Vintage Motorcycles
Motorcycles were first introduced in the later half of 19th century. Since the invention, motorcycles have become one of the most popular and common means of transportation. Vintage motorcycles are the earlier models of motorcycles which were manufactured after the First World War.
Vintage motorcycles are all time passion of bike riders and speed lovers. Apart from being a passion, some ardent rider also collects and preserves vintage motorcycles as treasures. The Japanese, British, Europeans, and the Americans were the leading manufacturers of motorcycles in the early days. But, the Japanese brands have gained much popularity due to their economic price, and the bike parts were easily availed.
Sunbeam, BMW, BSA, Norton, DKW, Brough Superior, and Triumph were some of the prominent manufacturers of vintage motorcycles, and these companies introduced many models of motorcycles during the vintage period. The prominent models include BMW R12, Indian 8-Valve Racer, Indian Chief, Sunbeam Model 8 LL, Triumph Tiger, John Tickle Norton, Cotton Racer, Triumph Bonneville, and Norton Dominator 99. These vintage motorcycles can also be given as beautiful gifts to motorcycle enthusiasts.
Vintage motorcycles can be more expensive than modern-day styles. On an average, a vintage motorcycle will cost $10,000 and more. But, the price of a vintage motorcycle will fluctuate based on the age, model, and type. Some of the vintage motorcycles are backed by different warranty periods and after sales services.
You can purchase vintage motorcycles from dealers who specialize in classic and vintage motorcycles or online stores. For a wider choice in vintage motorcycles, online stores are ideal. Most of the online stores will display its products, with description, picture, and pricing. Thus, a purchase can be made after going through the product description. Apart from vintage motorcycles, the parts are also available in the online stores. motorcycle.com, webbikeworld.com, and starklite.com are some of the online sites to shop for vintage motorcycles.
Before purchasing a vintage motorcycle, it is always recommended to go through the various vintage motorcycle magazines in order to get an idea about the various models, brands, and prices.
History Of A Vintage Motorcycle Jacket
At the end of the nineteenth century the electric bicycle was invented. William Harley and Arthur Davidson experimented with this and they invented the motorcycle and created the Harley Davidson Motor Company. Other manufacturing companies started up and it was the beginning of motorcycling.
The next natural step was that motorcycle jackets would be designed to protect a rider while out on the road. A vintage motorcycle jacket would have most likely been made out of horse hide, steer hide or brown goatskin. In the 1920's-1930's the aviator style jackets with a button front closure and mandarin collar were popular. These jackets were like the A-1 jackets used by the Army Air Corp before World War II. These are also called bomber jackets. They were worn to keep the pilots warm since their cockpits were not heated.
Some of the companies to come out with jackets for riders were the Schott Company that began business in 1913, the Joseph Buegeleisen Company started in 1933 producing motorcycle accessories and saddlebags, in the 1940's the Indian Motorcycles Company had only one model of jacket which was the Ranger for men and the Rangerette for women. Harley Davidson also has had their version of motorcycle jackets. In the 1940's they had the Cycle Champ for men and the Cycle Queen for women. The Harley Davidson jackets had the pistol pocket holster shaped design. Today there are pisol pete style jackets.
In 1928 the Schott Company came out with The Perfecto. It sold for $5.50 at the Harley Davidson Store in New York. In 1953 Marlon Brando was in the movie The Wild One wearing a classic motorcycle jacket designed after that jacket. This led schools around the country to start banning students from wearing this type of jacket to school because of the rebel rider persona. Today this rebel rider look is still available in the classic motorcycle jacket styles.
Since the early days of Harley and Davidson creating a motorcycle with many others to follow, there have been those with a since of adventure and freedom that have chosen to ride a motorcycle. There is nothing like seeing the world in this way. It is being part of the scenery and the surroundings in a way that riding in a car does not give. Every rider has their own reasons for riding besides the reasons that are common to every rider.
Wearing leather while riding, is protection and peace of mind for the rider. Leather is good protection against the elements such as rain, cold, heat, and wind, as well as protection from rocks and other debris that may be on the road and most of all from serious skin abrasions. Every rider deserves to be safe and protected while riding. Leather is a protective layer between the rider's skin and the asphalt. There are also leather chaps or leggings, vests, gloves and riding dusters available for riders to wear. The minimum protection a rider should wear is a helmet and leather jacket and gloves.
