Tag Archives: vintage motorcycle culture

Early Motorcycle History, Motorcycle Culture, Uncategorized

THE MOTORCYCLE AND MAN: A SOCIAL HISTORY (BEGINNINGS, TO THE 1950S)

Posted on by David Russell
Motorcycle and Man A Social History
05
Apr

 T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia,” 1888-1935) loved to ride his motorcycle. On a damp early morning in 1925, former Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence, now living incognito as the lowly Royal Air Force enlistee Airman Shaw, rose and slipped into his breeches and puttees in the dark. By 4:00 a.m., Lawrence finished breakfast at his quarters. He […]

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Motorcycle Culture, vintage motorcycle days

Go to a Vintage Bike Event!

Posted on by David Russell
06
Feb

Do you want to get started enjoying the fun of old motorcycles?  One of the best ways to learn about the hobby is to attend a vintage motorcycle event.  These are often referred to as “swap meets” or “bike shows.”  Let’s get started!

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classic motorcycle t-shirts, European motorcycle t-shirts, motorcycle art, Motorcycle as art, Motorcycle Culture, vintage motorcycle t-shirts

The T-shirt and its role in Motorcycle Culture

Posted on by David Russell
1920 Excelsior 20R t shirt
27
Jan

The Beginning of a Phenomenon The T-shirt with printed image—a phenomenon dating largely to the 1950s, exploding in popularity in the 1960s, and with its ancestral roots in post-World War I returning servicemen—is an ideal medium for proclaiming classic motorcycles. Interestingly, Marlon Brando, the actor whose portrayal of a motorcyclist in 1954’s The Wild One […]

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Motorcycle Culture, motorcycle oral history

Definitions, and the Maico as Material Culture 1.1

Posted on by David Russell
1981 Maico 490 t shirt
02
Jan

A Social History of Motorcycle Technology This post and many to follow is a social history of a technology.  By this I mean that it examines an item of technology—in this case the German-made Maico motorcycle—and explores the links between the object and that segment of humankind who interacted with it.

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Maico, Motorcycle Culture, Trail Bikes

The History of Maico Motorcycles and American Sport Motorcycle Culture – Preface, Part 2

Posted on by David Russell
11
Nov

The Maico – The People and the Culture As the premier tool used by the most dedicated racers of the time, I see the Maico motorcycle as an excellent touchstone for this little-studied American group. By analyzing the motorcycle as material culture and studying the relationship between this machine and the people who interacted with […]

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Maico, Motorcycle Culture

The History of Maico Motorcycles and American Sport Motorcycle Culture – Part 1

Posted on by David Russell
motorcycle
04
Nov

By David Russell   Introduction Most Americans would profess to some basic knowledge of the culture and history of motorcycling in this country. Some among them have likely encountered Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga , and may have at least attempted to absorb Robert M. Persig’s Zen and the Art […]

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