8 Forgotten motorcycle brands that should – and could – return

You may have noticed motorcycling’s current very modern trend of evoking retro nostalgia as a way of appealing to today’s buyers, both young and old.

Indeed, the popularity of heritage-themed models like the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, Kawasaki Z900 RS and Triumph Bonneville series continues to grow, so much so that it has kicked off an altogether more exciting trend of going all the way and resurrecting mothballed brands altogether.

Headlined by the rebirth of classic British marque BSA – now under Indian ownership – its highly-publicised return has sparked the rumour mill that it won’t be the only dormant, yet still well-known, brand to get a modern-day revival.

Here are 8 names that we think should – and very possibly ‘could’ – be making a comeback soon…

Vincent

If you lived in the 1930s, a Vincent was undoubtedly the motorcycle to be seen on.

Founded in 1928, though the British marque only operated for 30 years, it left an indelible mark on motorcycling culture that continues to be seen today. This was primarily down to its pioneering ‘sportsbike’, the Black Shadow.

Launched in 1948, the Black Shadow made set the news wires alight boasting a – for the time – eye-watering top speed of 125mph to earn notoriety as the world’s fastest production motorcycle. 

Though the mantle has of course been surpassed since, it remains an impressive feat for a motorcycle, one that has continued to assure its legacy some 75 years down the line by now ranking as the ‘world’s most valuable motorcycle’ after a pristine example fetched a record-breaking $929,000 at auction.

Roll forward to today and there are now growing signs that the Vincent name is being readied for a return in a modern day context amid speculation the rights its name and trademark have been purchased by Indian giants Bajaj.

Inspired by the growing popularity of the ‘premium’ segment in its native India – the world’s largest motorcycle market – Bajaj is understood to be sizing up a bid to take on the dominant Royal Enfield.

To give its project a head-start, well placed sources have indicated that Bajaj will echo the approach of Mahindra’s Classic Legends – the brains behind the relaunch of BSA, Jawa and Yezdi – by developing a sub-brand utilising the Vincent name.

As the world’s fifth largest motorcycle manufacturer – second to Hero in India – should Bajaj’s grand plan comes to fruition, the significance of going toe-to-toe with Royal Enfield armed with an an iconic nameplate shouldn’t be underestimated.

Indeed, while Bajaj has made its fortune on urban, low capacity models, it has huge manufacturing capabilities via its close ties with KTM and now also Triumph. Moreover, Bajaj is even well down the road with market insight courtesy of its role in co-developing a range of new ‘baby’ models that will launch in 2023 to form a new, more affordable entry point to the British firm’s range.

Cagiva – H2 –

Technically speaking, Cagiva wasn’t so much shut down as put on hiatus by owners MV Agusta when the brilliant little Mito went out of production in 2012.

The dinky 125cc single-cylinder sportsbike was a high-flyer in the learner legal market space with its well-judged, exotic mini-Ducati 916 looks and sprightly nature. Tightening emissions regulations that snuffed the snap, crackle and pop of two-stroke machines forced production of Mito to cease. As the only model being offered by the brand at the time and with no successor on the horizon while an embattled MV Agusta rallied against its own problems, Cagiva quietly went dormant.

While ‘dormant’ is often considered a PR term for the more accurate ‘extinct’, in Cagiva’s case there is a promising indications that the name could indeed re-emerge. An invigorating change of ownership at MV Agusta has hauled the company back from the brink and the outlook is certainly more promising, ruder health that has in turn raised the prospects of Cagiva being factored into its future plans.

Quite what form this could take, however, remains open to subjection. Grappling with the headache of integrating the looming shift towards electric power into a brand associated with premium, high-performance models, CEO Timur Sardarov has previously suggested Cagiva could be dusted off for an electric-based spin-off brand specialising in commuter motorcycles and urban mobility machines.

But – more excitingly – he has also floated the idea of Cagiva being a more budget-oriented brand based around MV Agusta platforms.

Should the latter come to be, expect a revival of Cagiva’s other iconic offering, the Elefant. The Ducati-engined Dakar Rally-winning original – immortalised by its famed Lucky Strike livery –  is one of motorcycling’s true cult classic. After all, it’s no coincidence the new MV Agusta Lucky Explorer off-roader has been created as a faithful homage to its spiritual predecessor.

Gilera

First things first, we admit Gilera hasn’t ‘technically’ been wound down with the brand still active in some European nations, but does so chugging along with a slim range of scooters that are merely reprofiled versions of models offered by parent company Piaggio.

Indeed, Gilera’s prominence has dissipated in a crowded marketplace since its 80’s-90’s heyday, taking it a world away from the days of the sporting success that made it a household name around the world.

Despite this, the future could be a lot brighter for Gilera amid speculation its branding will be utilised on models being developed by Zongshen, which has close ties with Piaggio Group (namely, Aprilia) with regards to manufacturing and platform agreements.

The firm is one of several Chinese manufacturers eyeing a push into the lucrative European market via its new ‘premium’ sub-brand, known as Cyclone in its native market.

With Chinese associated manufacturers still facing a challenge in terms of image and reputation among western buyers, Zongshen is considering an attempt to clear these hurdles by re-branding Cyclone as Gilera.

As the company that once brought us the weird – but underrated – CX125, the prospect of seeing a Gilera badge on models like the wacky Cyclone RX9 [above] starts to make some sense…

MZ

Once considered the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer, MZ endured a slow and protracted demise during the early-2000s amid financial turmoil and persistent disagreements over ownership.