Even though we have come a long way since the first motorcycles were manufactured we are still wearing motorcycle jackets that are echoes of the styles of jackets that are fellow riders were wearing in the early to mid1900's. Grab your jacket, hop on your motorcycle and take off down the road being part of the group that have enjoyed the freedom and adventure of riding for a hundred years.
Vintage Motorcycle Parts
Restoring a vintage motorcycle is truly a labor of love. However, finding the vintage motorcycle parts that you need to finish your restoration project can be difficult and frustrating, especially if you are working on a rare motorcycle model. Fortunately, the Internet has made searching for parts and rare items much easier to do.
The first place that you can look online for vintage motorcycle parts is on auction sites. There are dozens of these sites scattered throughout the World Wide Web. Some of these auction sites are generic auction sites, while others specialize in automotive items. If you shop for vintage parts using this method you will want to make sure that the seller has a good rating and that the part is the exact part that you need. This is important because you usually can't return items when you buy them from an auction site, nor should you expect to be able to return the part.
The second place that you can look online for vintage motorcycle parts is on after market parts sites and general motorcycle parts web sites. These web sites will offer you site based search engines that will allow you to search through their databases for the part that you are interested in. If the site doesn't have the part that you are looking for you can sometimes fill out a parts request form or you can drop the site's owner an email asking if they know where you can get the part that you need.
If your online search for vintage motorcycle parts is a flop then you can also conduct physical searches for your parts. Vintage motorcycle trade magazines can be great sources for finding rare parts and accessories. Simply check out the classified section at the back of the magazine. Other places that you can look for vintage parts include trade fairs, motorcycle shows and exhibits, motorcycle rallies, garage sales, estate sales and flea markets.
Learn about after market motorcycle parts including what they are and what you can use them for. Shopping for Harley Davidson parts and accessories can be fun. There are lots of products to choose from including practical items and novelty items. Harley Davidson offers a variety of kits that you can use to upgrade your hog. They also sell decal and paint kits that you can use to add a little character to your motorcycle. Find new and used custom aftermarket motorcycle parts.
Tips For Collecting Classic Motorcycles
If you though that collecting classic motorcycles was a bad investment think again! You can buy four or even five of such bikes for the price of a car. They even take up far less garage space.
Since 2000, the sales of classic motorcycles have doubled. Among the higher end bikes, the Brough Superior SS100, a British bike, which was used in the film, "Lawrence of Arabia", now commands a six figure price in dollars. Don't panic - the prices of such bikes are not as high and are close to $10,000. For $5000, you can get an Italian 1950s Vespa scooter and for about $20,000 you can land up with a British classic motorcycle like Triumph. You can choose from a whole range of British, Italian, American, German and Japanese classic motorcycles.
What you need to look out for while buying them is paying the correct value. If you are inexperienced you might just end up spending on a bike which does not have original parts. Experts can tell you if the serial number of the bike is original or has been forged.
If plan to get into collecting classic motorcycles, make it a point to visit rallies, meets and other events. Subscribe to publications like Vintage Motorcycle and Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader. Look up any local clubs in your area and become a member. This way you will get to meet other collectors and exchange information.
When you start buying classic motorcycles for your collection, look for bikes that started off as expensive, such as limited edition, hand-built ones like Crocker, Brough, Vincent and Mondial.
The rarest examples of American made classic motorcycles are those made before the year 1920. There are only 200 known classic motorcycles that were made in that era and were produced by brands like Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, Cyclone and Flying Merkel. Most of these models have either been sold as scrap or traded privately. In the 1980s, an original paint 1907 Harley-Davidson came up for auction at a farm in Nebraska and sold for the rice of $175,000.
One of the rarest models that one can find is the Grand Prix race bikes in original condition. The Japanese made ones are among the most difficult to find because their engineering was supposed to kept a secret. So after a race, the bikes were compacted so that competitors could not study their inner parts. Japanese examples of such bikes are particularly scarce; since their engineering was considered top-secret.
The values of classic motorcycles are that much higher when their parts and finish are original. If you are not sure if a bike is original, call in an expert.
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