Vintage, Classic and Antique Motorcycles

Welcome to the wBW Vintage, Classic and Antique Motorcycles Page!

Information on restoring vintage and classic motorcycles, vintage motorcycle parts, tires for classic motorcycles, vintage and classic motorcycle clubs and more!

Vintage Motorcycle News: 2015 Yamaha SR400 Photos and Specifications  |  2014 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Announced!  |  Custom Café Racers at the 2013 AIMExpo

Vintage Motorcycle Events:  Now on the wBW Vintage Motorcycle News Archive  |  Interestingstory and video re-enactment of the famous fence jump scene from The Great Escape  |  Featured Stories include Thread repair with an old-fashioned thread file!  |  Royal Enfield “Custovation”  |  1974 Ducati 750 GT “Bevel Head” restoration; story, photos and tips!  |  Beautiful Ducati 750GT and GT1000 “Custovations” in this wBW Special Report!  |  Motorcycle Postage Stamps!  |  Wonderful vintage photographs of the Towner Brothers motorcycle shop from the 1920’s!  | wBW Book Review – Historic Racing Motorcycles, Famous Racing Motorcycles and Built for Speed by John Griffith  |  Motorcycle art – airplane conversion by Greg Inkmann! 

Texas Joe’s wBW Vintage Bikes and Custovations:  Compressed Air Basics  |  How to Re-build Spoked Wheels  |  750 GT Alternator Replacement  |  750 GT and Bevelhead Tips  |  Joe’s 750GT and Matching GT1000!  |  1968 Royal Enfield

Vintage, Classic and Antique Motorcycle Parts – Spares: Shock absorbers for classic, vintage and antique motorcycles at NJB Shocks  |  Shock absorbers for classic bikes also available from Hagon  |  Oldmodels has plastic and rubber parts for very old, antique and classic motorcycles including grips, filters and more  |  Halogen and LED replacement lights and other parts for vintage motorcycles from Paul Goff (U.K.)  |  Motomecca carries Ikon (Koni) shock absorbers and Brembo brakes  |  Moto Guzzino specializes in Moto Guzzi Falcone and other Italian motorcycle parts from 1950 – 1980

Vintage, Classic and Antique Shop Manuals – Repair Manuals: English 101 – Triumph and BSA Tuning and Repair DVD Review  |  Bruce Main-Smith carries originals and copies of repair manuals and parts lists for many vintage motorcycles; also many transfers, decals and books

Vintage, Classic, Antique Motorcycles For Sale: UK registration letter chart

Chrome Plating – Powder Coating: Caswell electroplating kits  |  Triple S Powder Coating  (U.K.)  |  Premier Plating (U.K.) restores chrome and nickel plating  |  Peacock & Trelfa, Ltd. (U.K.) chrome plating and polishing since 1946  |  Nu-Chrome in Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Metal Polish and Polishing Tips: Metal polishing kits and supplies available from The Polishing Shop  |  Perfect Polishing Kits for metal restoration  |  Metal polishing tips from English Custom Polish  |  Make aluminum shine like chrome with these instructions for polishing aluminum  |  Mr. Buffer Metal Polish has a money-back guarantee  |  Quick Tips on buffing soft metal and aluminum  |  Wenol buffing tips for various metals  |  Also see the wBW reviews of various metal polishes and waxes

Vintage Motorcycle Painting: Straightline (Route 1, across from Speed’s Cycle) in the Baltimore/DC region of Maryland is recommended by Airhead owners (no website) 410-796-3379  |  Also recommended is Bob’s Bodies, 10660 Guilford Rd, Annapolis Junction, MD, 410-792-0040; they do restoration work for Bob’s BMW  | Cleveland Bike Spray (UK) specializes in modern and vintage motorcycle painting; also polishing, shot and bead blasting, plastic and fiberglass repair and more

Wheels: Alloy, chrome or stainless steel rims for vintage motorcycles at Hagon  |  Central Wheel Components (U.K.) carries stainless steel, chrome and alloy wheels; spokes, tires and they will custom build wheels  |  More on the wBW Motorcycle Wheels page 

