— A rolling Vlog of motorcycles that feature on the Girder Club Channel —
A 1904 308cc Wanderer motorcycle is pedalled down the road and fired into life as it continues on the Where is Anna Run in Belgium.
This video was taken at the Vredesmolen – a former windmill in the Belgian village of Klerken that was used as a lookout post by the Germans during the First World War.
A running start to fire up a 1930 Sunbeam Model 9.
This one has quite the racer feel about it, and with twin straight-through pipes it sounds the business! This video was shot while out for a ride with Nigel, and Paul from Shed Hot Customs.
Sammy Miller rides the 1925 Grindlay-Peerless ST1 at the 2025 VMCC Banbury Run.
The standout feature on this bike is the somewhat unconventional, yet innovative sleeve-valve engine from Barr and Stroud of Glasgow. It is a four-stroke engine which was frequently used to power early aircraft. The design uses a ported sleeve-valve that is meddled between the piston and its cylinder. The sleeve is caused to slide up and down inside the cylinder, and at the same time rotate about its axis. This oscillating motion allows the sleeve to open and close both the inlet and exhaust phases of the four-stroke cycle. As a result, there are no pushrods, valves, half time pinions, cams or rockers in sight! The setup allowed the spark plug to be best positioned above the piston for maximum efficiency, however there were downsides to the pattern. The top end of the motor was prone to overheat, and sleeve-valve engines were renowned as oil-burners. As you can hear though, they sound incredible so we can forgive the negative sides!
A 1920 Indian Scout (606cc side-valve v-twin) is fired up at the 2025 Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Pioneer Run.
A POV ride in the cockpit of a Norton sidecar at the 2025 Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Pioneer Run.
This wonderful old sidecar is attached to a rare 1926 Norton Model 14 – a 633cc side-valve single with a four-speed gearbox that pulls like a train. The footage begins at the Epsom Downs Racecourse where the motorcycles muster, and ends at Brighton City Airport.
A round up of our annual trip to the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club’s iconic “Pioneer Run”.
This video is a round up of the event that featured pre-1915 motorcycles in addition to a new vintage class for 2025 (the Pioneer Plus).
A 1914 Bradbury (750cc) V-twin motorcycle at the 2024 Pioneer Run.
In 1914 Bradbury & Co. introduced twin cylinder models to the line up which included the 750cc 6hp model. The performance and reliability of the 6hp was demonstrated by factory rider Hugh Gibson in 1913 when he took a 6hp sidecar outfit to Horse Shoe hill, and smashed up and down the one-in-four gradient with three passengers on board, all in front of an impressed crowd. This video was captured at the 2024 Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Pioneer Run at the start of the run in Epsom.
A Morgan Aero Super Sports has a bit of fun at the “Where is Anna” Flanders Field event.
A 1913 1000cc Thor Model U is fired up at the Oude Klepper Parade in Belgium.
Thor marketed its Model U V Twin as the “most powerful motorcycle yet known”. It was unquestionably fast, and in 1914 Thor set the fastest 5-mile and 50-mile times on dirt, and in 1914 Bill Brier finished 2nd on a Thor in the Dodge City 300 – then America’s most prestigious motorcycle race. Thank you to the Oude Klepper team for the invite to this prestigious event in the heart of Belgium.
A One-Off Brough Superior SS100 Factory Race Bike is Fired Up at the 2025 Kop Hill Climb
This unique motorcycle was used for beach racing and hill climbing in period. After a few teething problems were sorted, this cracking old Brough was started up on the rollers, ready to climb the infamous Kop Hill.
A 1913 Premier Motorcycle is Started up on the Pedals for the 2024 Pioneer Run
The 1913 Premier 3.5hp range offered the choice of direct drive, hub-clutch, epicyclic three-speed gear, or two-speed counters haft gearing. A novel feature of these wonderful old motorcycles was an extra exhaust outlet in the cylinder wall with its own down pipe (as seen on this machine). In 1911, Fred Dover demonstrated the capabilities of the 3.5hp by riding one for 3400 miles around the coastline of Great Britain in 21 days. This video was captured at the start of the 2024 Pioneer Run, organised by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club.
1926 Ariel 500 OHV Motorcycle Fired Up at a Former Lookout Post
In this video, Andy fires up his 1926 Ariel 500 OHV at a pit stop on the Where is Anna Run in Belgium. This video was taken at the Vredesmolen, a former windmill in the Belgian village of Klerken. The former wooden grain and oil mill is located at the highest point of the village (43 meters) and was used as a lookout post by the Germans during the First World War. During the final offensive it was captured by the Allies, but the Germans had already left the mill via an underground passage.
A slice of the motorcycle action at the 2025 Goodwood Revival – in the rain!
Treasure at the Autojumble!
