Legendary Bikes

Noteworthy Historic Motorcycles

Indian Unveils a Chief Vintage Sturgis Edition

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Aug 8, 2026 | Legendary Bikes | 0 |

Then Came Bronson

by Rob Brooks | Jan 22, 2026 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life | 6 |

In 1969, a man quit his job, threw a leg over his Harley, and rode away from everything- and an entire generation wanted to follow him. His name was Jim Bronson. And though he only existed on television screens for one brief, beautiful season, his spirit would outlive the show by decades.

A Day At The Ducati Museum

by Ryan Nolan | Jan 15, 2026 | Industry & Racing, Legendary Bikes | 4 |

My wife and I took a trip to Italy and Spain recently, our first trip to either country, and being a long time MotoGP and motorcycle racing enthusiast I had to take advantage of being in an area full of motorcycle racing talent, tracks and experiences. Our trip was over Christmas and New Years so with no races going on, I knew the one place I wanted to visit- the Ducati Museum in Bologna, Italy.

Analog- 1993 Honda VFR 750

by Ted Edwards | Dec 23, 2025 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life | 12 |

In a digital world driven by touchscreens, scrolling menus and artificial intelligence there lives a Unicorn, a 1993 VFR 750. In this electric world measured by binary strings of 1s and 0s she is a deliciously analog endangered species driven by feel, a deft but heavy touch, proper feel at the levers. Her cockpit is full of spinning number odometers and sweeping white needles on black numbered faceplates that don’t disappear when the bike turns off. When I feel saturated by screen time and need to unplug and return to the heart of motorcycling, the core of who I am, I ride The Unicorn.

The Rise & Demise of Vincent Motorcycles

by Rob Brooks | Nov 13, 2025 | Legendary Bikes | 3 |

I inquired as to what he knew about the part, and the vendor explained, “When Vincent ceased motorcycle production in the mid-1950s, the company kept manufacturing small displacement engines, for everything from small boats to lawn mowers. This is a casting from one of their lawn mower engines, I believe.” We haggled for a moment, and I bought the part, if for no other reason but the Vincent logo and inscription. It fascinated me, and sent me down a rabbit hole of moto-history I knew nothing about.

Ted’s Op-Ed: Why They Don’t Ride

by Ted Edwards | Sep 16, 2025 | Legendary Bikes, Ride Life | 2 |

Splitting the wood took all day and made me horribly thirsty so I kept the garden hose running and drank often, which helped wash the beer out of my mouth because when we went woodcutting that was what my dad brought us to drink. When the wood was split I fired up the old Honda Trail CT-90 and rode down the street to the nearby empty field for a celebration run. Sometimes I wore a helmet, sometimes not, because of all the things I did as a kid growing up, riding a motorcycle was probably the safest.

Elkhart Lake: City of Speed

by Ken "Hawkeye" Glassman | May 29, 2025 | Legendary Bikes | 0 |

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is a small town of 941 people, about an hour northwest of Milwaukee. It is famous for two things: the Road America Race Course, and a wonderful exotic car and motorcycle museum/consignment dealership called Throttlestop.

MZ’s Moto Memories: 1994 Yamaha FZR1000

by Mark Zweig | May 20, 2025 | Legendary Bikes | 1 |

One day I got a call from a guy who said he had a 1994 Yamaha FZR1000. He was moving out of state and really needed to get rid of it. But there was one catch. It had to be gone by that night. He had parked the bike in his shed about two years earlier, and now, though it had a new battery and would crank like mad, it wouldn’t start…

The Legend of Slippery Sam

by Road Dirt Crew | May 8, 2025 | Legendary Bikes | 1 |

There are many tales of historic race motorcycles over the years. We’ve endeavored to tell a few of those here at Road Dirt, as we love racing. With the recent debut by Triumph Motorcycles of their commemorative “67” Trident Tribute, we felt the story of “Slippery Sam” needed to be told.

MZ’s Moto Memories: Kawasaki W650

by Mark Zweig | Apr 15, 2025 | Legendary Bikes | 3 |

I guess you could say I am a “Kawasaki Man.” Out of the hundreds of bikes I’ve owned over the last 55 years, a bunch of them have been Kawasakis. I just like Kawasakis and always have. I owned two 2001 model Kawasaki W650s, both of which I kept for several years. I didn’t know much about them when I discovered a low mileage, custom-painted W650 for sale in a nearby town advertised on Craigslist. I got that first W650 in late summer of 2005, and then I picked up a second one just a few months later in St. Louis. I think I paid $3200 for the first one and only $2800 for the second one (it was such a deal I just had to buy it) and neither of them had more than 3000 miles on the clock nor a single scratch.