Chapter 2.3 Part 1 SMALL MAICOS: THE 125s Although known primarily in the United States as a producer of large, powerful, off-road motorcycles, Maico was certainly no stranger to smaller bikes and road motorcycles. As we have seen, the company began by manufacturing small motorcycles, 200cc-and-under, which were initially used as personal transportation in […]
A-plus Truck and Fleet is a business specializing in large truck maintenance, along with automotive work, in Lewisberry Pennsylvania. Owner Mike Schantz is a dirt rider from his youth, who can’t wait to push the last truck of the day out of the garage and start working on what he really loves. It’s at that […]
As we’ve mentioned before within these sacred halls of our literary web forum, it is truly a privilege to be located here in the great northeastern part of the USA – especially if you are an active vintage bike aficionado. The amount of swap meets, events, and in general motor shows gives us seasoned motor-heads […]
THE SHOP OWNER: GIG HAMILTON Pt. 2 Our second article in the examination of the unique business model of retail sales, as the “motorcycle boom” of the late sixties and early seventies reached the United States. This was a time when hardware stores, used car dealerships, individual racers – and, nearly anyone with a few […]
One of our first articles. We wanted to repost for various reasons, but most importantly to celebrate 3 years of viewership! Saturday. The day of Recovery, if not The day of Rest. The one day of the week when it’s OK not to work; to not even consider work, and not obsess upon the waiting […]
Vintage Motor Company is pleased to present a three-part series on why Maico riders modified their bikes–and why owners of motor vehicles are still motivated by the same desires The pick-up truck bounced into an open dirt patch on the Pennsylvania hillside. It came to rest abruptly; a drawn-out scratch of the emergency brake finalized […]
Who gets to define a man or woman? Who is permitted to evaluate the life and choices of a person? And who is to be believed? **Moving slightly away from The Vintage Motor Company’s main cultural explorations (motorcycles!), we’d like to examine a cultural event that effected all of us to some extent or another…
MOTORCYCLE PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION And so, given our discussion of the motor vehicle as both historical/industrial artifact and art object (our last article: Preservation and Restoration), what should we do with that old motorcycle in our possession? Preserve it for posterity, or restore it as art? In earlier times, contemplating simpler (non-industrial) objects, […]
Motorcycles as Artifacts In the course of this article installment I have used the Maico motorcycle as the lens through which American sport motorcycle culture was examined. Now, looking back to this motorcycle—material culture, art object, utilitarian racing machine, or however else we may wish to think of it—what are we now to do with […]
In the beginning The covering of the end of a motorcycle’s handlebar, allowing the rider to “grip” the metal bar and prevent his or her hands from slipping off, has been made of rubber and known by its function since motorcycling’s beginning.[1] The handlebar grips on early motorcycles were a rather hard natural rubber sheath. […]