Welcome to the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club

Welcome to the VJMC, the UK’s premier club for Japanese bikes fifteen years old and over. The club was founded in 1982 by a small group of like minded enthusiasts..

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Join and Renew

Join the VJMC. Renew your membership. Pay by PayPal. Join for 1 year or subscribe.

Club Information

Find our more about what the club offers.

Club Events

From Section run events to the major shows. All the details here.

Sections

There are VJMC Sections all over the UK and Internationally. Find your local section here.

Machine Dating

Let us help with dating your machine from £25

Regalia

Regalia now available from Flying Colours

Tansha Archive Download

Now available to purchase and download as pdf documents

Book Reviews

Books we've read and enjoyed

Histories

The rise of Japanese motorcycles.

Bikes

See a selection of our members bikes. From tiddlers to the superbikes from the last few decades.

Tansha

Our bi-monthly magazine. View the latest summary here.

Find our full range of services, marque experts.

Buy and sell complete machines and parts.

Shop

Find a huge array of books, manuals, clothing, parts and accessories.

Insurance

Get a quote from our preferred insurers. Members receive discounts on insurance.

Trade Advertising

Advertise your business or service to 6000 members.

Much More . . .

Browse the pages on the top menu for much more

 As the April 2020 Tansha drops on our member’s door mats there’s a large number of events advertised within it that are obviously now not going to happen due to the Covid 19 issues. Please don’t contact organisers to ask when events will be happening in the future as these volunteers will have to abide current and future legislation. Currently all VJMC events, both organised and attended, are on hold with no firm dates confirmed as to when they may be rescheduled.

The VJMC will update this message as and when new information becomes available. Thanks and keep safe; we’ll be back on two wheels just as soon as the country is safe and healthy again.

If there’s one thing that comes over month on month, year on year, it has to be the hunger for old motorcycles that inspires our members. As far too many know to our cost (financial and otherwise) it’s all too easy to get carried away by what should be “only” a hobby. Sometimes it all runs away with us; a perfect example is in one of this issue’s stories that sees Our Man in America, Simon Neil, who drove 14 hours across the US of A to buy a bargain Suzuki trail bike... obviously every old Japanese bike is a bargain but some are more bargain-basement than others! Similarly, Alan Hodgson’s experiences with Suzuki GT550 triples. Having retired he’s been rather busy getting back to his youth whilst getting down in dirty with one of the Hamamatsu’s often over looked middleweights. He readily admits to owning numerous 550s and almost quantifies that number but not quite; obviously there may be another example in the offing somewhere. Oh and by the way, don’t think he’s as he has other bikes as well…they just all happen to be Suzuki’s.

Keeping with our global theme here Jeff Eeles certainly has it bad Down Under in Australia with his Kawasaki Z1300 water cooled 6. It’s become a part of his life now and there’s no signs of him moving it on either. Trips to Philip Island to watch the GPs, VJMC rallies, trips out and even commuting have all been tucked under the 13’s capacious belt.

Back once more in Blighty Keith Homewood has kept the flame burning for Honda’s smaller machines and masterfully takes us back to his teenage years. C102s, C92s, CB92s, CD175s and CB250RSs all feature in what is very plainly a lifelong love affair with the marque. And mentioning Honda’s 250 single rather neatly takes us on to Ray Hemmings’ RS250 which many of would have cheerfully walked away from. Rusted and abused beyond belief the bike was lovingly reincarnated back to a rather tidy machine. Dedication to the cause etc.

And on that very subject check out Stuart Holding’s commitment to a Suzuki Super Bloop that was only just a few steps from being hurled into a skip! Not only did he get the little single up and running once more but then committed to riding to the legendary Elephant Rally in the very depths of winter. Most of us would shiver at the very prospect of riding through snow and ice but get this one…he’d been twice before and the pink Suzuki B120P was the biggest bike he’d ever used for the event! Apparently he’s soon off the sub-Saharan Africa on a Yamaha YDS6 so well done than man etc.

Last but least in the Tansha Hall of Devotion to the Cause is David Sykes who reports back on four decades of ownership of a Yamaha XJ650. Often overlooked and regularly marginalised by people who have never ridden one the shaft drive four was The Machine that finally dispelled any myths that Yamaha couldn’t make a four stroke.

We should all be riding now but obviously inn the present circumstances we're all staying at home so stay safe everyone and see you out on the road at some point.