Moto blog

Behind the “Bathing Suit” Picture

Few motorcycle photographs are as iconic as that of the famous Bonneville “Bathing Suit Picture.” While you have undoubtedly seen this image before, you may not know the story behind it. The scantily clad and debatably crazy rider was a man by the name of Roland “Rollie” Free. The bike, often thought by many to be a Vincent Black Shadow, was in fact a Black Lightning – the fastest Vincent ever to see production.

Nigerian King’s Rudge Multi, Plus Many Other Rare Motorcycles, For Sale At Bonhams Auction

The upcoming Bonhams Banbury Run Sale is set to be a motorcycle enthusiast’s dream, with 102 lots of iconic bikes available to the highest bidder. Within the sale, an intriguing duo of Brough Superiors will be offered for auction from a family synonymous with motorcycles for generations – Myerscough. The motoring history behind the Myerscough family began in 1893 when Leonard Myerscough opened a business repairing and selling bicycles, followed by motorcycles and automobiles. At the peak of this business, five locations serviced the Liverpool area under the banner L Myerscough & Sons Ltd. Encouraged by his father, the eldest son, Len Jr, took up dirt track racing in the late 1920s, enjoying success as a contracted team rider for both the Belle Vue Aces and Preston teams from 1928 to 1931.

Classic Japanese Bikes Highlight Bonhams’ Next Auction

Bonhams’ annual fall auction, the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, at Stafford County Showground is scheduled for October 20, 2013. Included in the auction is the above pictured 1974 Kawasaki H1-RW 500cc triple. Expected to sell for approximately $96,000 to $112,000, the Japanese works Grand Prix racer is one of only two machines built by the factory for the French Kawasaki importer SIDEMM for use in the 500cc World Championship. The bikes were ridden during the 1974 season by the French endurance racing specialist Christian Léon and French-Canadian Formula 750 star Yvon Duhamel.