A look at some of the motorcycle-items on the myriad of stands at the 2025 Beaulieu International Autojumble.
A 1947 1000cc Vincent HRD Rapide is started up at the VMCC Founders Day.
This has to be one of the nicest examples of the Rapide that we have seen – check out the wonderful rustic look of the tank. It sounded pretty awesome too and purred like a dream!
A home-built Special: the Busy Bee.
This three-wheel automobile was built in 1919 as a one-off and is powered by a 6hp AJS V-Twin motorcycle engine. It was the handiwork of J. A. Mills of Mansfield, who built the mechanical wonder for a total cost of £120.
For decades, Mills drove the car on a daily basis, no doubt raising eyebrows on the roads of Nottinghamshire and beyond. In fact he is said to have clocked in excess of 100,000 miles. Unlike many cyclecars that were discarded once they wore out or became obsolete, the Busy Bee survived intact and is now in the hands of Kate who took part in the 2025 Where-is-Anna event and Oude Klepper Parade.
This video was taken at one of the pit stops on the Where-is-Anna Run, an awesome event for old motorcycles and tricycles run by Hans Devos and his motley crew.
A 1927 Norton Model 18 is fired up and ridden on the cobbled streets of medieval Bruges.
In this video, our pal Adam fires up his flat-tank Norton (a 1927 500cc overhead-valve Model 18) and takes it for a spin around the medieval city of Bruges. This was all in the lead up to the Where-is-Anna run and the Oude Klepper Parade, and a chance to shake out the cobwebs before the events took place.
The 2025 Oude Klepper Parade.
The Oude Klepper Parade is an annual event celebrating pre-1920 motorcycles and tricycles, and where better placed than in the charming coastal town of De Haan in Belgium.
This video shows the motorcycles at the start of the event, where they are rolled up onto a spectator ramp, and the head off to thump around the beautiful Belgian landscape.
A bit of field fun!
The vintage motorcycles assemble for the Flanders Field Race at the 2025 “Where Is Anna” run in Belgium.
This part of the weekend includes an informal 200m duel over a freshly chopped field – all for a bit of a laugh. The riders line up two abreast, await the chequered flag, and spit up the dirt as they propel themselves over lumpy ground and churned up hay towards the finish line. It is not a race, but there will always be that competitive tone rooted into the riders, and as a result there were some pretty spectacular sprints.
Thank you to the HD Classic team for putting on another incredible event.
A Koehler Escoffier “Mandoline” motorcycle at the Vintage Revival in Montlhéry.
Koehler-Escoffier were makers of high-quality motorcycles, founded in 1912 by engineer Marcel Koehler and ex-Magnat-Debon mechanic Jules Escoffier. The “Mandoline” was introduced in 1914 and featured a 500 cc V‑twin overhead-valve engine. It gained its name due to its distinctive, mandolin-shaped timing cover. It soon proved to be a competitive bike, securing wins at the Argenteuil hill climb and earning a gold medal in the Paris‑Nice rally.
Turn up the volume to hear this wonderful example fired up at the Vintage Revival, held at the Montlhéry Autodrome.
A 1925 FN M60 at the “Where is Anna Run” in Belgium.
The M60 was the 348cc OHV machine produced by FN from 1924 to 1927, and the factory used the base of the motorcycle to develop racers that set a number of world speed and endurance records in 1926.
A 1918 Rover 3 1/2hp at the VMCC Founders Day.
In this video, Cath from the VMCC Flat Tank Section shows us the start up procedure of her wonderful 1918 Rover, before letting Rich from the Girder Club have a go (albeit it only lasted about 20 metres before being aborted!).
Thanks to the Taverners Section of the VMCC for putting on a fantastic event that included an auto-jumble, club stands and an arena to show off those motorcycles.
An 1896 Léon Bollée Voiturette at the 2024 Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Pioneer Run.
These tandem two-seater, tricycles were produced from 1895 and featured a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 650cc engine in a horizontal stance, which developed 3hp. The driving position is from the rear seat, with the front seat passenger clinging on for dear life at the front as the Voiturette maxed out at 21mph.
A Triumph Model C at the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Summer Pioneer Run.
The Bradbury Boys!
Mike Wills and his lads turn up to the 75th VMCC Banbury Run on a trio of 1911, 1912 and 1914 Bradbury motorcycles.
Bradbury and Co. Ltd was founded in 1852 in Oldham and manufactured sewing machines and later bicycles. In 1902 they started making motorcycles with a 1 3/4hp Minerva clip on engine. In 1903 they adopted J N Birch’s design where the crankcase was brazed into the frame and continued with this until 1923. In 1909 a 554cc side valve engine was introduced and it became very popular with riders in long distance trials and hill climbs having been tested on the local Pennine Hills. The company was well known before WW1 but after the war never really recovered financially and closed down in 1924.
