The Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) is a UK-based vintage

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

club with over 14,000 members, which aims to promote and preserve all makes of motorcycles over 25 years old.

History

The Vintage Motor Cycle Club was founded on 28 April 1946, by 38 enthusiasts at the Lounge Cafe,

Hog's Back The Hog's Back is a hilly ridge, part of the North Downs in Surrey, England. It runs between Farnham in the west and Guildford in the east. Name Compared with the main part of the Downs to the east of it, it is a narrow elongated ridge, hence ...

, near

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, for owners of motorcycles manufactured before December 1930. Many of the founders rode to the first meeting on

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

motorcycles and had travelled from around the country in poor weather conditions. The first meeting had been organised by former journalist and wartime

despatch rider A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels). In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier. Despatch riders were use ...

, the late 'Titch' Allen, with the aim of promoting the use and preservation of vintage motorcycles manufactured prior to 31 December 1930. The club's activities have expanded over the years to include rallies,

hill climbs Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

, a workshop and museum, a library, a sales and wants system for spares and motorcycles, insurance for difficult cases and an annual dinner.

VMCC today

All makes are catered for regardless of the country of origin. The VMCC has also broadened the 1930 rule to include all motorcycles over 25 years old and has also set up a Post-1960 Section for motorcycle manufactured between 1961 and 1981. Most significantly, it is no longer necessary to own a motorcycle to join the club, which has developed into an organisation for anyone interested in older two-wheelers. The club's head office is at Allen House in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011, it had a ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. Current membership is over 14,000. The most popular section is British historic racing, providing the spectacle of vintage race machines in their proper guise, being ridden competitively against machines of similar age. Races are held every year at all the major circuits in the UK and are well attending by competitors and spectators. The club has been organised into regional sections, most of which have at least one club night each month.

VMCC library

The VMCC library holds original British motorcycle factory records for

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, BSA,

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

, Scott, Levis and

Royal Enfield Royal Enfield was a brand name under which The Enfield Cycle Company Limited of Redditch, Worcestershire sold motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines which they had manufactured. Enfield Cycle Company also used the brand name "E ...

being the largest collection of motorcycle-related paperwork in the world. It is also a

DVLA The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...

recognised body for age related motorcycle registration numbers. The collection includes catalogues, handbooks, spare parts lists, runs of ''

The Motor Cycle ''The Motor Cycle'' was one of the first British magazines about motorcycles. Launched by Iliffe and Sons Ltd in 1903, its blue cover led to it being called "The Blue 'un" to help distinguish it from its rival publication ''Motor Cycling (maga ...

'' and ''

Motor Cycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous co ...

'' magazines, as well as other motorcycle magazines and books from the 1880s to the present day. The library also has a comprehensive collection of photographs of motorcycles, riders and events.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Motorcycle clubs in the United Kingdom

History

VMCC today

VMCC library

See also

References

External links