One of the biggest trends in modern motorcycling has been the revival of historic motorbike brands. Legendary British marque BSA, for example, which was the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer in the early 1950s, returned in 2023 and recently launched new versions of its Scrambler and Bantam. There are plenty of others, too, such as this year’s revival of Morbidelli and Norton is promising a big return this autumn. 

Then there are the long-established brands which seem to have been building bikes forever. US legend Harley-Davidson is among those, dating back to the start of the 1900s, as is Royal Enfield, although sometimes it’s debateable whether the modern incarnation is actually the same entity as the original. 

You should also realise we’re not talking about some of motorcycling biggest names, here. None on the Japanese ‘Big Four’, such as Honda and Yamaha, started manufacturing motorcycles until 1949 while even Italian legends Ducati are comparatively young, dating back only to 1926. 

So, which are the oldest motorcycle marques of all? Have they been in constant production throughout and can they genuinely lay claim to be the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers? Our Top 10 countdown reveals all… 

Historic German marque BMW kicks off our countdown. The company was founded as an aero-engine manufacturer in Bavaria in 1916, renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH (BMW) in 1917, began supplying engines to motorcycle manufacturers shortly after then, in 1923, technical director and chief designer Max Friz came up with BMW’s first own bike, the R 32, complete with the ‘signature’ boxer twin engine BMW retains to this day. Cars only came later… 

Revered as the ‘Grand Dame’ of Italian motorcycling, Moto Guzzi is also the oldest European manufacturer in continuous production – a moot point we’ll come back to with other brands later.

The business was conceived by two pilots and their mechanic, Giorgio Parodi, Giovanni Ravelli and Carlo Guzzi, during WW1. Wealthy Parodi would finance the venture, Ravelli (a famous motorcycle racer) would promote the bikes and Guzzi would engineer them Tragically, Ravelli died just days after the war's end but Parodi and Guzzi decided to continue, joined by Parodi’s brother, the company was named after Guzzi to separate it from Parodi’s other business interests and a flying eagle logo was adopted in memory of Ravelli.

The first bike was the 1924 Normale single however, since 1967, it’s been most famous for its signature transverse V-twins. Guzzi was taken over by the Piaggio group in December 2004. 

Although Italian co-patriot brand Benelli is technically older than Moto Guzzi, its history is more chequered, and it hasn’t been in continual motorcycle production since the outset. The company was founded by six brothers in 1911 as a garage and repair shop, producing its first model in 1921.

Taken over by De Tomaso in the ‘70s it then came up with the iconic six-cylinder 750 Sei before it ceased production in the 1980s. The brand was revived by the Merloni Group with the all-new Tornado Tre in 2003 before a further collapse led to it being taken over by the Chinese Qianjiang Motor Group in 2005. 

Like many other motorcycle manufacturers (Royal Enfield, for example), historic British motorcycling brand BSA was born out of arms manufacturing. Birmingham Small Arms was founded in 1861, went on to be a major armaments supplier (making the Browning machine guns for the Supermarine Spitfire, for example), diversified into bicycles then motorcycles and built its first motorcycle in 1910.

A period of growth and takeovers (including that of Triumph) led to it being the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer in the early 1950s before decline during the 1960s led to BSA’s closure in 1973. The Indian Mahindra automotive group bought the brand in 2016 and in 2021 launched its first ‘new’ BSA, the Indian-built Gold Star 650. 

Historic Swedish (originally) motorcycle brand Husqvarna, which later went on to great frame in off-road biking, is another example of a marque growing out of an armaments company. Husqvarna was originally founded way back in 1689 as a musket maker, began producing bicycles then motorcycles in 1903, and had huge success in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

In 1987, the motorcycle division was sold to Cagiva, then to BMW in 2007 then again to KTM in 2013, with sporadic production over those periods. 

Arguably the most famous motorcycle brand of all, American legend Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee, USA, in 1903 by brothers William A. Davidson, Walter S. Davidson and Arthur Davidson and friend William S. Harley before eventually growing to become the most recognised motorcycle brand of all and one of only two American manufacturers (with Indian) to survive WW2.

With continuous production since 1903 it can claim to be the oldest motorcycle in the world in continuous production. 

James Lansdowne Norton, affectionately known as ‘Pa’, founded Norton in 1898 as a manufacturer of fittings and parts for the two-wheel trade and in 1902 produced the very first Norton motorcycle, the Energette, powered by a 143cc, single-cylinder engine.

The Birmingham brand achieved significant TT race success in the 1920s and again in the ‘50s and launched the first Commando 750 in 1967. From the mid-1970s, however, its history is chequered, falling into closure, with repeated takeovers, limited production and even scandals. However, in 2020 the brand was bought by vast Indian concern TVS, production resumed and a whole new family of machines is promised starting this autumn 

Although predated – just – by Norton, in terms of manufacturing motorcycles, that other great British motorcycling marque, Triumph, can date its first bike – a prototype – back to 1901. Renown Triumph collector Dick Shepherd, who owns and has restored many of the machines in Triumph’s Visitor Centre in Hinckley, located and restored the ‘original’ Triumph back in 2021, although it also must be reminded here that modern Triumph is not ‘quite’ the same entity as the original.

When Meriden Triumph collapsed into bankruptcy in 1983 its name was bought by businessman John Bloor. He then licensed out production of the old 750 Bonneville to Les Harris, so that ‘continuous’ production continued, then relaunched Triumph in 1991 with six all-new modular machines, out of which the current firm has flourished… 

Another ‘British’ name with a long history – and a quite convoluted one, too. Formed out of a company set up to supply parts to the Royal Small Arms Factory of Enfield, it was renamed the Enfield Manufacturing Company in 1893, produced its first bicycle, called the Enfield the same year, and the following year its bicycles are renamed Royal Enfields. The first Royal Enfield motorcycle then follows in 1901. Then it gets complicated.

Enfield India is founded in 1955 to supply 350 Bullets to the Indian army; in 1970 Royal Enfield (UK) closes; in 1977 Enfield India 350cc Bullets are exported to Britain and in 1994, Indian automotive giant Eicher Group buys Enfield India and renames it Royal Enfield. Whether that makes it the ‘same’ company, is up to you… 

But the oldest of all – or is it? – is American brand Indian… although you have to take it with a big pinch of salt. Claimed, themselves, to be ‘America’s First Motorcycle Company’, the US legend’s roots date back to 1897 when George Hendee founded a bicycle company in Springfield, went on to build its first motorcycle in 1901 and became a major player up to WW2.

In the post-war era, however, times were hard, production ceased in 1953 with the brand sporadically and unsuccessfully relaunched numerous times up to 2010. In 2011, however, Polaris bought the brand, relaunched with an all-new Chief in 2013, then Scout in 2014 and have gone on from strength to strength… although it certainly hasn’t been in continuous production since 1901!