Museu de la Moto de Bassella

Museu de la Moto de Bassella is a motorcycle museum in Bassella, a small village in the Alt Urgell region of Catalonia. Its roughly 1,000 m² exhibition space holds more than 190 motorcycles, with the oldest exhibit dating back to 1904. It was the first museum in Spain devoted exclusively to motorcycles.

How did the museum come to be?

The collection traces back to Mario Soler (1907–1991), a mechanic and motorcycle enthusiast who spent decades rescuing old machines from scrap in his workshop in Bassella. Over time he became one of the country's earliest and most respected motorcycle collectors, and his personal collection became the core of the future museum. The museum opened to the public in 2002, and in 2010 the Soler family formally established the Fundació Privada Museu Moto Mario Soler, the foundation that still runs the collection today. The foundation's holdings now exceed 300 motorcycles, though not all of them are on display at once.

What is on display in Bassella?

The exhibition is arranged into several thematic rooms that each look at the motorcycle from a different angle. One section is dedicated to competition, covering racing bikes and models used in off-road events. Another traces the evolution of engineering — engines, transmission systems and design solutions from different eras. There is also a room exploring motorcycles in cinema, plus a section devoted to military models used by armies through the 20th century. The layout guides visitors roughly chronologically, from pioneering early-20th-century machines through to more recent models.

Why visit after the renovation?

The museum underwent a major renovation lasting more than a year and reopened on 25 October 2024. The work covered not just the exhibition halls but also the reception area, the gift shop and the restrooms. Particular attention went into the decor and atmosphere of the display rooms, with motorcycles now set against backdrops evoking the period they come from rather than simply lined up in a single hall — a change meant to make the visit feel more immersive than before.

How do you get to Bassella?

Bassella sits in Alt Urgell, in northern Catalonia, on a route heading toward the Pyrenees. The area is popular with motorcyclists touring Catalonia, which makes the museum a natural stop on a ride from Lleida or Barcelona toward the mountains. Given the village's small size, arriving by car or motorcycle is by far the most practical option.

Frequently asked questions

How many motorcycles can you see at the museum? The exhibition displays more than 190 motorcycles, while the foundation's full collection runs to over 300.

What is the oldest piece in the collection? The oldest motorcycle on show dates from 1904, letting visitors trace two-wheeled motoring history back to its very beginnings.

Who built the museum's collection? The foundation of the collection was laid by Mario Soler, a mechanic and collector from Bassella who began saving historic motorcycles in his workshop back in the 1930s.

Is the museum currently open to visitors? Yes — after more than a year of renovation, it reopened on 25 October 2024 with a refreshed exhibition, reception area and shop.