A must-see journey of four San Francisco bikers riding cross country in their vintage choppers.

Viscious Cycles is one of the all time great stop-motion flicks... check it out if you don't believe us!

This BMW R60 Never Rides Alone

Photography by Ben Bertucci

“This bike is about history, it’s about my dad…it’s about what started a life-long passion for motorcycles, it’s what launched a career,” Tom McComas, “…and it’s why I’m a Hollywood stunt man.”

In 1963, the first thing Tom’s father—also named Tom McComas—did when he was discharged from the military was to buy a BMW R60 motorcycle. This motorcycle. It was at times colored black, orange, and had a sidecar, which is how Tom Jr. began to experience the “euphoric feeling” he enjoys to this day.

“When I’m riding it and I look down and see the speedometer, it takes me back to 13, 14, 15 years old and having snuck the bike out, riding it on the North Shore of Chicago…it’s a trip, I can’t describe it,” Tom says.

“For him to have the bike makes me feel that it couldn’t be in better hands,” says Tom Sr., “…and I have total confidence that Tommy is going to love the bike as much as I do.”

“Wherever I drive, there’s a part of him riding with me; if it wasn’t for my dad and this motorcycle…motorcycles have been with me ever since, because of my dad.”

video depicting the history of motorcycles through 1960

Photographer John Chillingworth took these photos at the 1953 Motorcycle Skiing championships, held at Ehrwald in Tyrol, Austria. The skiers held on to ropes attached to the backs of motorcycles -- some even with sidecars -- which had spiked wheels to grip the snow.
German skier Karl Baier won the championship that year. In four years of racing, his driver had never been hurt.
The pictures were first featured in the UK's Picture Post magazine, which featured more than 400 of Chillingworth's photo essays.

Picture your dream custom motorcycle – anything, be it a scrambler, a café racer or a thoroughbred sports bike. Got it? Well then let Rocket Supreme make it a reality…

I confess attempting this on my Raleigh three-speed!

1906 Curtis V-8 motorcycle.

$6,000 buys this 2009 Triumph Bonneville SE. Blue and White with 11,300 miles. This motorcycle is stock. Primarily ridden by a lady. Well cared for and in excellent condition.
- Avon Road Rider tires
- Stock seat modified with "Supracore" by Spencer
- Renntec engine guard
- Adjustable clutch and brake levers (stock levers included)
- Removable Triumph "long haul" windshield
- Triumph Saddle bags

Cafe racer. Note the lack of extra stuff on the bike and driver. Just the way I like it!

1931: Eating smoked sausages after a test drive.

I didn't know Audi made bikes!

160 mpg for $330? Not bad, Honda!

Choppers, bobbers, rat-bikes, vintage cafe racers and every kind of wild oddity in between, nobody does American custom hot-rod culture for bikes on the West Coast like the annual Born Free show in Irvine, Ca. Jamie Robinson wades into a sea of black leather, denim, burly beards, Daisy Dukes and thousands of motorcycles to see what it's all about. For more on motorcycles, visit hellforleathermagazine.com

"The Bold World of BSA"

The Early Harley-Davidson Servi-Car: A rider on the H-D Seri-Car would come to you home or office, to pickup your car for service and tow the trike back with him. See many more photos and learn all about the and Servi-Car at http://theoldmotor.com/?p=81194

Cafe racers 1960s UK.

World's Most Dangerous Sport (1955). Filmed in Bavaria, Germany. Skiers are towed by cars and motorcycles travelling at great speed. Probably not considered the most dangerous sport by today's standards!

Unidentified bike found at the bottom of the sea.

How cool is this bike from TPJ Customs. Its a Buell powered supermoto, pretty much everything except the motor has been custom fabricated by the guys at TPJ and the end result is seriously impressive. This would have to be the most compact chassis I have ever seen wrapped around a Buell motor. The details in the build are incredible, the battery hidden in the swing arm and the rear guard that doubles as an oil tank are a few of my favourites, clever stuff that you don’t often see on a bike like this. Hats off to TPG customs, this is one hell of a bike!

