The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, England

Abstract

These are not good times for the British economy. Many of the industries that Britain formerly dominated are now in decline, hobbled by inefficiencies and undercut by foreign competition. In some cases, they have all but disappeared. So it has been with the British motorcycle industry, once the world leader in technological development, market share, and success on the racetrack. A few specialist manufacturers soldier on, but the commanding position now is occupied by Japan. Britain today has little more than its memories and the surviving examples of the machines that once put it at the forefront of the world motorcycle industry. Until recently, there was no adequate memorial to these past glories, although representative collections of motorcycles could be viewed at London's Science Museum, at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, and in several transport museums. In 1984, the British motorcycle finally received its proper due with the opening of the National Motorcycle Museum. Situated on the outskirts of Birmingham, the historical center of the industry, the museum is the culmination of the dedicated efforts of individual enthusiasts who have been supported financially by the city of Birmingham and by private contributions. The museum occupies a new building that is divided into a main hall and four smaller ones. Visitors enter through the main hall, where they can view a few motorcycles on rotating turntables and make purchases in a well-stocked book and souvenir shop. The first smaller hall displays a collection of motorcycles intended to depict Sixty Glorious Years (1901-61) of British motorcycles. The second and third halls contain machines with engine capacities of under and over 500 cc, respectively. The last hall is devoted to competition machinery. Altogether, nearly 300 motorcycles are on display. All are in excel-