
The Original Triple: DKW’s ‘Singing Saw’ –
It was so loud they nicknamed it 'the chainsaw', but it was also wicked fast,...
March 30, 2019
T.T. OK!
TT-winning bikes from the 1920s are rare to find, but sometimes you get lucky,...
March 28, 2019
The Commando Miracle
Given 11 months to create a flagship model out of thin air, Norton's engineers...
March 6, 2019
The Vintagent Selects: the Wall of Death
It was one of those things that was always there.
January 4, 2019
The Vintagent Archive: Wheels And Wings
From 1938: Chris Staniland explains how his love of speed evolved from racing...
December 29, 2018
Mecum’s Blockbuster 2019 Las Vegas Sale
Digging into the history of some of our favorite bikes coming up for auction at...
November 26, 2018
The Vintagent Archive: “A Two-Wheeled Steed” (1869)
From the first year of pedal-cycle mass-production, and 1869 account of the joys...
November 18, 2018
NSU Breaks 200mph Barrier!
In 1956, the German NSU factory sent a team of six streamliners to Bonneville,...
November 11, 2018
‘The Angels of Pervyse’
Mairie and Elsie were motorcycle pals from 1912, who took their bikes to Belgium...
November 4, 2018
Fours Before Honda: 70 Years and 50 Brands
Four-cylinder motorcycles have been around since at least 1899, but Honda made...
November 3, 2018
‘SpeedisExpensive’: The LA Shoot Road-Trip
A new documentary, 'SpeedIsExpensive', dives deep into Vincent history, with...
October 19, 2018
The Mighty MFK: the Giant’s Fist
In the late 1940s, German racers had to make their own: this MFK...
October 15, 2018
The Vintagent Classics: Biker Babylon aka It’s a Revolution Mother
Don’t let it snap your mind.
October 5, 2018
The Current: Alta Grabs First Electric AMA Pro National Podium
It's finally happened: the Alta Redshift is the first electric-powered...
September 25, 2018
The Vintagent Trailers: Black Lightning: The Rollie Free Story
arguably the most famous photograph in motorcycling.
September 11, 2018
The Vintagent Selects: Team Obsolete – A Day At The Track
Assembling the very best grand prix 350’s from the classic period in a...
September 2, 2018
The Early History of Indian, Part 3: The Indian Motocycle Is Born
Part 3 of Ken Aiken's re-examination of the Early History of Indian Motocycles. ...
August 29, 2018
The Early History of Indian, Part 2: Hedstrom Sets the Pace
Hedstrom Sets the Pace: Carl Oscar Hedstrom rented facilities in Middletown,...
August 24, 2018
The Early History of Indian, Part 1: George M. Hendee, Bicycle Race Legend
George M Hendee was a champion bicycle racer, who later manufactured bicycles...
August 23, 2018
The Current: Mike Corbin, E-Bike Pioneer
Mike Corbin built electric motorcycles since the 1970s, and held the electric...
August 20, 2018
The Vintagent Classics: Easy Rider
A man went looking for America. And couldn't find it…anywhere.
August 14, 2018
Racing ‘Round the Rainbow Scintillator
In 1915 San Francisco emerged from the rubble of the '06 earthquake like a...
August 13, 2018
The Art of the Motorcycle: The Wrapped Vespa
'You're an outrage!' How Christo's 'Wrapped Vespa' almost got into the Art of...
August 13, 2018
Every Picture Tells a Story: Marie Therese Von Hammerstein
Marie Therese von Hammerstein was a German aristocrat and intellectual, and used...
August 12, 2018
In Velo Veritas: Keith Hamilton
Australian Velocette legend Keith Hamilton was always good for a story and a...
August 9, 2018
A Clubman at Brooklands: David Vincent
David Vincent was one of 29 riders to lap the Brooklands course at over 100mph...
August 9, 2018
Take a Bou, Toni!
Spaniard Toni Bou is a motorcycle competitor on par with a select few legends,...
July 22, 2018
Death By Cocteau
In 1949, Jean Cocteau invented the 'Dark Rider' image in his film 'Orphée', and...
July 7, 2018
Legends of Montlhéry at the Cafe Racer Festival: Part 2
In the second part of our story, an amazing collection of record-breakers from...
June 20, 2018
The Phantastic Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was a motorcycle racer and a real rascal, who redeemed himself...
June 15, 2018
Indians for the European Grand Prix
Indian developed special racers based on the European model to bolster their...
May 30, 2018
Stolen Glory: Zenith, OEC, and the 1930 World Speed Record
In 1930, the motorcycle World Speed Record was a close contest between BMW,...
May 23, 2018
Motosacoche and the Brothers Dufaux
The Dufaux brothers were pioneers of aviation, and founded a very successful...
May 14, 2018
Around the World with Aloha Wanderwell
Aloha Wanderwell was the first woman to circle the globe on wheels, as well as...
May 10, 2018
Brough Before Superior
Dave Clark restores an extremely rare racer built by the father of George...
May 9, 2018
A Vintage Triumph That Never Was
Alp Sungurtekin is a dry-lakes racing legend, and built a vintage-style Triumph...
May 3, 2018
Art and the Motorcycle (2): The Futurists
The Futurists were the only Modern Art movement to explore the motorcycle as...
April 25, 2018
100 Years Ago: Motorcycle Ambulances in WW1
Motorcycle ambulances were a technical innovation in WW1, and these photos show...
April 18, 2018
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Military Testing in 1918
In 1918, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and sidecars were shown off for inspectors...
April 3, 2018
The Motorcycle is 200 Years Old Today?
Was the motorcycle first demonstrated on April 3rd, 1818?
March 25, 2018
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Training Schools in 1918
In a canny business move, Harley-Davidson provided the US Military with free...
