BMW’s first venture into motorcycle manufacture was with their tube framed R32, R42, and R52 series (See our Revivaler post on these bikes here). Tube frames proved to be fine for motorcycle construction but BMW had…
BMW R52
BMW began in 1916 when the aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke was reorganized to become BMW. This was done at a time when the First World War was at its height. At the end of the…
New Hudson 500cc Model 3
You’ve no doubt heard of the Girling brake manufacturing company. Before they were called Girling the company was called New Hudson, and before they became a brake manufacturing specialist they began as a bicycle maker and…
Triumph Thunderbird Custom Bobber
The Triumph Thunderbird went into production soon after the end of the Second World War in 1950. Rationing was still very much in place in Britain and British manufacturers were left in no doubt by the…
Custom Harley-Davidson FXS Shovelhead
The seventies was a troubled time for Harley-Davidson. The company had been purchased by American Machine and Foundry (AMF) who wanted to streamline production to reduce costs and increase profits. As tends to happen when the…
BMW R 75
In November of 1937 in a Germany where universal conscription had been introduced two years earlier and the creation of Biker Private Troops had been agreed to the German Oberkommando Heer (OKH) became engaged in discussions…