Return to Mecca: Revisiting the National Motorcycle Museum

During my recent UK tour, two venues sat firmly at the top of my pilgrimage list: the Triumph Factory in Hinckley (which is subject to a previous blog) and the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, West Midlands. Now, compared to the vast expanses of the US, nowhere in the UK is truly far. As the crow flies, the distance between Hinckley and Solihull is a mere 23 miles. Naturally, thanks to a detour via South Wales and Wakefield in Yorkshire, it took me six full days to cover it. Clearly, my cross-country navigation skills remain a work in progress!

My last visit to the museum took place before I moved to New Zealand in 2002—and, crucially, before the devastating fire on September 16, 2003. For the record, it was not my fault. That tragic blaze damaged or destroyed over half of the 900 bikes on display, wiping out 380 machines completely. But what a testament to the dedication and resilience of the recovery team. After a 15-month closure and a £20 million investment, the museum reopened on December 1, 2004, with 150 of those lost bikes successfully restored by the team.

Today, it stands proudly as one of the finest and largest motorcycle museums in the world, focused exclusively on the heritage of the British motorcycle industry. Housed across five exhibition halls, the collection boasts over 1,000 machines spanning 171 different marques, cataloging British engineering from its very inception in 1898. There were a few exceptions like Kevin Keegan’s Harley Davidson, the Boost Palouste (Thrust powered bike) and Allan Millyard’s Honda SS50 and Kawasaki KH550.

My phone camera was working overtime as I wandered through the halls, drooling over the machines of my formative years in the UK. But honest truth? Photographs don't do it justice. You must visit in person not just to see the collection, but to actually smell the history lingering in the air. Naturally, we all have our favorites. For me, I made a beeline for the 1994 Triumph Speed Triple Mk1. Standing there in bright yellow with the iconic seat hump, it was identical to the one I owned back in 1996. I absolutely loved that machine—John Bloor got it spot on. In my book, it remains one of the best-looking motorcycles ever built.

Later, as I sat down with the glossy museum brochure I picked up in the gift shop, a fun realization hit me. I got to thinking about British marques through the alphabet, and realized something remarkable: every single letter of the alphabet has a British motorcycle manufacturer associated with it, except for one—the letter Y. Even the obscure ones count in my book, like the XL (built by the Norfolk Engineering Co.) and the Unibus (built by the Gloucester Aircraft Co., marketed as a scooter, but looking like a luxury toilet bowl on two wheels).

I was there just two hours but could have spent two days looking at and reading about each of the machines on display. Every bike telling a story of British engineering grit, ambition, and design. But enough of my rambling—I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy the 101-picture gallery below!