Preparing an old MG for the road trip of a lifetime
The plan for 2027 was always to take a month off and drive around Italy. We’ve been many times on city breaks, Bologna being our favourite so far but there’s…
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Fast 500s with somewhere to put your socks: BSA DBD34 Gold Star and Matchless G80CS
The BSA DBD34 Gold Star and Matchless G80CS earned their reputations through competition. But these two examples show that a high-performance British 500 single could also make a surprisingly convincing…
Bike Of The Week: Virtually Unused 1981 Yamaha XT500
A remarkably preserved 1981 Yamaha XT500, showing a scarcely believable 47 kilometres from new, is on the virtual auction block at Bonhams’ Online Summer Sale until 15 June with an…
Ten Great Classic Motorcycles for under £5000
The days of stumbling across a Vincent for the price of a family hatchback are long gone. Prices for the most desirable classics have risen steadily over the last decade,…
Allen Millyard’s Maddest Machines Under the Hammer – Including Viper V10
Most of us, when faced with a spare engine and a bit of time, might think about a winter rebuild or perhaps a café racer project. Allen Millyard, on the…
Bike Of The Week: 1965 ‘works’ MV Agusta 500 tops Bonhams Stafford auction
If you’re a fan of motorcycling history, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. A 1965 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix racing bike – formerly ridden by the legends Mike…
Over the ton and still going: early Rudge and BSA
There’s something very appealing about motorcycles more than 100 years old. The century or ‘ton’ is a milestone in cricket speed, cricket and probably several other activities but especially age.…
World’s biggest classic motorcycles auction: Mecum Las Vegas 2026
The world’s biggest auction of classic motorcycles is the Mecum Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction. In 2026, more than 2,000 motorcycle of all types will cross the auction block…
Smoky Treasure: Charlie Sanby’s TT Ducati 750SS
Ducati’s 750SS is already one of the most mythical motorcycles of the 1970s —mgreen-framed, bevel-driven and built in the smallest of numbers. But when one turns up with proper Isle…
Bike Of The Week: 1975 Ducati 900 Super Sport: Raw and Raucous
Somewhere around the mid-1970s, Ducati fever overtook me and half of the motorcycle world. Paul Smart’s win at the ’72 Imola 200 had lit the fuse, and the factory’s road-going…
Bike Of The Week: Scott Flying Squirrel – Two-Stroke Royalty
In the history of great British motorcycles, the Scott Flying Squirrel sits slightly apart. While other marques of the 1920s boomed, barked and thumped their way along, the Scott arrived…
1970 Honda CB750: The Original Superbike Heads to Auction
There are few motorcycles that changed the course of motorcycling history quite like the Honda CB750. When it arrived in 1969, it wasn’t just another new model, it was a…
The Curious Case of the 1970 Indian Velocette Venom 500
In the twilight years of the British motorcycle industry, when storied marques were either folding or floundering, an American entrepreneur named Floyd Clymer attempted to write one last heroic chapter.…
1988 Yamaha XT500: Still Crated After All These Years
If you had to pick one motorcycle that set the template for the modern adventure bike, the Yamaha XT500 would be a strong contender. Built from 1975 until 1989, the…
Climbing Legends: 1928 Harley-Davidson FHAD Hillclimber
In the smoky, oil-rich atmosphere of 1920s American racing, the hillclimb was the gladiator arena of the motorcycle world. Stripped of niceties and bred for brute power and control, these…
Fancy a bit of Hollywood history? Bud Ekins’ Matchless G80S
If ever a motorbike could wear sunglasses and a leather jacket, this would be it. This 1952 Matchless G80S isn’t just a handsome slab of post-war British iron — it…
1928 BSA Sloper: A Jolly Green Giant is calling
There’s a certain quality and star status afforded classic motorcycles with girder forks. Partly it’s because many date from a ‘Golden Age’ of motorcycles when there were dozens of manufacturers…
Slice of Americana: 1918 Harley-Davidson Model F
Meet the 1918 Harley-Davidson Model F, a motorcycle that predates television, the BBC, and sliced bread — but still manages to look like it could roar into town and cause…
A Proper Motorcycle: The 1937 Vincent-HRD Rapide Series-A
Motorcycles are wonderful things. They allow you to enjoy the open road, go quite fast, and in some cases, terrify yourself. And if there’s one bike that does all three…
Six Of The Best: RC30 heads Charterhouse March auction
Here’s another of our Six Of The Best series, this time from the Charterhouse auction taking place at the Haynes Motor Museum on 13 March. Top of our list of…
