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Everything you need to know about classic motorcycles and cars: papers and rules, buying and selling, import, maintenance, restoration and brand histories.
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The classic motorcycle buying checklist: what to ask, look at and listen for
A practical walk-around for a bike you are about to buy: the questions to ask beforehand, the frame, engine, brakes, tyres and electrics, and the sign...
Read guide 8 min read Selling & auctionsHow to sell a classic motorcycle: private ad, dealer, or auction
Four ways to sell a classic, what each one costs you in money, time and risk, and how to choose. Plus the one preparation step that matters in every c...
Read guide 6 min read Import, export & transportImporting a classic motorcycle within the EU: documents, tax and registration
Between EU countries there is no customs duty, and a private sale carries no VAT. What takes the time is paperwork at both ends. Here is the order to...
Read guide 7 min read Clubs, museums & linksMotorcycle clubs and national federations: who to join and what you get
The best parts supplier, adviser and rulebook for a classic is often a club. The national federations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Fr...
Read guide 5 min read RestorationOriginality and patina: restore, preserve or leave it alone?
The first decision in any classic motorcycle project is not which parts to buy but whether to restore at all. How collectors think about originality,...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersWhat counts as a classic motorcycle? Age rules in six countries
There is no single definition. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, France and FIVA each draw the line in a different place, and it decides your...
Read guide 6 min readBuying a classic 6
Budget, inspection, papers and pitfalls: how to buy a classic motorcycle with confidence.
The classic motorcycle buying checklist: what to ask, look at and listen for
A practical walk-around for a bike you are about to buy: the questions to ask beforehand, the frame, engine, brakes, tyres and electrics, and the sign...
Read guide 8 min read Buying a classicFrame and engine numbers, and what "matching numbers" really means
The frame number is the identity of the bike. The engine number tells you whether the engine is the one it left the factory with. Here is where to fin...
Read guide 5 min read Buying a classicSafe payment when buying a classic: escrow, bank transfers and the scams to know
Most fraud in the classic market has one thing in common: the money leaves your account before the bike is in your hands. How to pay so that it does n...
Read guide 6 min read Buying a classicBuying a classic motorcycle abroad: a plan from first message to your garage
The best bikes are often in another country. Here is the plan: what to ask before you travel, how to check a bike you cannot see, which costs to add t...
Read guide 7 min read Buying a classicThe pre-purchase inspection: when it pays, who to ask and what to expect
An independent inspection is the cheapest insurance you can buy on an expensive bike, especially across a border. Here is when to book one, who can do...
Read guide 5 min read Buying a classicBidding at a motorcycle auction: set a limit, understand proxy bids and anti-sniping
How to bid without regretting it: work out your real maximum, use automatic bidding sensibly, understand what happens in the last minutes, and know wh...
Read guide 6 min readSelling & auctions 7
Prepare, photograph, price and sell your classic, and how selling at auction works.
How to sell a classic motorcycle: private ad, dealer, or auction
Four ways to sell a classic, what each one costs you in money, time and risk, and how to choose. Plus the one preparation step that matters in every c...
Read guide 6 min read Selling & auctionsPhotographing a classic motorcycle for sale: the shots buyers look for
Good photographs sell a bike before the text is read. A phone is enough if you choose the light and the angles well. A shot list that covers what a ca...
Read guide 5 min read Selling & auctionsWriting a listing that sells: structure, honesty and the words to avoid
A good listing answers the buyer's questions before they ask. Here is a structure that works, how to describe condition and faults fairly, and the phr...
Read guide 5 min read Selling & auctionsStarting price and reserve price: how to set both in an online auction
The starting price decides who dares to bid. The reserve decides whether you have to sell. How the two work together, how to research a realistic figu...
Read guide 5 min read Selling & auctionsSelling on Epic Motor Trading: the three weeks, step by step
From the listing form to the money in your account: the review, the preview week, the live auction, payment in escrow, the handover and the payout. Wh...
Read guide 6 min read Selling & auctionsPreparing your bike and documents for sale: what to fix, what to leave and what to gather
A day of preparation can add more to the price than a month of waiting. What is worth doing, what to leave alone so you do not destroy originality, wh...
