The world’s first motor racing circuit opened in 1907; in 1908 bikes joined the fun. It all started with a head-to-head race for a bet. Just posted in the 1908 features section you’ll find details of the action, some sniffy letters from the competitors, an uptight local suing the organisers and a world speed record. The pics are pretty good too.

In a handful of years the run from Land’s End to John o’Groats evolved from a voyage into the unknown to a route for the ACU Six Days’ Trial. But it was a trial that put bikes and their riders to the test. Check out this contemporary account of foul weather, foul roads and endurance.

The latest additions are a couple of features from 1908. You’ll find a lot of background to the TT and a collection of touring yarns, roadtests, tales of plucky endurance and rather a lot more. Go on, treat yourself.

Before expanding the material already posted for the twenties and thirties I’m catching up on some features. The latest of these cover the MCC’s London-Edinburgh trial and the Stanley Show, both from 1907. Bikes were appearing in all shapes and sizes: here’s a taster.

It was a busy year. New marques, new models, new technol;ogy, new challenges and a surge in demand from enthusiasts who had caught the motor cycling bug in uniform. There’s more than 90,000 words and stack of pictures to get through, so you’d better get started (and the Christmas story by Ixion is a doozy).

The war finally ended, petrol trickled back onto the market, Britain was producing millions of gallons of fuel. Peacetime models were being snapped up, clubs were reforming and mourning their losses. You’ll find a lot of material from 1919 on site and there’s much more to come. Watch this space.

The review of 1918 is complete, at least until more material comes my way, and I’m working on 1919. There is already a lot of material on-site covering the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s but that’s still a work in progress. The motor cycling story is now  covered in some depth from the Big Bang to the end of the Great War. So let’s get on to 1919 and roar into the ‘twenties.

I’ve uploaded a lot of text and some fascinating pics from 1918. The war’s nearing its bloody end and, despite a virtual cessation of motor cycling for pleasure, there’s lots going on in preparation for a return to peace and, for the survivors, the joy of the open road.

Another year bites the dust. There was no petrol for non-essential motor cycling; a clamp down on petrol substitutes…desperate enthusiasts resorting to blimps full of coal gas…but despite that, and the number of motor cyclists who wouldn’t be coming home again there were still developments in suspension, transmission and power. There were roadtests, humorous yarns and the wit and wisdom of Ixion so take a gander; it’s a good read. Meanwhile my combo’s running on four pots again, plans are afoot to look for the missing fourth gear in a Burman gearbox and 1918 beckons. Motor cycling… it’s a magnificent obsession.

There are a lot of new yarns in 1917 (with a lot more to come) including pictures of all the bikes built for the Russian front, electro-magnetic valves, illustrated readers’ tips, a big twin Rudge…the Harleys and Indians have joined the fray, there’s a bike made from scrap at the front line, there’s a letter from Wizard O’Donovan about Brooklands Nortons, some exquisite writing by Ixion, so no change there…despite everything new models were being developed too. And in the Poetry section you’ll find three poems from 1917: a jolly ode about a novice; an enthusiast’s address to his final few drops of petrol; and a reflection on the joys of motor cycling written by a lady. By the way, you’ll find loads of meaty features attached to the annual reviews, from blow-by-blow TT and Six-Day Trials reports to touring yarns and oodles of delights. Worth a browse?