Real deal biker.

Of all the errors committed in this crazy scene, the first row of bikers are among the targets!

Ryno Motors Micro Cycle.

Famed bike racer Barry Sheene in his shop sometime 1970s. Barry started in a Seeley Suzuki and he would transform from relative unknown into a major force in motorcycle racing. Barry won the 1976 and 1977 500cc World Championship.

Barry Sheene 1975 Daytona crash. His bike locks the back tire at 170mph during a test session. 1982 Silverston crash. List of Barrys broken bones

Perfect setup and stance, not an easy thing to get right. Hearkens back to the track bikes of the 1930s.

This is a conversion of a 1998 Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star (Star V Star 650 in the US) called the Beachstar. It's been described as a cross between a cafe racer and a board tracker. With or without the 60's looking fairing this bike looks awesome. The Beachstar was built by a German by the name of Mario Baer. Baer needed only one summer to modify this old 1998 Yamaha Drag Star, working only in the evenings. Thats impressive work. It's not just a show bike either, it's also a commuter. He rides the Beachstar to work nearly every day and last year the Beachstar won some impressive shows including the world-renowned 2008 Intermot show in Cologne. We are looking forward to seeing Baer's next project which he describes as "Hmmm...something exceptionally spectacular with a huge rear wheel and a small front wheel. Something completely crazy!".

Today marks 71 years since the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that left 2,400 dead, 68 of them civilians, and crippled the Pacific fleet. December 7, 1941 is a day that forever changed our nation’s history and will never be forgotten.
Indian Motorcycle Factory In 1942 Gearing Up For World War II.

Bllardvale, MA sometime mid 1970s.

Early trike.

Harley Davidson Veteran's Day tribute.

A very pretty Miss Ester Stevens of Newark, New Jersey poses on her Harley-Davidson motorcycle with a sidecar. She was is in Rochester, N.Y. for a motorcycle meet. You can see here and 42 pages of women and vehicles @ http://theoldmotor.com/?cat=15&paged=40

A cool piece on Steve McQueen rating six bikes for Popular Science magazine back in November, 1966–

“First of all, I don’t set myself up as an expert on either setting up machinery for racing, or in the actual sport of racing itself. But after 25 years of desert riding in Southern California, TT scrambles, Hare and Hound, and a bit of racing in the wet Six Days Trials in East Germany n 1964– I sure hope I picked up a little bit about motorcycles and riding along the way.” –Steve McQueen

At the end of the day, McQueen heavily favors his own hybrid desert-rippin’ beast that he put together with the help of the Ekins brothers–

“I used a Rickman-Metisse frame– a revolutionary piece of equipment that does away with the oil tank. The oil circulates through the tubes of the frame, which keeps it cool…I used a 650cc Triumph engine as the powerplant for this bike. The drivetrain and gearbox are also Triumph. It has Ceriani forks with 7 1/2 inches of travel for a real smooth ride, and a BSA crown. The fiberglass fenders and tank hold the weight down to a notch under 300 pounds. The rig is the best handling bike I’ve ever owned. And the power– it’s like supersonic.” –Steve McQueen

Code of the Biker Babe.

Mid sixties ad for Triumph motorcylces. Elements of the era's eye-catching graphic designs are returning thanks to Mad Men.

1906-1914 single cylinder Harley Davidson motorcycle and rider. Original photo taken in Iowa. Photo was restored and digitally colored using a Dicomed Imaginator Paintbox. Via: redbubble.

My kinda guys.

Hippie girl with Honda motorcycle. I love the atmosphere; the photographer knew his stuff! A California scene mid to late sixties?

Thomas Bund, a German board-track motorcycle enthusiast, is seen on an Excelsior in this photo by Uwe Goedereis, posing at a wooden track in Hannover, Germany where they recently had a track meet.

Norton versus biplane!

Motorcycle board track enthusiasts in Germany, take their hobby seriously. Five of them are shown in this photo by Uwe Goedereis posing at a wooden track in Hannover, Germany where they recently had a track meet.