Oldtimers

BMW 1982 R100RT 980 cc OHV opposed twin frame & engine # 6234522 In the autumn of 1976, after three years, the /6 series is replaced by the /7 series for the 1977 range. The 898 cc capacity of the top /6 models is now upped to 980 cc by enlarging the bore from 90 to 94 mm. There are three models in the 980cc class, the “basic” R100/7, is a pleasant tourer, the more sporty and powerful R100S and the top model, the R100RS. In 1978 a R100 with full touring fairing , taller windshield and higher han ...

Moto Guzzi 1947 “Airone Turismo” 247cc OHV single frame # 26656 engine # 72678 In 1932 Moto Guzzi had decided to move into the lightweight market. At first this was the 175cc class that enjoyed various advantages in taxation and driving licence regulation, but when these were abolished the public interest in the 175cc class waned and Guzzi decided to increase the displacement of its little P175. At first the step was made to a 232cc machine but in 1937 the PL was introduced with 247cc capacity a ...

Triumph 1911/14 in TT roadster trim 3 ½ HP 499 cc frame # 190190 engine # 31277 TTU Winning the single cylinder class in the 1908 TT races on the Isle of Man gave an enormous boost to sales of Triumph machines. From 1909 on a special “TT roadster” model was to appear in the catalogues. In the 1910 TT eight Triumphs started, of which five were ridden by amateurs. All of them finished the 158 mile course; in fact they were the first eight single cylinder machines to finish, showing again the relia ...

Harley-Davidson 1965 FLB “Electra Glide” 1207 cc OHV V-twin frame & engine # 65FL1962 video: https://youtu.be/UILHEZyE2VQ In 1948 H-D presented a new engine design with chromium-plated steel rocker covers that resembled cooking pans and the new engine soon was christened “Panhead”. In 1958 the 1207 cc Panhead was equipped with both telescopic front forks and a swingarm rear suspension, the latter’s action controlled by a pair of outsized, chrome-covered shock absorbers. It was a big step forward ...

DOT 1927 Super Sports 350 cc OHV JAP frame# 3204T engine # IO / I 80041 The firm’s origins are obscure: founder Harry Reed stated many times in his sales brochures that the name Dot had been seen on motorcycles since 1903. He was certainly in business at this time as a cycle frame builder and dealer in a shop on Eccles New Road, Salford, and it was here that he fust became interested in motorcycles. But whether he was building motorcycles for sale then is not certain, as records of his early yea ...

Triumph 1927 “TT” 498 cc OHV frame # 701980 engine # 121964 WMT video: https://youtu.be/iep4URgbpOA Triumph’s first sporty OHV machine was the Ricardo: it was conceived in 1921 when the company decided to enter the 1921 TT with an overhead valve model. Ricardo and Co. Ltd. were given the order to develop a four valve racing engine. That is to say, the engine bottom half to be used was essentially that of the side valve model SD and many cycle parts were SD too, so only cylinder and head were to ...

Harley-Davidson 1942ca “WLC” 750cc side valve V-twin frame # 401169 engine # 42WLC9683 Harley-Davidson began producing the WLA in small numbers in 1940, as part of a general military expansion. The later entry of the United States into World War II saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the war (along with spare parts the equivalent of many more). Harley Davidson would also produce a close WLA variant for the Canadian Army. This model was called the WLC. P ...

Douglas 1924 “SW/24” 349 cc side valve twin frame # 73857 engine# 75390 This Bristol-based firm developed the horizontally opposed fore-aft unit in about 1907 and continued utilizing this engine layout well into the thirties. The earliest Douglas models had direct belt drive, but in 1910 a two-speed gearbox was added, with the control on top of the petrol tank. Douglas machines became very popular because of their lightness, ease of starting and speed: in the 1912 Junior TT races Douglas took fi ...

ACE 1923 1265cc 4 cylinder IOE frame # 4389 engine # B 6521 William Henderson created the fabulous ACE after he left the Excelsior Company in 1919. With growing discontent he had witnessed that the Excelsior engineers added more weight to the four between 1917, the year of the Henderson takeover, and 1919, without really working on better engine design or tuning. So he left and with financial backing of bicycle maker Max Sladkin he designed a faster, lighter and more graceful machine than the He ...

Norton 1968 “Commando MK 1“ 745 OHV twin frame # 128934 engine # 20M3 /128934 The new Commando was launched in 1967 and used the preceding Atlas model’s 750cc engine and AMC gearbox. It was an instant hit with the motorcycling public and was voted MCM’s “Machine of the year” for five consecutive years. The most important new feature of the Commando was its vibration-beating “Isolastic” frame. The canted-forward engine retained the 73 mm x 89 mm bore and stroke of the Atlas engine. Compression ra ...