Motorcycle Museums and History:  Now on thewBW Motorcycle Museums page  |  Pages fromvintage British bike catalogs online and ready for viewing at Rask Cycle  |  Very interesting story on the Honda oval piston engine and GP bikes  |  Hard to classify the Bike EXIF website, but it features very nice stories and photos on classics, restorations and custom motorcycles from the past

Speedometer Repairs:  Speedo Repairs (U.K.) specializes in British motorcycle instrument repair and restoration  |  Motorcycle Speedometer repair at Palo Alto Speedometer (U.S.A.); customers report good service  |  Overseas Speedometer and Instrument Service repairs BMW motorcycle instruments; quartz clocks  |  Nisonger Automotive repairs Smith’s instruments, tachometers and speedometers  |  Scitsu(UK) new racing tachometers for classic and vintage racing bikes  |  Triples Rule has nice-looking billet aluminum frames and housings for instruments, gauges and other parts

Antique – Vintage – Classic Motorcycle Repair: RepairingBing carburetors  |  Classic Boxer Charging – THE book about electrical systems on classic BMW boxers  |  Rocky Point Cycle – BMW, Norton, Triumph, BSA parts  |  Listing of independent BMW motorcycle repair shops

Classic – Vintage Motorcycle Clothing and Accessories: wBW Review of the “Diamond Plate” classic leather motorcycle jacket from AKA Motorcycle Accessories  |  Metro Racing has vintage motorcycle hats, T-shirts, mugs and more  |  Stomper’s Boots has a great selection of engineer boots, lineman boots and more  |  Davida classic helmets, including “pudding bowl” styles  |  Nice selection of motorcycle pins (or badges) with logos of vintage motorcycles at Barry’s Bike Badges  |  Tons of T-shirts with vintage motorcycle logos at Coyote Ridge  |  All sorts of classic motorcycle T-shirts, posters, photos and more at Classic Motorcycles (UK)  |  Pure white silk scarves are pretty rare; they’re available at Chequered Flag (UK) along with gloves, Davida helmets and more  |  More on the wBW Motorcycle Clothing Page

Vintage – Antique Motorcycle Clubs: Harlyeson’s Antique American Motorcycle Club (DE) has some interesting photos and European rallies  |  The Virtual Indian Club has tons of information on restoring Indian motorcycles  |  The Route 66 Vintage Motorcycle Association is an active club in Joplin, Missouri  |  The Virginia British Motorcycle Club promotes the restoration and riding of vintage British motorcycles; they have an annual rally, club rides and more  |  The Antique Motorcycle Club of America focuses on very old motorcycles; they also have shows and a magazine  |  Benelli Motobi Club GB  |  List of British Motorcycle Clubs in the U.S.A., U.K., Europe and more on the British International Motorcycle Association page  |  Nation’s Capital Norton Owners Club  |  The Potomac Vintage Riders Club in the Washington, D.C. area is “dedicated to the preservation, restoration and riding of vintage motorcycles, on and off road”

Vintage and Antique Motorcycle Rental: Bugad Classic Bike Hire has some very cool vintage bike for rent; they also have tours and accompanied rides

Vintage Racing Motorcycle Sounds:  Many sound files of vintage motorcycles roaring by on the Vintage Motorcycles website

Bearings: Ball, roller and tapered bearings for vintage and classic bikes at Draganfly

Vintage License Plates: Vintage Plates makes UK license plates  |  Framptons Number Plates in the UK will make just about any type of license plate  |  MAL number plates

Vintage Motorcycle Brakes: Oversize linings, shoes and brakes at Classic Brake Services  |  Brake shoes and clutch plates, brake drum turning at Saftek  |  Grimeca hubs at AJS motorcycles  |  Vintage Brake does brake drum relining and they also sell Ferodo brake shoes and other vintage brake parts  |  AP Racing manufactures new vintage-look brake disk calipers