Read guide 5 min read Selling & auctionsHandover and paperwork after the sale: closing the deal properly
The sale is not finished when the money arrives. The handover, the bill of sale, telling the authorities and the records you keep protect you from cla...
Read guide 5 min readLaw & papers 8
Age rules, road tax, inspections and registration in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and France.
What counts as a classic motorcycle? Age rules in six countries
There is no single definition. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, France and FIVA each draw the line in a different place, and it decides your...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersOwning a classic motorcycle in the Netherlands: tax, inspection and number plates
No road tax after 40 years, no APK at all for motorcycles, optional blue plates before 1978, and a simple registration at the RDW. The details and the...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersOwning a classic motorcycle in Belgium: the O plate, inspection and low emission zones
Belgium registers a motorcycle as an oldtimer from 25 years, with an O plate and a few conditions. Taxes and inspections depend on your region, so her...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersOwning a classic motorcycle in Germany: the H plate, the 07 plate and the flat tax
Germany gives a protected classic an H plate and a flat annual tax of €46.02 for a motorcycle. The price is an expert report and a bike that is still...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersOwning a classic motorcycle in the UK: vehicle tax, the MOT exemption and the V5C
The UK has two different clocks. Vehicle tax stops for bikes built before 1 January 1986 (from 1 April 2026), and the MOT stops for bikes more than 40...
Read guide 5 min read Law & papersOwning a classic motorcycle in France: the carte grise de collection
France offers a collection registration for vehicles of 30 years and older that are no longer produced and kept in original state. The key document is...
Read guide 5 min read Law & papersThe FIVA Identity Card and the Turin Charter: what they are and what they are worth
The FIVA card is an internationally standardised passport for a historic vehicle, issued after a physical inspection. It is not a legal document, but...
Read guide 6 min read Law & papersPapers and proof of ownership: what a buyer needs to see
The registration document, the bill of sale, the history file and the proof of age: what each country calls them, what each one proves, and what to do...
Read guide 6 min readImport, export & transport 3
Buying across borders: VAT, customs, registration and getting the bike home safely.
Importing a classic motorcycle within the EU: documents, tax and registration
Between EU countries there is no customs duty, and a private sale carries no VAT. What takes the time is paperwork at both ends. Here is the order to...
Read guide 7 min read Import, export & transportImporting a classic motorcycle from outside the EU: customs, VAT and approval
From the UK, the US or Japan the bike has to be declared at the border, customs charges duty and VAT, and the registration authority checks the bike....
Read guide 6 min read Import, export & transportShipping a classic motorcycle: options, preparation, insurance and delivery
Enclosed van, open trailer, shared transport or a container: what each option costs you in risk, how to prepare the bike, what insurance to ask for an...
Read guide 6 min readInsurance & value 4
Agreed-value insurance, valuation, price guides and keeping your classic safe.
Insuring a classic motorcycle: agreed value, use limits and storage conditions
A classic policy is not a cheaper version of a normal one. It trades limits on use for a value agreed in advance. What to look for in a policy, what i...
Read guide 5 min read Insurance & valueHow a classic motorcycle is valued: rarity, originality, history and the market
Two bikes of the same model can differ in value by a factor of three. What decides it: originality, condition, history, desirability, and how to resea...
Read guide 5 min read Insurance & valueValuation reports and appraisals: when you need one and what it should contain
A written valuation helps with insurance, with a damage claim and with a sale. The types of value, who writes the reports, what a useful report contai...
Read guide 4 min read Insurance & valueThe real cost of owning a classic motorcycle: a budget you can build yourself
The purchase price is the smallest cost you will face if you ride the bike for years. A list of the categories to budget for, the ones people forget,...
Read guide 5 min readMaintenance & riding 8
Carburettors, ignition, oil, tyres, brakes and riding an old bike safely.
Brakes, tyres and ageing rubber: the safety items that age even when the bike stands still
A classic that has barely been ridden can still be dangerous. Rubber hardens, brake fluid absorbs water and seals dry out. What to check, how to read...
Read guide 6 min read Maintenance & ridingClassic motorcycle electrics: 6 volt, 12 volt, positive earth and points ignition
Most electrical problems on an old bike are bad earths, tired connections and a flat battery, not exotic faults. How the systems differ, what to measu...
