Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Volume One

The Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum is tucked away in an old Brooks Brothers store in Solvang, California. Although the surroundings may be unassuming, don't let that fool you.The collection of vintage motorcycles is outrageous.

New Zealand motorcycle enthusiasts built ten Britten V1000 motorcycles in the early 90's and against all odds, they eclipsed everything on the track. All of the body work, including the wheels, were carbon fiber making it light and nimble. They were also the fastest 4 strokes around, capable of doing wheelstands at 150 mph. I've only seen one other Britten at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama.

A 1989 super charged Harley-Davidson engine in an Arlen Ness frame. The placard for this bike explained the peril of buying a brand new custom in dollars and sense. This bike was purchased second-hand for the museum at only one-third of what it cost to build.

The Matchless G50 was one of the few motorcycle that could give a Norton Manx a run for it's money in the late 50's and early 60's. This 1960 matching numbers G50 has a cool Eight-ball fairing.

The Matchless G50 crankcase was made from magnesium which is strong and light, but gets brittle with age. They are notorious for cracking so it's rare to see an original intact.

This is the infamous Honda CB750 motorcycle released in 1969. It was such a category killer that the entire British motorcycle industry evaporated within a decade of its' release. It had a reliable four-stroke, four-cylinder engine and standard features like electric start and disc brakes.

James began manufacturing motorcycles in England in 1903 and stayed afloat until the arrival of the Japanese lightweights in the 60's. The unique design of the cooling fins on this 1923 model is known as a "pineapple cylinder".

Early motorcycle headlamps ran on acetylene gas. The gas was either stored in a tank or manufactured on the fly. This James has a little tank behind the headlamp where water drops on calcium carbonate pellets whose chemical byproduct is acetylene.

This is a Honda RC181 500cc Factory Racing Motorcycle and is about as rare as it gets. There are three in the world and the other two are in the Honda museum. This highly tuned engine ran up to 16,000 RPM and won many important races including the 1966 Isle of Mann TT.

The Norton Manx was unbeatable in the 1950's. The "Featherbed" frame handled better than any other and the powerful works engines did the rest.

A small plastic motorcycle fairing is known today as a flyscreen. The term is derived from small mesh screens used in racing like this one from a 1954 Norton Manx.

I love Speedway machines for their single minded purpose. This Jawa runs on methanol, has neither transmission nor brakes and only turns left. It is designed to run flat out around an oval of dirt, grass or in this case, ice.

A motorcycle like this 1947 Moto Guzzi 500cc Grand Prix racer won the Isle of Mann TT, but its' days were numbered. It was superceded by the jaw-dropping Moto Guzzi V8, also on display at the Solvang museum.

This 1947 Moto Guzzi 500cc Grand Prix racer has one of my all-time favorite motorcycle accessories: spare spark plugs.

This 1920 motorcycle was designed by ABC (All British Company) and built by Sopworth who also built airplanes. It's alleged that BMW copied this engine when they started making motorcycles.

This 1939 Vincent Series A Rapide 1000 was probably the fastest motorcycle in its day. I'd be curious to see one against a Crocker. Only thirty-nine of these were made before WWII stopped production.

Only part of the collection at Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum is on display at any given time. At least as many motorcycles are warehoused and rotated through over time.

This 1957 German Maico Typhoon had highly stylized bodywork including valanced fenders and tons of chrome. I like that the front suspension can be adjusted without a tool - the handle is part of the bike's design.

My top 5 bikes would include a Brough Superior SS100 Motorcycle like this one. The engineering and sense of style are impossible to beat.

The dual headlamps and strategically located horn add personality to this 1932 Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle.

Scooters don't have much utlity, at least compared to a motorcycle, but a few have really caught my eye over the years. This 1958 Lambretta 48 Moped is one of them.

I didn't notice it at the time, but the carburetor on this 1958 Lambretta 48 Moped is fed air via the frame.

Everything on this 1958 Lambretta 48 Moped is simple, but stylish.

1952 MV Agusta 350-4 Factory Racing Motorcycle was the first year with chain drive and telescopic forks.

The matchless G45 was the pre-cursor to the successful G50. It's a bit hard to live in that shadow, but the bike still stands out.

The front of a 1974 Ducati 750 Sport, one of Ducati's first and now famous V-twins.

Detail of the gas tank and fairing of a 1974 Ducati 750 Sport.

The 1974 Harley-Davidson RR250 was produced by Aermacchi and won four world road racing championships - the only four in their first 100 years.

The instrumentation on the 1974 Harley-Davidson RR250 was in Italian because it was produced by Aermacchi.

The tank pad and drilled components of this Husqvarna indicate a racing heritage.

The front and rear suspension of this Parilla motorcycle can be adjusted without tools, just like Vincents and Brough Superiors.

This 1920's Norton Flat Tank Motorcycle has overhead valves which help date the motorcycle. They were replaced by overhead cams in 1927.

I love the oil tank and plumbing on this 1920's Norton Flat Tank Motorcycle.

Triumph introduced the Bonneville in 1959 and this early model was characterized by a unique frame, pre-unit construction and no tachometer.

This 1950 Vincent TT Grey Flash was one of four motorcycle prepared by the Vincent Factory for the 1950 Isle of Mann.

Smiths tachometer on a 1950 Vincent TT Grey Flash Motorcycle.

The suspension on this 1950 Vincent TT Grey Flash was advanced, but engine "improvements" proved unreliable and only one of four finished the 1950 Isle of Mann.

It was hard to get a clean shot of this 1949 Supercharged Vincent Black Lightning, but the Carburetor should give you some idea of what we're dealing with. Incredibly nice, incredibly fast, incredibly rare.

Gilera was the first manufacturer to make an across-the-frame 4 cylinder engine. This example is from 1957.

This 1947 Vincent Rapide Series B has the large headlight, girder forks and friction dampers. This model was the precursor to the Vincent Black Shadow.

The instrumentation from a 1947 Vincent Rapide Series B. The Black Shadow, which came afterwards, had a huge speedometer - great marketing ploy.

Beautiful gauges on a 1969 BMW R69S.

Adjustable rear suspension on a 250cc Benelli Double Overhead Cam motorcycle.

This 1959 MV Agusta Double Overhead Cam (Bialbero) 125 Motorcycle was clearly high-strung.