Fuel Tanks – Fuel Tank Lining: Flowliner is an internal coating used to coat the inside of fuel tanks

Metal Polishing:  Perfect Polishing kits  |  wBW Blu-Job polish review  |  wBW Blu-Away polish review  |  See the wBW Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance page for more information on metal polishing

Classic Motorcycle Clothing, Helmets, Accessories:  See the Classic Helmets section of the wBWMotorcycle Helmets page  |  See the Classic Leathers section of the wBW Motorcycle Clothingpage  |  Davida Helmets makes classic style helmets, including the “pudding bowl”  used by racers of yore

Classic Motorcycle Shows – Events: British European Classic Motorcycle Day held in the spring in Maryland, U.S.A. wBW is sponsoring the British & European Singles class!  |  Classicbikeshows is a website that lists many motorcycle shows in the U.K. |  The Old Bike Mart lists vintage motorcycles for sale and various U.K. events and shows

Motorcycle Shipping – Transportation –  Export:  See the wBW Motorcycle Shipping & Transportation page for more information

Vintage Motorcycle Tires:  Now on the wBW Vintage Antique Motorcycle Tires page

Vintage Exhaust Systems – Silencers: Check out the nice work at Epco Stainless; they have systems for Triumphs and Nortons and will custom-make an exhaust system to your specifications  |  MAC exhaust systems for Triumphs, BSA and Norton; they also have black ceramic coated systems available  |  Norman Hyde carries Toga exhausts, Ikon (Koni replica) shocks and other parts  |  Gazelle stainless exhausts; claimed to have fitments available for almost any motorcycle ever made or will custom fit; will also ship overseas  |  Pete Gibson custom made exhaust systems for classic bikes  |  Ceramic coating for exhausts at Cermakrome  | See also the wBW Motorcycle Exhaust Systems page  |  Classic British and European restoration grade silencers and exhaust pipes for many vintage motorcycles at Armours (no website) in Dorset, England, phone 01 202 519409

Carburetors: Surrey Cycles sells a full line of Amal carbs  |  More Amal carburetors at Hitchcock’s  |  Dell’Orto Carburetors  |  Mikuni carb kits for classic bikes at Allens

Vintage Motorcycle Gaskets: Retro Bikes has vintage Honda NOS parts and gaskets

Electrical Parts and Ignitions for Vintage Motorcycles: Motorbike Electrics (UK) has some nice reproduction headlights, taillights, alternator parts and more  |  Pazon ignitions and voltage regulators are made in New Zealand and have a 7.5 year warranty  |  Boyer Brandsen ignitionshave programmable advance and retard, can run several ignition coils and are available for multi-cylinder and dual-spark engines

Sheet Metal – Body Parts: Glass From the Past has all sorts of neat replica body pieces, fenders, battery side covers and racing fairings for vintage and antique Triumphs, BSA’s Norton’s and more  |  Catalyst Racing Composites has fiberglass racing fairings for vintage British bikes

Frames:  Rickman Engineering has been making custom frames for British bikes for years, including kits for Ariel, BSA, Bultaco, Goldstar, Matchless, Montessa, Norton, Triumph and even the Yamaha 650

Seats – Saddles for Vintage Motorcycles: RK Leighton will remanufacture vintage and classic motorcycle seats or saddles; they have their own seat pans also

British Classic – Vintage – Antique Motorcycle Magazines: See below on this page  |  An online index for Classic Bike and The Classic Motorcycle magazine articles

Vintage Bikes:  Old Britts – vintage motorcycle parts, books & accessories; Norton specialist  |  Triples Online – Triumph Trident & BSA Rocket3

Sidecars: Watsonian-Squire is the oldest continuously operating sidecar manufacturer (since 1912)  in the world

American Vintage, Classic and Antique Motorcycles: Classic American Iron online magazine

British Motorcycle Restorations: Robin James does high-end British motorcycle restorations; they have an on-site engineering and paint shop  |  Charnwood Classic Restorations are sidecar specialists and they restore vintage motorcycles and also have parts  |  John Mossey Restorationsspecializes in Egli Vincents but does restorations on many antique and vintage marques, including 1960’s and 70’s Japanese road and race bikes through to the Triumph, Vincent, Norton, Ducati, Royal Enfield and BSA motorcycles of the pre- and post-war eras