March 23, 2018
100 Years Ago: Harley-Davidson Manufacturing in 1918
In 1918, the US Gov't inspected the Harley-Davidson factory as part of their...
March 14, 2018
100 Years Ago: Excelsiors in 1918
The Excelsior Motor Co under Ignaz Schwinn supplied V-twins to the US Army in...
March 12, 2018
The ‘Motorized Cossacks’ of Africa
Boko Haram insurgents in Africa find motorcycles ideal for attacks and evasion. ...
March 6, 2018
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...
March 5, 2018
Africa: The Motorcyclists’ Continent
Chinese motorcycles are flooding Africa, in a race against the Japanese to...
March 1, 2018
Class C Racing in California: 1935
Class C racing was the AMA's answer to the Great Depression, opening up...
February 22, 2018
Two-Wheeled Icons of the 1980s
1980s motorcycle design was a radical departure from the 1970s, as both...
February 14, 2018
‘Slant Artists’: Hillclimbers in California, 1925-35
An album of photos of California dirt racing from 1925-35 yielded treasures of...
February 13, 2018
Whence Came the Swingarm Frame?
Modern motorcycle suspension was invented by an eccentric, dry-humored...
February 6, 2018
1935 – The Greatest TT?
Some consider the 1935 Isle of Man Senior TT the greatest of them all, with only...
February 2, 2018
The Mexican Suitcase
4000 photos from 3 celebrated photojournalists in the Spanish Civil War lay in a...
January 23, 2018
Rondal Partridge: Santa Clara Hillclimb in 1940
Imogen Cunningham's son traveled California in the Spring of 1940, photographing...
January 10, 2018
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! ...
January 2, 2018
‘A Handlebar Derby’ – Daytona Beach Racing
Before the Daytona Speedway was built in 1963, racing was strictly on the beach!...
December 21, 2017
Selling Speed: What’s in a Name?
Manufacturers use evocative names to sell motorcycles - the oldest game in the...
December 11, 2017
Jean Depara, Congolese Photographer
Congolese master photographer Jean Depara captured the nightlife, music, and...
December 5, 2017
The Vintagent Classics: The Hazards Of Helen: The Wild Engine
The spunky Helen (Helen Holmes) is our hero as a telegraph operator at a remote...
November 22, 2017
There Goes my Hero
The Indian motorcycle industry consists of small-bore bikes plus the Royal...
November 20, 2017
The Vintagent Selects: Chasing The Bullet
A film exploring the love affair between India and the Royal Enfield Bullet
November 14, 2017
The Vintagent Classics: Impatience
Impatience, from 1928, is the first film to eroticize the motorcycle,...
November 11, 2017
The Current: Future-Proof (Part 1)
How will the motorcycle become safer in the future? Editor of 'The Current',...
November 3, 2017
The Vintagent Selects: Gabe Griffin DKS! The Heathens
Gabe Griffin & DKS! takes an in depth look at The Heathens MF & the Rock n Roll...
October 29, 2017
The Age of Monsters
In the early 1900s, racing rules allowed the development of ultra-lightweight...
October 29, 2017
Confessions of a Factory Trials Rider
Gwen White was a factory-supported Trials rider in the 1950s, for Francis-Barnet...
October 21, 2017
Cliff ‘Soney’ Vaughs and ‘Easy Rider’
Cliff Vaughs designed the most famous motorcycles in the world. Why is he still...
October 16, 2017
Sylvester Roper’s Steam Velocipedes
Sylvester H Roper built his first steam velocipede in 1967/8, and demonstrated...
October 8, 2017
Kop Hill – the Perfume of Authenticity
The Kop Hill Climb is one of the oldest motorsports events in the UK, and has...
October 7, 2017
Showman in a Suitcase – Putt Mossman
When Chris Illman found a suitcase of motorcycle memorabilia, he didn't know it...
October 4, 2017
Atlanta’s ‘Black Streaks’
From 1913-1924, black motorcyclists raced on Atlanta's board tracks and...
October 2, 2017
The Tiger of Picardy
Triumph were allowed to build their twin-cylinder line even after WW2 began, and...
September 20, 2017
The Japanese Harley-Davidsons
Harley-Davidsons made in Japan? It's a fascinating story! Tens of thousands of...
September 20, 2017
Japanese Motorcycles: the Early Days
The first motorcycle arrived in Japan in 1896; they built their own from 1908.
September 19, 2017
Louis Lucien Lepoix
Louis Lucien Lepoix is an unsung hero of modernist motorcycle design, who built...
September 16, 2017
Book Review: ‘Japan’s Motorcycle Wars’
The book details the amazing, ruthless, dog-eat-dog Japanese motorcycle industry...
September 12, 2017
Absolute Speed, Absolute Power Pt. 2
Motorcycle Land Speed Records from 1930 - 1940
September 11, 2017
‘The Pleasures of Life’
Boris Anrep laid the floor mosaics in the National Portrait Gallery in London in...
September 7, 2017
Top 10: Most Expensive Motorcycles
What are the most expensive motorcycles ever sold? Check out our list!
September 6, 2017
The Evolution of ‘Super Kim’
the machine is the holder of the South American speed record from 1930
September 5, 2017
The Vintagent Trailers: I Fidanzati Della Morte (Engaged to Death)
Forgotten for nearly 60 years, “I fidanzati della morte” is movie like no...
September 4, 2017
T.E. Lawrence; ‘The Road’
T.E. Lawrence, better known as 'Lawrence of Arabia', was a keen motorcyclist,...
September 4, 2017
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',...
August 29, 2017
Stanley Woods and ‘Patricia’
A Beloved New Imperial V-twin as Superstar Transport for TT star Stanley Woods