For motorcycle enthusiasts, the perfect bike is about the balance between how fast you can go and how good you look while doing it. To many, midcentury British motorcycles represent the pinnacle of refined power and style, having dominated racing and performance in their heyday while capturing the mystique of the outsider. The alluring image of the daredevil rider was everywhere, from the café racers of the rocker subculture, with stripped-down bikes built for speed, to iconic events like the ever-dangerous Isle of Man TT race. The influence of these masterpieces is still evident in modern design, and many of these bikes are highly sought after today. The legendary models in our roundup represent the high points of British motorbike heritage.
Brough Superior SS80/100
Unapologetically named above the competition, the Brough Superior SS80 and SS100 were meticulously tested for performance and build, drawing comparisons to Rolls-Royce with regard to quality and luxury. Incredibly expensive at the time, the bikes were available only to the wealthy. Perhaps the most famous Brough enthusiast was T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who sadly died riding his seventh Brough—and while awaiting the delivery of his eighth.
Triumph Bonneville
Perhaps no single bike better defines the look and popularity of British motorcycles than the Triumph Bonneville. Christened after the famous speed-testing grounds at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, where companies traveled to do battle for bragging rights, the Triumph is immediately recognizable in all its various model incarnations. After a break in production and now under a new company’s direction, the Bonneville has recently returned with a fresh new design that still pays clear homage to its classic form and character.
Norton Commando
Beloved by enthusiasts the world over, the Norton Commando capitalized on an innovative Isolastic frame design that reduced vibrations to provide a more comfortable ride, winning the Motor Cycle News’ “Machine of the Year” award for five consecutive years from 1968 to 1972. The Norton name lives on today with several companies producing numerous Commando-inspired models, but the original still holds a special place with collectors.
Matchless Silver Hawk
This short-lived luxury motorcycle may not have been a huge success, but that certainly wasn’t for any lack of bravado on the part of the company. Heralded in sales brochures as “unquestionably the most fascinating machine to ride that has ever been built,” this four-cylinder bike targeted sports-car-like smoothness and comfort without compromising high-end performance.
Velocette Venom
Produced by a small family company, the Velocette Venom took on industry giants like Triumph and Norton with unique features such as removable fiberglass panels to protect the rider from oil stains. But the bike is perhaps best known for its feat of 24 hours averaging 100 m.p.h., a record for models of this size that still stands.
Vincent Series C Black Shadow
Hand-assembled and with only 1,700 examples built, the Vincent Black Shadow introduced a number of technological innovations and was immediately recognizable for its distinctive and predominantly black color palette, including much of the engine. Perhaps the first true superbike, the Black Shadow achieved unheard-of levels of performance, openly boasting in advertisements that it was the “World’s Fastest Standard Motorcycle. This is a Fact, Not a Slogan.”
BSA Gold Star
Popular with Britain’s rocker crowd and often stripped down to just the barest components, BSA motorcycles also hold a proud racing and performance history. The Gold Star model was named after the pins awarded to riders who successfully lapped the Brooklands racetrack at speeds in excess of 100 m.p.h., as legend Wal Handley did on his BSA.
Royal Enfield Bullet
In constant production since 1948, the Royal Enfield Bullet holds the distinction of the longest-lived motorcycle design in history. Once a favorite of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Bullet continuously improved over the decades until production in England gave way to its current home in India. The bike is named in reference to the original Royal Small Arms factory in Enfield, England.
Ariel 350 W/NG
Despite its less-than-glowing initial rating by the British military of “fair – for use only in emergency purposes,” the Ariel 350 proved to be a popular and capable ride. Following the Battle of Dunkirk and the subsequent abandonment of British war resources, Ariel helped fill the supply vacuum, outfitting the British Army and the RAF, among other divisions and departments. An Ariel 350 W/NG in original military configuration is a rare and sought-after classic.
AJS E90 “Porcupine”
The winner of the inaugural Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 500cc World Championship, the E90 was dubbed the Porcupine thanks to the spiked cooling fins on its cylinder heads. Despite suffering from a host of temperamental mechanical issues, the bike possesses a distinctive design and novelty that has allowed it to develop a devoted following.