Which is a shame because MZ was still producing accomplished machinery right up to that point, bowing out with the accomplished ‘1000’ range (S, SF and ST) [above], which was not only the firm’s first multi-cylinder model but also the most powerful twin-cylinder motorcycle on sale.

Again, MZ – which built its former empire on models like the RT and Skorpion – still exists in effect, with its name being used on electric bicycles you can purchase in Aldi, while attempts to revive its motorcycle arm have been made too.

Its story parallels with that of another German marque, Zundapp, which has gone ahead and made a surprise return to the market in October with a (generic, MITT-based) middleweight adventure model.

Morbidelli

Though its name rather unkindly lives on in frequently published ‘ugly motorcycle’ listicles thanks to its disastrously awkward-looking and eye-wateringly expensive V8 model [above], Morbidelli deserves more credit as a storied marque that holds an impressively decorated sporting repertoire.

Now it appears the time has come for Morbidelli’s less savoury image to be recanted and replaced by something more modern, courtesy of China’s Keeway.

A relative of sorts with Benelli-owners Qianjiang Motors and best-known for its cut-price custom-like cruiser models that have found a loyal following in the UK, the firm is in the midst of a major overhaul and expansion of its more mainstream MBP. While little-known in the UK, the brand has been making headlines of late with the unveiling of multiple all-new models, including the large T1002V adventure motorcycle and retro C650V cruiser.

Perhaps sensing the moniker MBP is a touch generic, there is talk the brand could unfurl to become known as Morbidelli after trademark registrations bearing the title ‘Morbidelli MBP’ title were unearthed in Asia.

A successor to the V8 is not anticipated, however.

Buell

If you’ve been paying attention then you’ll already know that Buell is indeed back. The American marque is into its third incarnation since it was founded in 1983.

Created to challenge Harley-Davidson’s largely unopposed status as America’s two-wheel darling, while its original tenure could be described as ‘hit’ – particularly the cult favourite XB9R – and ‘miss’ – certainly the bloated RR1000 Battletwin and ‘Uselessly’, aka. the on-road Ulysses off-roader – Buell still developed a loyal following among those bored of following the H-D crowd.

In the end though, Buell couldn’t sustain the fight, eventually invited Harley-Davidson on board as a 49% stakeholder in 1993, becoming a full buyout by 2003 before being discontinued altogether in 2009.

Months later, the company resumed under the Erik Buell Racing banner with some financial clout from Indian giants Hero. It even went as far as entering the WorldSBK Championship, though spent one-and-a-half seasons muddling around at the back of the grid before ceasing production altogether in 2016.

Even so, the Buell brand remains strong among hardy entheniasts, sparking another revival in 2021 under new ownership. Kicking things off with the re-booted the 1190R sportsbike – now called Hammerhead – Buell is now turning its attention to its first models designed from scratch, led by a rather mad-looking Baja dirt/dune off-roader and a boxy oddball Sports Tourer, (somewhat generically) named 1190 SuperTouring

Laverda

It’s fair to say motorcycling’s inevitable yet brutal streamlining (aka. cost-cutting) evolution of the 1980s and 1990s was unkindest to the Italian industry.

A bygone passion for all things two wheels in southern Europe triggered myriad marques to form in Italy during the first half of the 20th century, only to find themselves struggling to maintain a foothold in a marketplace crowded by the influx of Japanese-manufacturers models that were superior in quality and technology.

So began the carousel of more affluent Italian brands buying smaller ones, only for the big ones to run into their own problems by shooting themselves in the foot by offering similar models under different names pinching sales off one another in the same segments.

It was a dilemma that ultimately led to the demise of several revered Italian marques. Among them, the most sorely-missed is arguably Laverda, one of the nation’s more exotic marques that successfully blended sporting prowess and sophistication with models like the 650, 750 and – most famously – the 750/1000 SFC.

Having already skirted collapse with a buyout in 1993, the beginning of Laverda’s end came with its sale to Aprilia in 2000. A deal that also led to similarly-positioned Moto Guzzi coming under the Aprilia umbrella, Laverda’s initially appeared rosy upon the launch of the stylish, re-imagining of the SFC in 1000cc concept guise.

However, when the Piaggio Group assumed the reins in 2004 via its purchase of Aprilia, Laverda’s days were quickly numbered. 

Indeed, while Laverda forged on developing the SFC1000 [above], a poorly-judged production-ready restyle – complete with the dorkiest googly-eye headlights ever seen even to this day – spoiled its momentum, leading Piaggio to prioritise Moto Guzzi and axe Laverda altogether.

Matchless

A founding half of two brands that formed AMC (Associated Motor Cycles), Matchless – together with the associated AJS – were among the most prominent names to emerge during the British motorcycle industry’s post-war boom.

Founded in 1899, Matchless’ purchase of AJS in 1938 prompted the formation of AMC – which went on to be something akin to a ‘motorcycling British Leyland’ by consuming Norton, Francis-Barnet and Sunbeam – and would go on to play an integral role for British armed forces during World War II.

Matchless evolved post-war with the ‘civilian’ 350, G80 and twin-cylinder G45, earning notoriety for its success on the racing scene.

Come the 1960s, however, Matchless’ fortunes were waning in the face of competition from BSA and Triumph, despite a reputation for engineering and quality often considered superior to its fellow British rivals.

Declining sales led to Matchless – and AJS – ceasing upon coming under ownership by the new Norton-Villiers group, where it has remained dormant ever since. 

While Matchless is yet to emerge on the airwaves of speculation, it ranks as one of the most high profile brands no longer in use, perhaps more so with the revival of BSA and the speculation surrounding Vincent.

Even AJS lives on today with its niche Chinese-built, yet very British-themed retro models.