No matter how many times you hear the story, it's still one that's worth telling again: how the pioneers of the motorcycle industry first set up shop and the intrepid individuals who took to this new-fangled form of transport. This TV film from the UK does a god job of depicting the excitement of those early years.

Classic Motorcycles: The Pioneers

Can you imagine being in at the beginning of something like the automobile or the motorcycle? The excitement, the almost daily developments and improvements, the blind alleys, the lightbulb moments, the opening up of the countryside to exploration, the birth of sport.

While the motorcycles bear a resemblance to what we know today in that there are two wheels, an engine and a frame, the pioneer models are about as far removed from the modern motorcycle as Wright's aeroplane was from the Saturn V moon rocket.

But how fascinating to look back and see the bikes and hear the stories. And, one of the best documentaries we've seen for a while is this one from the UK's Channel 4, back in 1993. It covers the birth of motorcycling in both Europe and the United States and demonstrates how riding conditions in both continents shaped the development of their respective products.

It tells how the First World War had completely different effects on the motorcycle industries separated by the Atlantic. The U.S. went from 200 manufacturers down to just two, with the country in thrall to the Model T Ford, while the UK went the other way, the post-war boom in motorcycling feeding an ever-growing industry.

We'll post more episodes from the series throughout the week.