Whether you are on a budget or looking to spend thousands on a rare motorcycle with World War One or Two provenance, the choice is wide, as classic motorbike enthusiast Richard Pullen explains
For well over a century, the versatility of motorcycles has made them vital to armed forces the world over. The variety of machines and their small size also makes them a popular choice for today’s military enthusiast, but which is the best bike for you?
World War One
During the Great War, a bewildering array of motorcycles was available to the armies involved. Most were off the shelf, standard, civilian machines, and a large range of early bikes were being used on the rough, shell torn roads of the Western Front. Among the hum of little single cylinder machines and the thump of the big V Twins was something very different, perhaps the most striking motorcycle on the Western Front, the magnificent straight four, shaft drive, Belgian FN 362cc. La Fabrique National d’Armes de Guerre, better known as FN, was based in Herstal, Belgium and is still producing items for the world’s military. In 1914, as soon as the Germans came through Belgium, they took the factory over, so FN motorcycles were used by friend and fo…
