Old Empire Motorcycles

Old Empire Motorcycles operates out of a Norfolk workshop aptly named the House of Assembly. It’s a building in which uniquely refined motorcycles are built.

The workshop draws heavily on Britain’s industrial past, with each build taking its name from icons of automotive, aviation, or maritime history: Vulcan, Merlin, Typhoon.

It’s not decoration. It’s a statement of intent from a workshop that sees itself as part of a longer tradition of British engineering rather than a reaction to whatever the custom scene happens to be doing this year.

In terms of style, Old Empire Motorycles (OEM) works primarily on bobber, café racer and scrambler builds, though it tends to resist simple categorisation. Lowered stances, hidden wiring, sculpted metalwork and serious leatherwork are recurring signatures. The workshop handles in-house machining, turning and milling of bespoke components, which means the level of finish you see on an OEM build isn’t achievable by sourcing parts off the shelf.

For riders considering a commission, the process is genuinely collaborative. Whether you arrive with a detailed brief, a rough sketch or just a loose theme, OEM works with you to develop it into something built in steel.

The quality of the work has taken OEM builds to Harrods, the Saatchi Gallery and Salon Privé, and earned recognition from Pipeburn, MCN and Silodrome, among others. For riders who want a machine that feels rooted in something real, Old Empire Motorcycles is one of the more compelling workshops operating in Britain today.