1969 Vespa SS90: Speedy Gonzales Of Scooters
Right, let’s talk about something rather special. Not a Ferrari. Not a Spitfire. Not even a particularly well-engineered teapot. No, today, we’re delving into something with two wheels, an 88.5cc…
Six Of The Best: Classic Motorcycles at Bonhams’ Spring Stafford Sale 2025
Bonhams has announced an extraordinary lineup for its highly anticipated Spring Stafford Sale, set to take place on 26-27 April 2025, at the Staffordshire County Showground. Coinciding with the International…
Two-Wheel Time Capsule: Brand New 2005 Honda Fireblade
Let me introduce you to something that’s not just a motorcycle but an engineering masterpiece that could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Yes,…
UK’s biggest collection of Yamaha racing bikes up for auction
Ah, Yamaha! The mere mention of the name conjures images of thrilling track days, ear-splitting two-stroke exhaust notes, and a history of racing dominance. And now one of the UK’s…
Suzuki GSX-R750: brilliant racer on the road (despite the nickname)
Whoever came up with the nickname ‘Gixxer’ for Suzuki’s stunning 1980s GSX-R750 was a moron. Dreadful name, bastardised slang, worthy only of the Daily Star on an off day. Ok,…
World record for Olympia Vincent at Bonhams £3.2m autumn auction
A new world record price was set at Bonhams’ Autumn Stafford Sale in October for a very famous motorcycle: the 1936 Olympia Motorcycle Show Vincent-HRD 998cc Series-A Rapide. The price?…
Six Of The Best: Bonhams Autumn Stafford sale
Here’s another of my personal Six Of The Best – this time from Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on 12-13 October 2024. Top of the…
Six Of The Best: Charterhouse Auction October 2024
Here’s a new idea (from me): Six of The Best from an upcoming motorcycle auction. This time it’s the Charterhouse Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Auction on 3 October 2024 at…
‘Special’ Brough Superior SS100 sells for £241,500
A very special 1938 Brough Superior SS100 sold for an incredible £241,500 at the Iconic Auction staged at the NEC Classic Motor Show, Birmingham on Sunday, 12 November 2023. The…
Mixed fortunes at Charterhouse October auction
What to make of the results from the Charterhouse auction of classic & vintage motorcycles on 26 October 2023? There were some good prices made, a number of bargains, but…
Bike Of The Week: Triumph TR5, The original ‘Trophy’
Over the years, Triumph has bandied around the name ‘Trophy’ willy-nilly. Sometimes it’s attached to a trail bike but more often to a tourer – as recently as 2017 –…
Rare Mondials to appear at world’s biggest motorcycle auction
FB Mondial is one of those motorcycle manufacturers bathed in myth and legend, dominating grand prix racing during the early and mid 1950s. Created by a band of brothers named…
California Dreaming! Stunning BSA X-75 Hurricane up for sale
The early 1970s were a torrid time for the British motorcycle industry. Famous brand names had disappeared or were closing. Others were struggling with out of date motorcycles thanks to…
Moto Guzzi’s military 500cc single Falcone
As well as its more famous vee-twins, Italian manufacturer Moto Guzzi also made a 500cc single cylinder motorcycle. One is coming up for sale at H&H’s classic scooter and motorcycle…
Elvis Presley’s Harley is in the building! OK, auction…
Who knew rock ‘n roll star Elvis Presley was into motorcycles? Just before his death in 1977 he bought a 1976 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide FLH Centennial special edition – and…
How much for that Suzuki in the crate?
Have classic motorcycle auctions gone crazy or is $20,000 a good price for a 1975 Suzuki TM250 dirt bike? Not just any old TM250 though. This one is brand new…
Charterhouse reaches 75% sale rate at March auction
Charterhouse Auctioneers says its classic and vintage bike auction on 30 March at the Haynes International Motor Museum was a great success with nearly 75% sold, with the total value reaching…
Mike Hailwood’s 1960 125 Ducati up for sale
Wow! A 1960 Ducati 125cc raced by a young Mike Hailwood is coming for sale at Bonham’s Spring Stafford sale at the International Classic Motorcycle Show on 22 April 2023.…
H&H achieves 84% sale rate at NEC classic motorcycle auction
Auctioneer H&H has released results of its sale of classic motorcycles and scooters at the National Motorcycle Museum on 29 March 2023. A total of 188 lots went under the…
Brough SS100 outfit at Charterhouse Auction
Among the 85 motorcycles listed so far in the Charterhouse Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Auction at the Haynes Motor Museum on 30 March is an extraordinary 1936 Brough Superior SS100…