Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Celles-sur-Belle

The Musée des Motos Anciennes in Celles-sur-Belle is a specialized museum located within the courtyard of the Abbaye Royale, housing an exceptional collection of vintage motorcycles assembled by the late Niort-based collector Pierre Certain. The museum currently displays 45 motorcycles from Pierre’s bequest of approximately 200 machines, featuring models dating from 1903 to the 1960s from French, English, German, American, Belgian, and Italian manufacturers such as Terrot, BSA, Norton, BMW, and Rudge.

The collection includes rare racing and cross-country models, some personally created by Certain, alongside a separate collection of Solex and small-displacement machines donated by Michel Lopez (visible only for groups). Pierre Certain, a professional mechanic and rally enthusiast who passed away in 2016, bequeathed his life’s work to the commune, preserving over a century of motorcycle history, including some machines over 100 years old.