Insurance for Classic and Vintage Motorcycles: Peter Best Insurance (U.K.) has collector’s bike insurance  |  See also the wBW Motorcycle Insurance page

British Bike – British Motorcycle Parts: AJS and Matchless Spares claims to be the “largest stock holder of post-war AJS & Matchless second-hand spare parts.”  They also carry new parts and they sell restored and vintage motorcycles  |  Ariel and BSA parts and serviceat Draganfly (U.K.)  |  Baxter Cycle has parts for Triumph, Norton, BSA, Matchless, AJS, Ariel, Royal Enfield, and Moto Guzzi  |  BSA and Goldstar new reproduction parts, including racing parts, engines, frames and one-off custom parts  |  British Cycle Supply Company in Nova Scotia, Canada carries many different parts and spares for a variety of British classics  |  British Spares has a huge selection of British, Norton, Triumph and other parts and spares and ships worldwide  |  Brough Superior reproduction parts at Jasdane Engineering; also J.A.P. engine parts  | Buford’s British Bikes has lots of hard to find parts for Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs; also Barnett clutch parts and cables  |  DragAnFly has many spares for classic British bikes; they also  manufacture spare parts for Ariel, BSA, (“especially pre-unit models from 1937-1962”)  and they carry Lucas, Amal, Burman gearbox parts and many types of bearings  |  Grins British Bike Spares (Scotland) has parts and does repairs and restorations; specialists in Meriden Triumphs  |  Icarus Motorcycle Development manufactures many replacement parts for AJS, Norton, Triumph and more  |  Rask Cycle has new and used parts for British bikes, including Triumph, Norton and BSA and they also have a pretty complete website  |  Manx Norton spare parts at McIntosh Racing in N.Z. |  Rearsets and clipons available at Barleycorn (U.K.); will ship worldwide  |  T8 Triumph Spares claims to have the largest stock of Triumph parts in East Anglia

Decals, Transfers, Logos for Vintage Motorcycles:  Garage Company has many reproduction decals for vintage motorcycle restoration; the also have “Made in Italy” decals (in the Ducati section), tank inserts and more  |  Reproduction Decals makes original decals and graphics for the restoration of motorcycles from the 1960’s to the 1980’s  |  Motorcycle decal sets for 1980’s Japanese motorcycles at AFE Graphics  |   Interesting lesson on how decals are made  |  Classic Transfers has many different reproductions of original decals

Fasteners:  More motorcycle fasteners at this bookmark on the wBW Motorcycle Accessories pageincluding motorcycle fastener retailers and sources for Whitworth fasteners and tools |  Westfield Fasteners (UK) specializes in stainless steel fasteners, including hose clamps, clips, hex bolts, button screws and more  |  Jenks Bolts (UK) has seat bolts, thumb bolts and many other items for vintage and modern classics  |  Icarus Motorcycle Development carries many different types of fasteners for vintage British bikes  |  British thread taps and dies for restoring vintage bikes atTracy Tools (UK)  |  The Bolt Guy has stainless steel bolt kits to replace all of the bolts on your Airhead Beemer  |  Many different sizes and types of hose clamps at Eurostock

British Motorcycle Parts Lists, Books, Workshop Manuals:  Panther Books has many obscure manuals and books featuring  J.R. Triumph has many different books, manuals and more for antique, vintage and historical motorcycles  |  1977 Bonneville (and Tiger) original owner’s manual (download in .zip format)

Classic Motorcycle Panniers – Saddlebags: Craven Panniers fit many vintage British motorcycles; Craven has been making them since 1958

