Behind the Scenes Tour - AKD Motorcycle

  • 16th Jul 2026
  • 10am - 1pm
  • £80 per person
  • Museum admission included
  • Meet at Museum Entrance

BOOK

NEW for 2026! Enjoy an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the AKD motorcycle with its lightweight engineering design that reshaped motorbike performance.

Start your experience in The Members' Bar in the original Clubhouse with tea and coffee as you enjoy an in depth presentation about the history of Brooklands Museum and the AKD by one of our experienced guides.

You will then go for a 45 minute up close technical tour of the AKD, followed by an exclusive behind the scenes visit to our archive building with our Collections Manager.

About the AKD Motorcycle

  1. The AKD Motorcycle at Brooklands

    AKD short for Abingdon King Dick rose from the industrial heartland of Birmingham, where the Abingdon Engineering Company, founded in 1856, evolved from a respected toolmaker into a motorcycle manufacturer in the early 20th century. Renamed AKD in 1926, the company produced everything from nimble 147cc lightweights to more powerful 346cc singles. Their machines travelled across the Commonwealth, easily recognized by the unmistakable British Bulldog emblem a symbol of strength, resilience, and honest engineering.

Brooklands, the pioneering home of British motorsport, served as a natural proving ground for countless manufacturers, and AKD was no exception. Although detailed race records for AKD at Brooklands are scarce, the company’s engineering ethos fit seamlessly with the circuit culture of innovation and high‑speed experimentation. Models like the 1928 AKD 175 Sport, with its advanced overhead‑valve design, low‑slung frame, and Swiss‑licensed Moser engine, reflected the same spirit of performance that defined Brooklands at its peak.
AKD’s reputation for robust construction, award‑winning lightweight motorcycles, and forward‑thinking suspension design made the marque well‑suited for the kind of competitive testing and speed trials that Brooklands represented. Even after motorcycle production ended in 1933 and the company refocused on its famed King Dick tools, the engineering legacy of AKD continued to echo the bold, pioneering character of Britain’s early motor‑racing era.

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