From The Archive

Moto Guzzi Lodola Although one of the 'newer' motorcycle manufacturers, Moto Guzzi always seemed able to come up with unusual, sophisticated and highly successful designs. Located on the shores of Lake Como, in Italy, the company came into being during 1921, formed by Carlo Guzzi and Giorgo Parodi, two former aviators who had survived the…

Continue reading »

Ariel Arrow Readers of the June 1993 feature in this series will recall that at the end of their 1959 season, Ariel Motors Ltd., discontinued their four-stroke range for which they had been world famous. A change in company policy had dictated that henceforth they would "concentrate on making two-stroke twins, following the successful launch…

Continue reading »

Royal Enfield 250cc When the production of motorcycles for the civilian market resumed after the war, most manufacturers concentrated on the larger capacity classes and were less inclined to make a 250. Admittedly there was an abundance of two strokes available in the lower capacity classes but for those who preferred a four stroke the…

Continue reading »

Raleigh sidecar outfit Mention the name Raleigh today and to most it will convey thoughts of a large company in Nottingham associated with the manufacture of good quality bicycles. Few will recall that at one time the company manufactured good quality motorcycles too and were one of the first to market a motorcycle under this…

Continue reading »

Rare 1929 model USS Velocette When Veloce Limited entered the motorcycle market by acquiring the assets and goodwill of Kelecom Motors in 1904, the latter's 2hp four stroke was renamed Veloce. This name continued to be used on the company's own four stroke designs that followed, which sadly were not quite the success intended. Their…

Continue reading »

Maserati 250/T4 (Gran Turismo lusso) Maserati conjures up the image of highly successful racing cars finished in Italian racing red, with legendary drivers such as Fangio, Ascari, Bira, Moss, Taruffi, rabham and Hawthorne, to name but a few. Formed by five brothers, the company had entered the industry comparatively late, in 1926. They soon made…

Continue reading »

A.W. Grady takes on Australia Ever since the early days of motorcycling, riders have sought challenges of various kinds. Sometimes they were factory inspired, to draw to attention of the general public the outstanding qualities of a new model and how well it would perform under arduous conditions. The resultant publicity not only helped boost…

Continue reading »

Hesketh superbike During Christmas 1977 Lord Hesketh decided to build an all-British Superbike. As former Patron to World Champion racing driver James Hunt, he had that year already installed facilities in the stable block of his country home at Easton Neston, in Northamptonshire, for testing rebuilt Formula One racing engines for the Grand Prix teams.…

Continue reading »

Pierce Arrow classic motorcycle The story goes Percy Pierce, the son of the owner of the Pierce Great Arrow Motor Company in Buffalo, was visiting Europe in 1908 and was so impressed by the FN four that he brought one back with him. His father George had been looking for something to take up some…

Continue reading »

Rudge Ulster Rudge was another of the better known names in the British motorcycle industry. Although the company had started in Wolverhampton during 1868, when Dan Rudge began making velocipedes, it was not until 1911 that the first motorcycle to bear this name left the production line. By then the company had re-located itself in…

Continue reading »