Royal Enfield's famous motor - 'made like a gun' - hints at the factory's origins, but few appreciate that it is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in existence that can boast of continuous production. In addition, its famous Bullet can claim the longest motorcycle production run of all time. Greg Pullen charts the rise, fall and rise again of Royal Enfield, from the company's pre-motorcycle beginnings in Redditch, through the impact of two World Wars, the importance of exports to India an...

The complete story of the legenday Honda V4 motorcycles and the four-stroke engine design that gave them the name. Including full production histories, comprehensive specification details and over 250 colour illustration, the book covers design and development of the first Honda V4, the oval piston NR500, and the VF road models from 1982-1988. Also covered: the iconic sport touring bikes, the VFR750, VFR800 and VFR1200F; the worldwide racing success for Honda Racing Corporation's RC30; the...

With the launch of the new California 1400 in 2013, and actor Ewan McGregor appointed brand ambassador, Moto Guzzi's owners Piaggio are proving their belief in the future and importance of Moto Guzzi. Moto Guzzi - The Complete Story charts the development of the stylish Guzzi bikes and the highs (and lows) of one of the oldest motorcycles marques still in existence. Topics covered include the origins of the Moto Guzzi factory at Madello del Lario - the oldest motorcycle factory in the worl...

A definitive account of the popular Ducati Desmodue - the reliable, affordable, high-performance motorcycle range that boasts one of the most successful Italian motorcycles of all time, the Ducati Monster, and is still in development today. Including full production histories, comprehensive specification details and owners' experiences, this new book covers the history of Ducati and the rise of the brand in the 1970s and Grand Prix racing with Fabio Taglioni's desmodromic valve engine desi...

At 10 o'clock on the twenty-eighth of May 1907 the first Isle of Man Tourist Trophy motorcycle road race began. The riders pushed off on their 500cc single cylinder bikes and ten laps and 158 miles later, Charlie Collier aboard a Matchless would be declared the victor. This book is a history and celebration of the bikes of those early years of the TT races. It covers the events and personalities that led to the creation of the race and its challenging course; the early success of the Briti...

Italian motorcycles have a place in history - and many enthusiast's hearts - out of all proportion to the numbers that been built. If the number of motorcycles built by Italian manufacturers is small, the sheer number of Italian motorcycle factories will surprise readers. A-Z of Italian Motorcycle Manufacturers is the most complete directory of Italian motorcycles available today. In addition to covering the most famous Italian factories, this is a definitive guide to the marques that have...

BSA was once the world's most successful motorcycle company, manufacturing more machines than any other in the world by the mid-1950s. And yet, after winning the Queens Award to Industry for exports in 1967 and 1968, it collapsed into bankruptcy in 1973. This is an epic story of rise and fall, even by the precarious standards of the British motorcycle industry. With over 170 illustrations, this book recalls the founding of the company and its foray into bicycle and then motorcycle producti...

'Motorcycling in the 1970s. The story of motorcycling's biggest, brightest and best ever decade' Volumes One to Five by Richard Skelton, author of Funky Mopeds. 'Motorcycling in the 1970s' is a series of five books about motorcycling. The books are designed to be read together, but can also be enjoyed separately. The first volume, 'A Brief History of Motorcycling from 1887 to 1969', is a general history, swiftly told, of motorcycling in Britain from its beginni...

For the first half of the twentieth century, Great Britain led the world in motorcycle design and production, exporting its products to countries all over the globe.However, by 1960 this once-great industry had fallen into what was to be a terminal decline. During the 1960s and '70s Britain still manufactured a wide range of machines, but a combination of poor management, lack of investment, foreign competition (notably from Japan), and the arrival of the small, af...

'Motorcycling in the 1970s. The story of motorcycling's biggest, brightest and best ever decade' Volumes One to Five by Richard Skelton, author of Funky Mopeds. 'Motorcycling in the 1970s' is a series of five books about motorcycling. The books are designed to be read together, but can also be enjoyed separately. The first volume, 'A Brief History of Motorcycling from 1887 to 1969', is a general history, swiftly told, of motorcycling in Britain from its beginnings at the en...

'Motorcycling in the 1970s. The story of motorcycling's biggest, brightest and best ever decade' Volumes One to Five by Richard Skelton, author of Funky Mopeds. 'Motorcycling in the 1970s' is a series of five books about motorcycling. The books are designed to be read together, but can also be enjoyed separately. The first volume, 'A Brief History of Motorcycling from 1887 to 1969', is a general history, swiftly told, of motorcycling in Britain from its beginnings at the en...

On his day, Peter Williams was the best motorcycle road racer in the world and is one of that small band of sportsmen, 'the best never to win a World Championship'. Peter's unique career in the 1960s and 1970s as racer, designer and development engineer culminated in many great victories on bikes from 125cc to 750cc. For two months in 1967 he lead the 500cc class of the World Championship on his single cylinder 500cc MkI Arter Matchless Special against the much more powerful Honda and MV A...