Dennis Poore watched with relish as Associated Motor Cycles began imploding under a mountain of debt. In 1960, AMC, the giant conglomerate that included Matchless, AJS, Norton, Francis-Barnett and James, had turned a profit of £219,000 but a year lat

Imagine that you could attend only one of three events this summer: The Republican Party National Convention (July 15), the Democrat Convention (August 19) or the Summer Olympics (July 26) in France. Which would you select? Those that replied, “AMA V

1950’s West Germany was a nation in flux. It struggled with the aid of a $1.39 billion handout from the U.S. via the Marshall Plan (equivalent to $24 billion today) to recover from the internal depredations of warfare brought about by Adolf Hitler’s

Can a classic British bike be durable, reliable and oil tight? Rick Fisher believes if they’re built right, they’ll work right, so to prove the point, he took his freshly restored 1960 Matchless G12 on a 3,000 mile ride around British Columbia and Al

Thanks for the article on the XS750. I bought one new in early 1978 as the improved SP version came out in preference to the ubiquitous Honda, Le Mans 1, BMW etc. offerings at the time, and in preference to the XS1100, which we [South Africa] seemed

Growing up in Kuwait during the 1970s, Anwer Khan clearly remembers street vendors visiting his neighborhood aboard Honda CB350 motorcycles. With a rear rack and basket tied down with rope or bungee cords, peddlers would ride in on the machines and s

John Denver had it right: “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.” Hold that thought and let the music play in your mind as you read this issue’s Destinations. I think I found the best place in America for motorcycling. If you like twisties, impressive views,

In March of 1954, just six years after Mr. Soichiro Honda launched Honda Motor Company, the proud owner made a bold proclamation to his employees and to the world. He also directed his words at the motorcycle Grand Prix racing community, which reside

“The excitement of the test over, all of the bikes went back to the Cycle shop so they could be stripped to their crankcases to be checked for legality. The fastest was first. No standard showroom motorcycle could be as quick as the Kawasaki was in o

Motorcycle Classics wants to know about classic motorcycle shows, swap meets, road runs and more. Send details of upcoming events at least three months in advance to cstoner@motorcycleclassics.com Possum Vintage Motorcycle Gathering, a swap meet and

The first Lambretta, the Model A, was built around a fan-cooled, 2-stroke engine driving a 3-speed transmission by shaft to the rear wheel. Changes during this time were mostly cosmetic, culminating with the Model LD of 1951-58, which hid most of the

What does an engineering and manufacturing company do when it loses its biggest customers in short order? That’s what happened to Italian engineers Piaggio, Innocenti and Rumi in 1945. Piaggio had been supplying military aircraft to the Italian Air F

I can remember when I became interested in motorcycles. My brother Steve told me the story of the legendary “Black Shadow.” I was about 12 years old. I never forgot it. It would be many years before I saw one. I made my living as a motorcycle mechani

Alice’s Restaurant, Full Throttle Saloon, Ace Cafe London … these destinations are required visiting for followers of biker culture. Alice’s Restaurant (the song and movie notwithstanding) is in Woodside, California, at the junction of La Honda Road

Triple digit temperatures and near zero humidity make for a challenging motorcycle ride, but such conditions are perfect for storing aircraft. Our military does so on Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Today’s security environment no longer permi

Staring at images of this 1937 Gnome-Rhone AX2 800, it’s easy to get lost in the myriad details of its design. The relative age apparent on many of its components only adds to the allure — what stories could this machine tell? Unfortunately, this Gno

Mimi and Moto’s Magical Meteors is a chapter book for children ages 6 and up about two monkeys who become fascinated with motorcycles after a magical meteor made of motorcycles crashes into Earth. The monkeys, a cat, and a dog meet two gorillas in a

In 2007, the trail south from San Felipe to Coco’s Corner was a part of the Baja 1000 course: a rough, rutted, rocky track interspersed with treacherous stretches of deep soft sand. Steering in the sand was pointless: I was just a passenger. I can’t

3/1 This year marks the 82nd Anniversary of Daytona Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, taking place March 1-10. The 54th running of Daytona Supercross is set for Saturday, March 2. The 82nd running of the Daytona 200, hosted by MotoAmerica, home of

In motorcycling, the product term “scrambler” has long been a marketing tactic, albeit an exciting one. “Scrambling” exploded in Europe after World War II, when few — if any — off-road or dirt-specific models even existed. Instead, daring and determi

Race bikes are the Rodney Dangerfields of motorcycles. They get no respect. Like greyhounds and thoroughbreds, they’re groomed for one purpose — to win races. And when they no longer perform to expectations, those raging and aging champions are put t

My first brush with a Laverda came in 1984, winding through a eucalyptus grove on Shoreline Highway north of San Francisco heading for Point Reyes Station on a Sunday Morning Ride, piloting my Norton Commando behind a then-new Laverda RGS 1000. I was

Depending on who’s counting, there’s so far been anywhere between 1,082 and 1,221 different makes comprising the vast panoply of the British motorcycle industry down the years since 1896, when Humber unveiled what’s recognized today as the first genu

The Elefant used Ducati’s desmo 2-valve, air cooled L-twin engine breathing through two Dell’Orto PHF36 pumpers. Ignition was Bosch electronic. A full cradle frame of square-section tubes hung from a tubular spine that formed a plenum for the carbs,