List of motorcycle manufacturers
Wikimedia list article
The following is a list of motorcycle manufacturers worldwide, sorted by extant/extinct status and by country. These are producers whose motorcycles are available to the public, including both street legal as well as racetrack-only or off-road-only motorcycles. The list of current manufacturers does not include badge engineered bikes or motorcycle customisers, but the list of defunct manufactures may include some of these if they are well remembered for their historical significance.
Manufacturers in production
Manufacturers no longer in production
This is a list of companies that formerly produced and sold motorcycles available to the public, including both street and race/off-road motorcycles. It also includes some former motorcycle producers of noted historical significance but which would today be classified as badge engineered or customisers. It includes both companies that are defunct, those that still exist but no longer make motorcycles, and some that were acquired by other companies.
Argentina
Siambretta
Tehuelche
Puma
Australia
Abbotsford motorcycles (1912–1913)
Absolom motorcycles (1915–)
Aussi Also (1920–)
Bennett & Barkell Motorcycles (1910 to at least 1917)
Waratah motorcycles (1911 to around 1948)
Austria
Delta-Gnom (1923–1963)
Laurin & Klement (1899–1908)
Belgium
FN (1901–1967)
Gillet Herstal
Minerva (1900–1914)
Saroléa (1901–1960)
Brazil
Agrale (1984–1987)
Brumana Pugliese (1970–1982)
Bulgaria
Balkan (1958–1975)
Canada
Can-Am (1973–1987, brand reused 2006–present for ATVs and trikes)
Moto-Skeeter (mini-bikes, 1971–1972)
Czech Republic
Böhmerland (1923–1939)
CZ (1935–1997)
ESO (1949–1962)
Praga Hostivař (1929–1933)
Premier (1913–1933)
Denmark
Nimbus (1919–1959)
Estonia
Renard (1938-1944)
Finland
Helkama
Tunturi
France
Germany
East Germany
BMW (1945–1952)
EMW (1952–)
MZ (1906−2009)
Greece
Alta (1962–1972)
Lefas (1982–2005)
Maratos (1950)
MEBEA (1960–1975)
Mego (1962–1992)
Hungary
Csepel (1932–1951, Pannonia 1951–1975)
India
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Cooper (1971–1975)
Netherlands
Van Veen (motorcycle) (1974–1981)
Eysink (1903–1919)
Sparta B.V.
New Zealand
Britten Motorcycles
Nzeta
Wood
Norway
Tempo
Poland
Portugal
CASAL (1953–2000)
SIS
Russian Empire
Alexander Leutner & Co.
“List of motorcycle manufacturers” enters the record as wikimedia list article. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what List, motorcycle and manufacturers can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“List of motorcycle manufacturers” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, List, motorcycle and manufacturers provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q580634. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1920.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “List of motorcycle manufacturers”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow List of motorcycle manufacturers primary sources, List of motorcycle manufacturers archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of motorcycle manufacturers”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “List of motorcycle manufacturers” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.