Vintage style motorcycle: the Black Douglas

Take the A51 autostrada out of Milan, and half an hour later you’ll arrive in the small town of Brugarolo. It’s home to one of Italy’s more unusual bike manufacturers, the Black Douglas Motorcycle Company. Black Douglas makes vintage-style motorcycles with a distinctly English appearance, like the Sterling shown here. It doesn’t have electronically controlled suspension or switchable riding modes, but it’s not short of charm. It’s the brainchild of Fabio Cardoni, who started Black Douglas two years ago. “I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 11,” he says, “but for the past five or six years, I simply didn't...