London Motorcycle Museum facts for kids
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| Established | May 1999 |
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| Dissolved | October 2019 |
| Location | Greenford, Ealing England |
| Type | Transport museum |
| Visitors | 250,000 |
| Public transit access |   Greenford |
The London Motorcycle Museum was a special place that showed off more than 150 amazing classic and British motorcycles. It was located in Greenford, Ealing, England. Sadly, the museum closed its doors in October 2019 because it became too expensive to keep it running.
This museum was run by a charitable trust. It first opened in May 1999. One very famous bike on display was the very last Triumph Bonneville T140. This bike left the Meriden factory in 1983.
History of the Museum
The museum's founder was a man named Bill Crosby. He started collecting cool British motorcycles way back in 1960. This was when he took over the Reg Allen motorcycle shop in Hanwell.
At first, his bikes were shown at Syon Park in Brentford until 1979. After that, they moved to a few different temporary spots. Finally, they found a permanent home in Greenford. The museum building used to be a farm called Coston's Farm. Later, it became a storage place for the Ealing Council in the 1930s.
Volunteers from the charitable trust helped run the museum. They worked hard to make it a great place for educational visits. The museum was also connected to the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust.
Amazing Motorcycle Exhibits
All the motorcycles at the museum were in fantastic shape. They were top examples of famous brands like BSA, Triumph, and Norton. The museum also had bikes from less known makers, such as Coventry-Eagle and Rudge.
You could find a full list of all the bikes on the museum's website. This included some unique test models, like a special Triumph Trident. Many bikes from the museum were also shown in movies and TV shows.
The bikes on display covered a long period of history. They ranged from a very old 1902 Ormonde 21⁄4 h.p. motorcycle to a 1993 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 cc. Here are some examples of the cool bikes that were there:
- 1907 298 cc Brown Precision
- 1921 Rudge TT 3 hp
- 1925 596 cc Scott Flying Squirrel
- 1925 980 cc Coventry Eagle Flying 8
- 1937 499 cc Rudge Special
- 1949 998 cc Vincent Rapide Series 'C'
- 1959 Norton Dominator
- 1966 BSA Lightning works production racer
Motorcycles in the Media
Motorcycles from the London Motorcycle Museum appeared in many TV shows and magazines. Some of the TV shows included EastEnders and Dad's Army. They were also featured in a US show called A-Z of Royalty and Men & Motors ‘Full Throttle Famous’.
The museum was often written about in popular motorcycle magazines. These included Classic Bike Guide, Classic Bike, Moto Legende (a French magazine), and Motoiclismo (an Italian magazine). The museum even appeared in the US TV series American Chopper. In one episode, the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers visited the United Kingdom. They were guided to the museum by actor and motorcycle fan, Ewan McGregor.
