Centre de connaissances
Tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur les motos et les voitures de collection : papiers et règles, achat et vente, importation, entretien, restauration et histoire des marques.
Commencer ici
Les guides que la plupart des lecteurs ouvrent en premier.
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...
Lire le guide 8 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresHow 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Import, export et 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...
Lire le guide 7 min de lecture Clubs, musées et liensMotorcycle 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture RestaurationOriginality 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,...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersWhat 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lectureAcheter un classique 6
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...
Lire le guide 8 min de lecture Acheter un classiqueFrame 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Acheter un classiqueSafe 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Acheter un classiqueBuying 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...
Lire le guide 7 min de lecture Acheter un classiqueThe 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Acheter un classiqueBidding 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lectureVendre et enchères 7
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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresPhotographing 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresWriting 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresStarting 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresSelling 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresPreparing 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Vendre et enchèresHandover 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lectureLégislation et papiers 8
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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersOwning 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersOwning 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersOwning 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersOwning 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Législation et papiersOwning 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Législation et papiersThe 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Législation et papiersPapers 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lectureImport, export et transport 3
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...
Lire le guide 7 min de lecture Import, export et 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....
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Import, export et 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lectureAssurance et valeur 4
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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Assurance et valeurHow 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Assurance et valeurValuation 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Assurance et valeurThe 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,...
Lire le guide 5 min de lectureEntretien et conduite 8
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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteClassic 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteWaking 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteWinter 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteFuel, 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteOil 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteCarburettor 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture Entretien et conduiteChain 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lectureRestauration 3
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,...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture RestaurationPlanning 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...
Lire le guide 6 min de lecture RestaurationFinding 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lectureHistoire des marques 18
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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Histoire des marquesBSA: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesNorton: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesVincent: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesRoyal 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesHonda: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesKawasaki: 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,...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesSuzuki: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesYamaha: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesHarley-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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Histoire des marquesIndian: 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....
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesAermacchi: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesBMW 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesDucati: 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Histoire des marquesMoto 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....
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesMV 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesLaverda: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Histoire des marquesBenelli: 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lectureVoitures classiques 3
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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Voitures classiquesThe 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...
Lire le guide 7 min de lecture Voitures classiquesRust 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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lectureBases et glossaire 2
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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Bases et glossaireGlossary 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...
Lire le guide 8 min de lectureClubs, musées et liens 3
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...
Lire le guide 5 min de lecture Clubs, musées et liensAutojumbles, 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecture Clubs, musées et liensMotorcycle 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...
Lire le guide 4 min de lecturePrêt à trouver ou à vendre un classique ?
Parcourez les enchères en cours, ou mettez votre moto ou votre voiture en vente pour des acheteurs sérieux.
