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A visit to Yesterdays Motorcycles: specialists in rare and early motorcycles
Anyone in search of a remarkable classic motorcycle will quickly end up at Yesterdays Motorcycles. The Dutch company specializes in early, rare, and often unrestored machines – from pioneering bikes of the 19th century to high-quality models from the thirties and forties. A visit to the showroom feels more like a museum visit than a shop: neatly arranged rows of motorcycles, display cases filled with memorabilia, and a collection that is constantly changing.
The man who welcomes us here with enthusiasm is Thijs Lempens. From a young age he was captivated by motorcycles; at fourteen he began buying and restoring old examples. What started as a hobby alongside his work as a car mechanic grew into an international business. He founded Yesterdays Motorcycles in 1992 together with Geert Versleyen, who has since retired. "Geert and I had a mutual friend, a car collector, who bought vehicles in the U.S. and imported them to Europe. Some motorcycles came along, and he asked us to sell them for him. That was in the mid-eighties. We started with a bit of buying and selling, then decided we wanted to do it professionally. So we quit our jobs, and it grew naturally." Today, nearly two hundred motorcycles a year find new owners, spread across the world.
Yesterdays’ specialty lies in the truly early models, the rare finds that often remain in original condition. "I have always loved early machines," he says matter-of-factly, as if his passion was not acquired but had simply been present in his heart from the day he was born. During my visit, he shows me with quiet passion a Hildebrand & Wolfmüller from 1894 – the world’s first production motorcycle. For motorcycle enthusiasts, these are as significant as the Gutenberg Bible is for bibliophiles, and even your editor is deeply impressed. There are also unique examples from brands such as Ariel, Wanderer, Matchless, Simplex, and Harley-Davidson, complemented by German masterpieces from the 1920s like the Megola and Mars.
Although Yesterdays is a trading company, not everything is for sale. Thijs emphasizes that he and his team also maintain their own collection, including lamps, posters, and other motorcycle-related objects. “We try to keep our own bikes on the road, take them to rallies, and research their history. That is just as much part of the enjoyment,” says Thijs, as he shows me his extensive archive.
What makes Yesterdays special is the combination of knowledge, eye for quality, and international reputation. Customers from every corner of the world find their way to the Netherlands – from North America to Asia and even Africa; motorcycles have been delivered to every continent except Antarctica.
It is remarkable that such operations can be run on this scale with such a small team. There is only one full-time employee and five volunteers who contribute purely out of love for motorcycles. In his thirty-five years of trading, Thijs has handled many private collections, and the highlight of his career, he says, was taking care of a famous collection from Geneva, consisting of sixty to seventy motorcycles. Given Thijs’ obvious enthusiasm and expertise, it is no surprise that so many collectors entrust him with their cherished machines.
Click here to view the current stock.
Text and photos by Laurens Klein
Published:
Monday October 6th, 2025
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Comments
Graham Clayton
21 October 2025, 11:12
The 1942 Pidcock electric motorcycle that Yesterdays have is amazing. How did Mr Pidcock source batteries during WW2?
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Rick
06 October 2025, 18:45
I was an ACTIVE member of the AMCA in America from 1975-1985 or so, attended many National meets, "not even many nothing but H-D's and Indians showed up, a single Reading Standard with sidecar.....
Those DECADES were "verboten" to advertisement of any ANTIQUE motorcycles, as were the motorcycle years in general prior to AMF takeover of H-D in 1969.
These guys were big time daredevils to get this kind of business going in the 1990's, most buyers probably hid their stashes away for the future, why not?
A trend for the BETTER today, would be to clear all sales with the Dept. Of Motor Vehicles of the Country of purchase/first registration(the ACTUAL responsible party), to avoid any possibly compromising situations that would unfortunately arise at any future juncture.
Hey guys, keep this hush-hush, but do you have a Windhoff 4? (Any parts for a Militaire?)
Read more
Those DECADES were "verboten" to advertisement of any ANTIQUE motorcycles, as were the motorcycle years in general prior to AMF takeover of H-D in 1969.
These guys were big time daredevils to get this kind of business going in the 1990's, most buyers probably hid their stashes away for the future, why not?
A trend for the BETTER today, would be to clear all sales with the Dept. Of Motor Vehicles of the Country of purchase/first registration(the ACTUAL responsible party), to avoid any possibly compromising situations that would unfortunately arise at any future juncture.
Hey guys, keep this hush-hush, but do you have a Windhoff 4? (Any parts for a Militaire?)