The Motor Cycle

The Motor Cycle

The Motor Cycle, known as The Blue 'un
Editor-in-Chief	Arthur Bourne
Editor	Harry Louis
Editor	Mick Woollett
Staff writers	David Dixon, 1959-1971
Categories	Motorcycles
Frequency	Weekly
Publisher	lliffe and Sons Ltd lliffe Specialist Press Ltd IPC Specialist and Business Press Ltd
First issue	March 1903
Final issue	October 1983
Country	United Kingdom
Based in	Dorset House, Stamford Street, London Surrey House, Throwley Way, Sutton, Surrey.
Language	English

The Motor Cycle was one of the first British magazines about motorcycles. Launched by Iliffe and Sons Ltd in 1903, its blue cover led to it being called "The Blue 'un" to help distinguish it from its rival publication Motor Cycling, which, using a green background colour, was known as "The Green 'un". Many issues carried the strapline "Circulated throughout the World".

The covers eventually used a variety of different background colours after 1962, with a name-change to Motor Cycle.

Noted for detailed road tests of contemporary motorcycles and articles on readers' bikes, the magazine had regular features, including "Current Chat" and "Letters to the Editor" where many of the key issues relating to British motorcycling of the day were debated. The contributors often signed their pieces with pseudonyms such as Torrens (Arthur Bourne, one of the Editors) and the famous Ixion (Canon B.H. Davies).

From 1962, 'The' was dropped from the title, being then simply known as Motor Cycle. Regular features developed such as 'On the Four Winds' by Nitor and 'Racing Line' by David Dixon in addition to many different trends, with a readers' write-in 'Help Club', technical articles, stripdowns and repair sequences, new model analysis, practical road riding, accessories, clubs and rallying.

As a magazine-format, space was limited and although road-race and off-road sport reportage was always present, Motor Cycle enjoyed a reputation more as a technically based periodical.

1967 saw a merger with some elements of underperforming rival Motor Cycling which had already changed to broadsheet newspaper format in 1962, leaving Motor Cycle as a compact magazine with limited page-space.

With the merger came the opportunity to change into newspaper format. Harry Louis, Editor of Motor Cycle, stated in the last magazine format dated 3 August 1967:

"You'll get it a day earlier, on Wednesdays. The printing will be by the latest process, web-offset, which gives much brighter reproduction of pictures than has been possible in the past. With about twice as much space as in this issue, the new Motor Cycle brings you all the features you expect plus much more extensive coverage of sport and news."

Traditionally, Motor Cycling had a sporting-bias whilst Motor Cycle had more of a technical grounding. Under the new venture Motor Cycle incorporating Motor Cycling, former Motor Cycling Editor Norman Sharpe was installed as the new Editor with Harry Louis enjoying the title of Editor-in-Chief