HRD-Vincent 1949 “Black Shadow Series-C” 998 cc OHV v-twin frame # RC 4037/B engine # F10AB/1B/2137 The appeal of the Vincent, and the Black Shadow in particular, lays in its ability to out-perform just about every other vehicle on the road, and in the early post-war years there was nothing to compare with it. This was a time when the average family sedan was barely capable of reaching 70mph, and not until the advent of Jaguar’s XK120 was there a production sports car that could live with the th ...

Triumph 1930 “CTT” 498cc OHV single frame # 808649 engine # 130947 CGT video: https://youtu.be/a2wfTslrH20 The mid-1920s were difficult times for the motorcycle industry but Triumph managed to get through with its very successful Model P. By the late 1920s though, the company was being overtaken by the competition and it was definitely time for something different. So in October 1928 an entirely new range of “C-Series” machines was presented in the form of the CO (348cc OHV) , CN (498cc SV) and ...

Yamaha 1974 TZ 750A production racer 694 cc two stroke liquid cooled four cylinder frame & engine # 409 000 158 The Yamaha TZ750 is a series production two-stroke race motorcycle built by Yamaha to compete in the Formula 750 class in the 1970s. The engine was created on the idea of connecting two blocks of the 2-stroke, liquid-cooled, in-line 2-cylinder TZ350 engine together to make a 700cc in-line 4-cylinder engine and mounting it on a newly designed high-tensile steel pipe double cradle frame. ...

MV Agusta 1976 750 Sport America 789 cc DOHC four cylinder frame # 2210318 engine # 221-061 During the 1950s and the 1960s, MV Agusta produced small displacement bikes but as sales were starting to go down, the company decided to concentrate more on more powerful machines. The MV Agusta 600 debuted at the Milan Trade Fair in 1965. It featured final shaft drive and weighed 221 kg. It became the world’s first production motorcycle with a transverse 4-cylinder engine. But the public demanded someth ...

MV Agusta 1985 ca 750 S Magni 789 cc DOHC four cylinder frame # 2210451 engine # 214-0606 After the departure of MV Agusta from racing in 1976, the production of the street models was reduced. Although prototypes were developed until 1977, they were not implemented due to the financial situation of the company – MV made little profit from motorcycles. The production of the 750 S America was maintained until 1978. The last of the 540 machines made were sold officially during 1980. But effectively ...

MV Agusta 1976 750 Sport America 789 cc DOHC four cylinder frame # 2210451 engine # 221-073 During the 1950s and the 1960s, MV Agusta produced small displacement bikes but as sales were starting to go down, the company decided to concentrate more on more powerful machines. The MV Agusta 600 debuted at the Milan Trade Fair in 1965. It featured final shaft drive and weighed 221 kg. It became the world’s first production motorcycle with a transverse 4-cylinder engine. But the public demanded someth ...

Ducati 1982 900 Super Sport 864 cc OHC DESMO V-twin frame # DM860SS *091152 engine # 93411 Ducati were a relatively small motorcycle manufacturer in the 1960s, their road bikes focusing on single-cylinder machines of small capacity and didn’t start producing the first V-Twin engine until 1970, but it was British racer, Paul Smart, who established the firm winning the Imola 200 on a ‘round case’ 750cc bike which featured the now famous ‘Desmodromic’ valve system. The first production bike availab ...

Triumph 1979 T 140 “Bonneville” 744 cc OHV twin frame & engine # T140EKA13014 The Bonneville owes its creation to the 1937 Triumph Speed Twin, designed by Edward Turner. This breakthrough design served as a blueprint for future classic British motorbikes. Public demand for more power increased every year and in 1949, Turner upgraded the bike to become the 1950 6T Thunderbird. During the 1950s, Triumph racked up a number of victories on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US. For example, in 1955, J ...

Rudge 1929 “350” 340 cc four-valve single frame # 34508 engine # 53991 video: https://youtu.be/CNhOtMcZzKg The Rudge-Whitworth company was an established bicycle factory that entered motorcycle production in 1911. Their first machines were 499 cc IOE singles. They developed the famous Multi gear, with a possibility of up to 21 gear positions. For the 1924 model year the factory introduced a new range of four-valve singles in the 350 and 500 cc class. These were fitted with four-speed gearboxes, ...

Triumph 1969 T150 “Trident” 740 cc 3-cylinder frame & engine # CC02584T150T Triumph’s eagerly awaited 3-cylinder T150 Trident was a radical new idea, introduced by the end of 1968, alongside BSA’s similarly powered A75 Rocket-3; both models were individually styled. The idea was wild, especially considering the conservative nature of BSA & Triumph management at the time. There were lots of singles & twins, and even some fours. But no one had a triple! The Triumph engine had its cylinders mounted ...