National Motorcycle Museum (UK) facts for kids
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| Established | October 1984 |
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| Location | Solihull West Midlands England |
| Type | Motorcycle Museum |
| Visitors | 250,000 per year |
The National Motorcycle Museum is in Solihull, England. It has the world's biggest collection of British motorcycles. You can see over 1,000 motorcycles here, showing how they have changed over a hundred years!
The museum also has a big conference center. It is easy to reach, being close to Birmingham Airport. More than 250,000 people visit the museum every year.
Contents
Museum History
The museum was started by a man named Mr. Roy Richards. He was a successful builder who loved motorcycles. In the 1970s, he began collecting great British motorcycles.
The museum first opened its doors in October 1984. Back then, it had 350 motorcycles. Roy Richards passed away in 2008. However, his family, including his wife Christine and sons Simon and Nick, continue his work. James Hewing is the museum's director and looks after the collection.
The 2003 Fire
On September 16, 2003, a big fire broke out at the museum. Investigators believe it started from a cigarette in a smoking area. The fire spread very quickly through the building's ceiling.
Even though the museum had smoke alarms, the fire grew fast. Staff and visitors helped to save over 300 historic motorcycles. Sadly, three of the five exhibition halls were completely burned. About 380 motorcycles were destroyed, including some very rare ones.
It took 120 firefighters to put out the blaze. The fire caused over £14 million in damage. But the museum did not give up! After 15 months and a huge £20 million rebuild, the museum reopened on December 1, 2004. They even installed a new sprinkler system to prevent future fires. Many of the damaged motorcycles were beautifully restored, looking like new again.
2014 Burglary
In August 2014, burglars broke into the museum. They stole more than 100 trophies from a display case. The museum offered a £20,000 reward for information to help get them back.
Amazing Exhibits
The museum displays motorcycles from famous brands like BSA, Triumph, and Norton. You can also see bikes from less common makers such as Coventry-Eagle and New Imperial Motors.
Golden Dream Brough
One of the most valuable motorcycles in the world is here! It's called the Brough Superior Golden Dream. This bike is super special because it's the only one of its kind. George Brough and Freddie Dixon built it by hand for a show in 1938.
The Golden Dream has a unique engine design. It uses two pairs of cylinders, one above the other. This design helps the engine run very smoothly without much vibration. Only two Brough Dream Fours were ever built. The other one is black and chrome and is owned privately.
Wilkinson Luxury Tourer
The Wilkinson Sword company, known for its swords, built motorcycles before the First World War. Their first motorcycles were made for military use. You could even get a sidecar with a machine gun! Some models even had a steering wheel instead of handlebars.
The Wilkinson motorcycle at the museum was built in 1912. It's a top-of-the-range model with four cylinders and a water-cooled engine. It also has a shaft drive instead of a chain. This bike was known as a 'Luxury Touring Motor Cycle'.
See also
- Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling
Images for kids
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Aftermath of the 2003 fire at the museum.
