Top 10 Coolest Vintage British Motorcycles 83
Recently new motorcycles made to look vintage have become all the rage. This trend covers everything from cruisers to cafe racers to dirt bikes. While many of these bikes are really cool, they just aren't nearly as cool as the original. Here are what I consider to be the best vintage bikes of British origin.
1. Vincent Black Shadow
The Vincent Black Shadow is considered to be the ultimate dream bike by many people. It is extremely desirable and extremely expensive, selling frequently in excess of $60,000. Fewer than 1700 of these highly desirable bikes were made. They were popular race bikes and had astonishing performance for a production bike in their time.
2. Royal Enfield Bullet
The Royal Enfield Bullet has been in production for a very long time, having been in constant production since 1931. Production in the U.K. ended in 1960's and has been carrying on in India ever since. In the U.S. you can buy one of these bikes new from a Royal Enfield dealer. It does have good looks, but isn't known for having good quality anymore. These are a good way to get a vintage looking bike with some modern accessories.
3. Velocette Venom
The Velocette Venom was a 500cc single cylinder bike that was quite fast in its day. It still holds the 24hr speed record for bikes its size, 100.05mph average for 24 hours. It was made from 1955-1970 with areound 5700 total being made. Its not as rare as a Vincent Black Shadow, but it sure isn't common. These are very good looking bikes and were very well made.
4. Panther Model 100
These attractive bikes were made from 1932 to 1963. They were very stout and workman like. Top speed was around 70 mph, considerably slower than the other bike on this list. I like them because of their looks and their reputation for being good sturdy tranportation.
5. Norton Manx
Norton made these bikes from 1946-1962. They were developed soley for winning the Isle of Man TT. Molnar Precision Limited bought the tooling for these bike and they are once again being produced to exact 1961 specs. Top speed was 150mph depending on gearing. I really like the way these bikes look and would love one for myself. In 1950 these bikes recieved the legendary Norton Featherbed frame, which gave them a considerable competitive advantage.
6. BSA Lightning
The Lightning was developed with the U.S. market in mind, and is suited well the our tastes. The 110mph top speed is more than adequite than most. The ride is smooth up to 5k rpm, when the vibration sets in. This bike is considered one of the most successful of all British motorcycles. It was features in the James Bond movie "Thunderball". Hunter S. Thompson also famously owned one.
7. Matchless Silver Streak
The Matchless Silver Streak entered production in 1938 and was a great machine. This is one of the few places where I think that massive amounts of chrome and polish are a good thing. Even the fuel and oil tanks are chromed on these. They were considered Super Sport bikes when they were new. They had close ratio gearboxes which made them potent on the road, and high ground clearance and low bottom gear which made them acceptable cross country.
8. Ariel Red Hunter
I don't know a whole lot about these bikes, but they do look cool. They were made from 1932 to 1959. They gained a rear suspension in the 50's.
9. Triumph Bonneville
These bikes are the bikes that many people picture when they think English Motorcycle. These bikes were loved by the cafe racer crowd, and were modified in large numbers. The original Bonnevilles were made from 1959-1983. Triumph has recently started making a new Bonnevile, although it looks the same its a modern bike. These are fairly common still and are cheap compared to many bikes on this list. I know several people who use old Bonneville as daily drivers still.
Norton ES2
norton made the ES2 from 1927-1964. A very long stretch for such a traditional design. It was a Sports bike when it was initially produced but its performance was soon surpassed by other bikes. These bikes were well known for their reliability and how easy they were to repair. While the all look pretty old fashioned they were constantly updated during their production run.
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