Read guide 6 min read Maintenance & ridingWaking up a classic motorcycle from storage: the order that saves the engine
A bike that has stood for months or years should not be started on the first try. The order of checks that protects the engine, the brakes and you, fr...
Read guide 6 min read Maintenance & ridingWinter storage of a classic motorcycle: preparing the bike so it wakes up well
Good storage is a few hours of work in autumn that saves days in spring. Fuel, oil, battery, tyres, cleaning, the right cover and the right room, and...
Read guide 5 min read Maintenance & ridingFuel, ethanol and the fuel system of a classic motorcycle
Modern petrol is not the petrol the bike was built for. How ethanol affects tanks, hoses and carburettors, which fuel to choose, and what to replace s...
Read guide 5 min read Maintenance & ridingOil and lubrication in classic engines: grades, additives, wet clutches and dry-sump quirks
Which oil to choose for an old engine, why modern oils can be wrong for flat-tappet cams and wet clutches, what wet-sumping is, and how premix and tot...
Read guide 5 min read Maintenance & ridingCarburettor basics: how it works, how to clean it and how to find a problem
Most running problems on a classic blame the carburettor, and most of the time the cause is dirt, air leaks or ignition. How a carburettor works, a ca...
Read guide 6 min read Maintenance & ridingChain and final drive: tension, lubrication, wear and shaft drive care
The final drive is cheap to look after and expensive to ignore. How to check chain tension at the tightest point, how to lubricate, when to replace th...
Read guide 4 min readRestoration 3
Restore, preserve or leave it original: planning, parts, finishing and choosing a restorer.
Originality and patina: restore, preserve or leave it alone?
The first decision in any classic motorcycle project is not which parts to buy but whether to restore at all. How collectors think about originality,...
Read guide 6 min read RestorationPlanning a restoration: scope, budget, order of work and when to ask for help
Most restorations fail on planning, not on skill. How to define what you are doing, how to budget honestly, which order saves rework, and which jobs a...
Read guide 6 min read RestorationFinding parts for a classic motorcycle: clubs, specialists, autojumbles and reproductions
Parts decide how a restoration goes. Where to look first, how to tell used, reproduction and NOS apart, how to avoid wrong or stolen parts and what to...
Read guide 5 min readBrand histories 18
The story behind the marques collectors look for, with the models and weak spots worth knowing.
Triumph: from Coventry bicycles to the Bonneville and the Hinckley restart
The history of Triumph in one page: the 1937 Speed Twin, the Bonneville of 1959, the move to unit construction in 1963, the Meriden co-operative, and...
Read guide 5 min read Brand historiesBSA: the Gold Star, the A65 and the rise and fall of a giant
BSA grew out of a Birmingham gun maker, became the largest motorcycle producer in the world at its peak, and collapsed within two decades. The models...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesNorton: the Manx, the Featherbed frame and the Commando
Norton earned its name on the racetrack and kept it with a frame that became a benchmark. The key models from 1898 to the Commando, and what to know a...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesVincent: the Black Shadow, the Black Lightning and why provenance is everything
Vincent built a small number of very fast V-twins until 1955, and the Black Shadow became a legend. The facts behind the legend, and why authenticity...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesRoyal Enfield: the Bullet that never stopped and a brand with two homes
Royal Enfield started in Redditch in England and carried on in Chennai in India. The Bullet design dates from 1932 and is still built, which makes dat...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesHonda: the Super Cub, the CB750 and the birth of the superbike
Honda made two of the most important motorcycles of the twentieth century: the Super Cub of 1958 and the CB750 of 1969. What they changed, and what a...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesKawasaki: the Z1, the "New York Steak" and the fastest bike of 1973
When Honda launched the CB750, Kawasaki held back its own four and made it bigger. The result was the 903 cc Z1 of 1972. What it was, why it matters,...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesSuzuki: from a loom works to the water-cooled GT750 and the GS and GSX-R
Suzuki began with looms in 1909, built its first motorised bicycle in 1952 and went on to some of the most interesting Japanese classics: the water-co...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesYamaha: from pianos and organs to the YA-1, the XS-1 and the RD350
Yamaha Motor was spun off in 1955 from a musical-instrument maker, started with a copy of a German two-stroke and went on to the twins that British ri...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesHarley-Davidson: Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead and the engines that name the eras
Harley-Davidson classics are known by their engines. A short guide to the Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead and Sportster, the AMF years, and the Itali...
