Motorcycle History Revealed

It is safe to assume that America's first motorcycle race was organized not long after the second American motorcycle was built and sold. The competitive instinct is strong, and self-powered machines were, and are, ideal vehicles (no pun intended) for it.

Vincent HRD Black Lightning

The conventional excuse for fobbing off the Vincent connoisseur on your gift list—”The last real Vincent was built in 1955”—are obviated by the Harris Vincent Gallery. Company principal Herb Harris offers what he calls pur sang Vincents.

Cascina Costa Beauties

It was Count Domenico Agusta's obsessive policy to keep the secrets of his racing machines well hidden; many bikes suffered the ignominy of destruction, while others were interred beneath his airstrip's runway.

Flight of the Bumblebee 

Europeans have long understood that even inexpensive necessities should reflect a sense of style, and nowhere is that more apparent than in personal transportation. Most German motorcyclists of the late '50s and early '60s with 995 deutschmarks to spend—about $1,650 in current greenbacks—desired an eye-catching ride with a distinct style.

Lynn Ashcroft Creation

Of all the reasons that lead to the creation of a custom motorcycle, those behind the birth of the Ashcroft Flyer rank among the most unusual. Its gestation was inspired, in large measure, by Lynn Ashcroft's desire to provide a rolling canvas—if that term may be applied to a creation hewn of various alloys, rubber, and resin—for artist Mitch Kim.