Press

The baby-boomer years after the Second World War didn’t just reshape society — they rewired the motorcycle industry from the inside out. What emerged between the late 1940s and early 1970s still defines how bikes are designed,

If you ever want proof that motorcycling’s greatest leaps weren’t always made in corporate boardrooms, meet Russ Collins. Long before “innovation” became a buzzword slapped on every press release, Collins was building motorcycles that looked like they’d escaped from a rocket test site—then riding them like it was the most normal thing in the world.

In the previous article, we argued that motorcycling should be treated as serious transport rather than a weekend hobby. The logic was simple: motorcycles reduce congestion, lower emissions, cost less to run, and move people efficiently through crowded cities.

For decades, motorcycling in the UK has been framed as a passion rather than a solution. Something riders do for fun, freedom, or weekend escape — not a practical answer to congestion, emissions, or rising transport costs.

Spend any time around UK bike schools, forums, or Sunday-morning café stops and you’ll hear the line trotted out with absolute confidence: “Only one in five riders ever go beyond a CBT.” It sounds alarming. It sounds like failure. And it sounds like something is fundamentally broken in the UK licensing system.