Read guide 5 min read Brand historiesIndian: the Scout, the Chief and a brand that ended in 1953 and came back
Indian was America's other great motorcycle make. Founded in 1901, famous for the Scout and the Chief, bankrupt in 1953 and revived under new owners....
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesAermacchi: the aircraft maker from Varese, its racing success and the Harley-Davidson years
Aermacchi made motorcycles after the war, won world championships with the same engine design and built small bikes for Harley-Davidson. A short histo...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesBMW motorcycles: the boxer twin, shaft drive and the R32 of 1923
BMW built its first motorcycle in 1923 with a flat-twin engine and shaft drive, and kept the formula for a century. The milestones from the R32 to the...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesDucati: from radio parts to the desmodromic valve and the 750 SuperSport
Ducati began making radio components in Bologna in 1926 and became the home of the desmodromic valve. The milestones from the Cucciolo engine to the 7...
Read guide 5 min read Brand historiesMoto Guzzi: the eagle of Mandello, the transverse V-twin and the Le Mans
Moto Guzzi has built motorcycles in Mandello del Lario since 1921, and its transverse V-twin is one of the most recognisable engines in motorcycling....
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesMV Agusta: 38 riders' titles, the 750S and a name that came back
MV Agusta was a Grand Prix giant from the 1950s to 1976 and built exotic four-cylinder roadsters. The history from 1945 to the revival of the 1990s, a...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesLaverda: tractors, the 750 SF and the 3C triple that became the Jota
Laverda grew out of an agricultural engine business in Breganze in 1873, built a 75 cc motorcycle in 1949 and became one of Italy's great large-capaci...
Read guide 4 min read Brand historiesBenelli: six brothers from Pesaro, the 750 Sei and a brand with many owners
Benelli was founded in Pesaro in 1911 by a mother and her six sons, built the first six-cylinder road motorcycle in 1974, and passed through De Tomaso...
Read guide 4 min readClassic cars 3
Buying and understanding classic cars: rust, history and the models to know.
Owning a classic car in the Netherlands: APK, road tax, blue plates and import
For a car, the Dutch rules differ from those for a motorcycle in one big way: there is an APK, and it changes at 30 and 50 years. Road tax, blue plate...
Read guide 5 min read Classic carsThe classic car buying checklist: rust first, then everything else
With a classic car the structure matters most, because rust repairs cost more than almost any mechanical job. A walk-around in the order that saves th...
Read guide 7 min read Classic carsRust and bodywork in classic cars: where it hides and how to judge it
Rust is the main thing that makes a classic car cheap or expensive. Where it starts, how to find it with a torch and a magnet, the difference between...
Read guide 5 min readBasics & glossary 2
Terms, numbers and ideas explained in plain language.
Understanding condition grades: concours, restored, survivor, rider and project
There is no official scale for the condition of a classic motorcycle. These are the terms used in the trade, what they usually mean, and the questions...
Read guide 5 min read Basics & glossaryGlossary of classic motorcycle terms: condition, papers, engine, chassis and auctions
More than sixty terms you meet when you buy or sell a classic motorcycle, including the official words for registration papers in the Netherlands, Bel...
Read guide 8 min readClubs, museums & links 3
Federations, clubs, museums, events, magazines and price sources worth bookmarking.
Motorcycle clubs and national federations: who to join and what you get
The best parts supplier, adviser and rulebook for a classic is often a club. The national federations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Fr...
Read guide 5 min read Clubs, museums & linksAutojumbles, shows and events: where to find parts, people and bikes
Some of the best classic motorcycle deals are made in a field on a Sunday morning. The big autojumbles and shows in Europe and the US, how to prepare...
Read guide 4 min read Clubs, museums & linksMotorcycle museums and collections: where to see the originals and how to use them
A museum is the best reference library for a classic: you can see how a bike was finished when it was new. Two large collections to know, factory muse...
Read guide 4 min readReady to find or sell a classic?
Browse the live auctions, or list your own motorcycle or car for serious buyers.