A 1928 New Hudson Model 81 Semi Sports.
In this video Roger takes us through the start up procedure of his 1928 New Hudson 350cc Semi Sports, a motorcycle that offered dependable performance without excessive complexity. This video was shot in the harbour of Eling in Hampshire.
A 1944 Royal Enfield WD / CO 350 OHV at the 2025 Overlord Show.
This WW2 WD bike had some interesting detail such as a Talflow tank-top air-filter to deal with the dusty conditions of wartime Europe, emergency fire extinguisher mounted to the rear pannier, and a load line (visible on the primary chain case) to denote the centre of gravity of the motorcycle – a handy tool for the loadmasters.
A 1912 Clyno (750cc) sidecar outfit at the 84th Pioneer Run.
The Clyno Engineering Co. was established in 1909 for the purpose of marketing an adjustable belt pulley for motorcycle transmissions. The company then turned to the assembly of complete machines, and soon had a a 750cc Stevens V-Twin on the market. The bike weighed a mere 200lbs, and with the powerful V-Twin it was capable as a solo or coupled to a sidecar. In fact Clyno advertised their bikes as’The Side-Car Motor Cycle’, for the Wolverhampton firm was one of the first to give serious thought to engineering an effective motorcycle combination.
An Aero-Engined Motorcycle!
This 4400cc V8 motorcycle is the creation of Pavel Malanik, a toolmaker by trade, who handcrafted the machine from scratch. Pavel took inspiration from Glenn Curtiss, an aviation and motorcycling pioneer who built a similar bike in 1907, and recorded an incredible speed of 136 mph on Ormond Beach, earning him the well deserved title “the fastest man on Earth.” This incredible creation was fired up for the crowd at the 2024 Vintage Revival in Montlhéry.
A 1926 Seal “Sociable” 976cc J.A.P. on the Brooklands Test Hill.
Will it make it to the top!? This video was taken at the 2025 Veteran and Vintage Motorcycle Day at the Brooklands Museum. Seal (Sociable, Economical and Light) motorcycles were produced by Haynes and Bradshaw from 1912 to 1920, and then by Seal Motors Ltd. in Manchester. In an era where the sidecar became a popular mode of transport, Seal came up with a concept where both the driver and passenger were seated in the sidecar, with the motorcycle and mechanical components running down one side. The front fork is connected to a steering wheel within the sidecar to make life that little more comfortable.
A 1923 Brough SS80 at the 2025 VMCC Banbury Run.
This fantastic old motorcycle was on the Brough Superior Club stand at the VMCC Banbury Run. This Brough has the type of handlebars that were used in races such as the Leinster 100 and the Ulster Grand Prix. These circuits had flat out sections, and the bars enabled the rider to place their chin on the tank and tuck themselves into the machine for a more streamlined stance.
A Humber 3.5hp (500cc) is started up by means of a hand crank at the Graham Walker Run.
The motorcycles arrive and depart from the British Motor Museum for the 2025 VMCC Banbury Run.
A 1928 Harley Davidson JDL 1200cc barks into life on the corner fields of Belgium.
This was filmed at the 2024 Where is Anna Run in Belgium. It is aptly dubbed the Flanders Field Race, an informal 200m duel over a freshly chopped field.
The first Sunbeam motorcycle produced by John Marston & Co.
It is a 1913 350cc side-valve, and by comparison to other machines of the time, was pretty advanced with two speeds, a kick start, a clutch, and fully enclosed chains – no slipping belts here!
In this video, Reg Eyre fires the Sunbeam up at the beauty spot of the Cerne Abbas Giant, on the VMCC Giants Run.
A rare 1925 Rover 350 OHV motorcycle is started up at the Ixion Run.
In 1925, the motorcycle days at Rover were numbered, however they were still in the mix and were in fact quite advanced with the introduction of a 345cc overhead-valve motor. It was a bored-out iteration of a 249cc model that appeared in 1923, but this one was quick. There were not many made by the factory as riders were still somewhat anxious by the alien overhead-valve configuration, and by 1927 Rover motorcycle production ceased. This makes this bike a bit of a unicorn, and the chunkiness of the stressed-member engine is quite the statement on the machine. The Ixion Run was run by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and featured over 20 motorcycles spinning around the coastal marshes of East Sussex.
A 1903 Royal Sovereign is started up at Brooklands.
This event was held in the grounds of the Brooklands Museum as part of the Veteran and Vintage Motorcycle Day.
A 1929 BSA 500cc S29 OHV Sloper is fired up at the 2025 Ixion Run.
This fantastic event was run by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and featured over 20 motorcycles running around the coastal marshes of East Sussex.
a Vlog by The Girder Club
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