The Classic MotorCycle January 2026

This is the first issue of 2026, the year which will mark the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) which in many ways, was the beginning of the movement that we all share this interest in. Prior to 1946, ‘old bikes’ were just that; of course, there were those who had an appreciation of them (we have in stock a great article by Torrens, aka Arthur Bourne, editor of The Motor Cycle, written during the Second World War, in which he praises many machines from that pre-1931 period) but there was nothing organised or in any way official. The VMCC changed all that. Drawing on the blueprint created by the Vintage Sports Car Club, founded in 1934 and also based upon a pre-1931 eligibility…

Though it’s a close-packed bunch, there were, one deduces, already a few riders gone past, with the lead man in our picture Harold Hartley (Rudge) in front of Tommy Wood (Moto Guzzi), Dario Ambrosini (96, Benelli) and John Harrowell (87, LEF) near the beginning of the quarter-litre race, held over seven laps of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. Men already through would include fast-starting Roland Pike (Pike-Rudge) and Len Bayliss (Ellbee Special) who were the early pacesetters, while the highly-fancied Maurice Cann – on the second silver Gambalunghino Guzzi; Wood was on the other one – had a slow getaway and was way back. There were 25 riders who came to the line, their machines a mixture of Italian thoroughbreds (three Guzzis, the two aforementioned plus A W Jones…

Cole tops the bill Television presenter and motorcycle enthusiast Henry Cole will take centre stage at the Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic Show, held at Newark Showground on January 10-11, 2026. With more than 30 years in television, Cole is best known for hosting World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, The Motorbike Show, Shed and Buried, Find It, Fix It, Flog It and Find It, Fix It, Drive It. Beyond the screen, Henry’s passion for motorcycles shines through his work with Gladstone Motorcycles, where he creates bespoke, hand-built machines. He has also made his mark on the Bonneville Salt Flats, setting a land speed record for Brough Superior in 2013 and riding in the world’s fastest two-up attempt with creative engineer Allen Millyard. Visitors can catch Henry live on stage with compere…

1901 During 1899, teenage George Holley (of Bradford, Pennsylvania) built a motor tricycle, then turned his attention to motorcycles with his first machine appearing in 1900. Rather than clip a proprietary engine to a sturdy cycle, or even build a strengthened cycle-type frame, Holley used the engine as an integral part of the machine. George Holley, trading as the Holley Motor Company with his older brother Earl, hoped to market his motorcycles. By design, the engine crankcase was fitted in the cycle’s traditional pedal crank position, with the front down tube and lower rear fork legs tapering into a single tube sweated into the crankcase, while the saddle downtube opened into a duplex design above the cylinder barrel which it straddled to mount, also to the crankcase. The machine’s four-stroke…

Every model since 1923 Author: Ian Falloon Published by: Motorbooks, an imprint of the Quarto Group Email: specialsales@quarto.com www.QuartoKnows.comAvailable from: specialist bookshops and Amazon.Hardback, 248 x 305mm (portrait); 344 pages with 535 colour and monochrome photographs. ISBN: 978-0-7603-9751-0 £45 GB; $60 US; $80 CAD; $92 AUD. In this stunningly illustrated volume, the reader gets a detailed year-by-year overview of every production machine ever built by Germany’s top motorcycle manufacturer. BMW launched its motorcycle dynasty in 1923 with the R32. From that first model to today’s stunning M1000RR superbike, this book covers over 100 years of motorcycling excellence. Ian Falloon’s detailed text is accompanied by historic photos from BMW’s archives, as well as contemporary images. Technical specifications are provided for each model and BMW’s long racing history is discussed throughout. This…

There’s not really much to go by regarding anything more than the simple caption that accompanied this picture when it was published in The Motor Cycle of August 29, 1929. The original accompanying text read: “THE POLICEMAN’S HOLIDAY. Members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary MCC, who took part in the club’s annual run.” And that’s it, nothing else about who, why, when or where. But it’s such a lovely picture, it was deemed worthy of reproduction here. Of the six motorcycles pictured, the four on the right are easily identifiable, the one far left seems pretty clearly apparent and then second left, not sure. All are, as one could reasonably expect, Northern Ireland registered, Belfast in fact, while the four oldest machines wear ‘XI’ numbers – with the lowest numerically…