Vintage Motorcycle Interest Sites:   Jacque Strappe’s website is a “…Safe Haven for two-strokers, antique motorcycle zealots, racers and similar outcasts”  |  Art of Motoring has many limited edition prints by artist Roy Barrett of classic bikes  |  Nice story on collecting Japanese vintage motorcycles on the N.Y. Times  |  Ian Chadwick’s site has a nice timeline explaining the various Triumph motorcycle models  |  Motorfietsdocumentatie is a site from the Netherlands with a very interesting collection of posters and artwork of vintage motorcycles and memorabilia

Motorcycle Photographs:  On the wBW Motorcycle Photographs and Art page

Vintage, Classic, Antique Motorcycles by Marque

Ariel: List of Ariel engine codes, 1926 to 1959  |  Ariel motorcycle history includes brochures and photos of Ariel motorcycles

BSA: SRM Engineering claims to be the “world’s leading BSA specialists”; also Triumph parts

Douglas: The London Douglas Motorcycle Club has a magazine, listing of spare parts, Douglas experts and more

Flying Merkel: The Flying Merkel site; these bikes were originally made in Milwaukee, U.S.A.

Hesketh: New and used Heskeths and parts at Broom Development Engineering

Norton: Technical articles on maintaining vintage British bikes with a focus on Norton on the Old Britts website  |  Spares & accessories for Triumph 650 & 750, Norton Commando & BSA A75 atNorman Hyde  |  Many Norton spare parts and reproductions at Norvil Motorcycle Company (U.K.)  |  Nice photos of Norton Rotary engine motorcycles

Norton Motorcycle Spark Plugs:  Detailed list that cross-references different brands and models of spark plugs by bike on the U.K. Norton Owner’s Club site; need to apply for password to access some of the technical pages

Royal Enfield: Royal-Enfield.net covers both old and new Royal Enfields with plenty of photos  |  “New” Royal Enfield main website  |  New Royal Enfield shop manuals online  |  Parts and spares for new and old Royal Enfields at Hitchcock’s Motorcycles, also information on Royal Enfield racers

Vincent: Conway Motors, recommended by wBW visitor “P.A.” as “good people, very honest”  |  New” Vincent-Egli custom-made motorcycles are now available at John Mossey Restorations, Ltd.

Triumph

Triumph and British Motorcycle Technical Articles: Moore’s Cycle Supply has a tech page with AMAL carburetor tips and hints; a serial number guide for Triumph engine and frames for years 1950 through 1983; a British thread chart and a Triumph/BSA part number conversion chart  |  “The Black Knight” (Le Chevalier Noir) website has great photos and stories of Triumphs and some good technical articles en français

Triumph Motorcycle Dealers: Great Bay Motorcycles claims to be ranked as “the number 1 Triumph motorcycle dealer in the USA”

Triumph Bonneville Parts:  TriumphT140 Bonneville specialists at Shropshire Classic Motorcycles  |  Britbits specializes in Triumph Bonneville parts  |  Tri-Supply (UK) specializes in 1946-1970 Triumphs

Italian Vintage and Antique Motorcycles

Italian Vintage, Classic & Antique Motorcycles: Road & Race Ducati specialize in restoration parts for classic Italian racing motorcycles, including replica Ducati fairings, decals, stickers and more

BMW Vintage and Antique Motorcycles

BMW Motorcycle Restoration and Painting and Vintage BMWs: See the wBW Vintage BMW page

Vintage – Classic – Antique Motorcycle Magazines

Classic Bike Magazine – articles on motorcycle restoration and history; advertisements for vintage and classic motorcycles with photos  |

Classic Bike Guide – “features, tests, reviews and event reports … that have become a must for the active rider and restorer

Classic Racer specializes in road tests of classic and vintage bikes

Classic & Motorcycle Mechanics is “dedicated to the later classics and Japanese machines”; features rebuilding guides, road tests, reviews and more

The Classic MotorCycle from the U.K. has feature articles on classic and antique motorcycles

Motorsport Publications (U.S.A.) is finally on the web; they provide British motorcycle magazines to U.S. subscribers and they also carry classic books

Old Bike Mart is the U.K.’s “largest classic classifieds magazine”, published the first Saturday of every month