Harley-Davidson 1929 “JD” 1217 cc IOE V-twin frame & engine # 29JD2953 By 1929 the big F-head models have come to the end of their lives and will be replaced for 1930 by the new and less complicated side-valve 1207 cc model V. Sales of the rugged and dependable Big Twins have stayed relatively high though in 1929: more than 10,000 JD’s are shipped to dealers worldwide. The 1000 cc model J is less in demand with under 3,000 sold. Probably sales of this model suffer because of the introduction of ...
Simplex 1953 Model Z14 “Zweeffiets/Glider” frame # C0446 The Simplex Automatic machine Company was founded in 1887 and was in fact a continuation of the Simplex Weighing Machine Company. The new company took up premises in Utrecht and focused on products for the bicycle trade. It soon started to produce complete bicycles. In 1897 a new factory, equipped with the latest production machines from America, was opened in Amsterdam. In 1952 the company merged with the “Locomotief” bicycle factory that ...
FN 1922 “285 TT” 285 cc overhead inlet valve frame # 61894 The first FN single with shaft drive came on the market at the end of 1909. It was quite an innovative little machine with bore and stroke dimensions of 65×75 mm giving a capacity of 247 cc. The specifications included a multiple plate clutch and a two speed gearbox. Weight of the machine was 65 kg and the fuel consumption was less than 3 litres per 100 km. This light single became a popular seller next to the FN four cylinder model. In ...
FN 1930 “M 67 D Standard” 495 cc OHV, frame # 101093 engine # 21983 At the end of 1923 FN brings out a 350 cc single cylinder ohv with unit construction engine and horizontally split crankcase. This model, the M60, is the start of a successful new line of models in a period in which the heavy and expensive four cylinder is quickly loosing ground. Two years later a bigger 500cc brother is brought out, the M 67 with bore and stroke dimensions of 85×87 mm. In October 1927 the M 67 B sees the light ...
Sunbeam 1933 Model 80 TT 346 cc OHV frame # F9125 engine # M4175 video: https://youtu.be/GEHxb_EfBNk Sunbeam had begun experimenting with overhead valves on their factory racers in the early 1920s and these duly appeared on production models in 1924. The new 500 roadster was known as the Model 9, while its race bike counterpart, was accordingly designated the Model 90, which could top 90mph. The 350cc versions were the Model 8 and Model 80 respectively, with bore x stroke dimensions of 70 x 90 m ...
Sunbeam 1936 Model 9 Sports 493 cc OHV frame # 17S.539.1.292 engine # 17S.538.0.308 video: https://youtu.be/aivCDur4spQ The first production overhead-valve Sunbeams appeared in 1924 as the Model 8 and Model 9, in 350cc and 500cc form respectively. The Model 8, with its 70 × 90 mm engine, was an accomplished and sporting tourer, but it inevitably lived somewhat in the shadow of its larger and more glamorous sibling, the 80 × 98 mm Model 9. The Model 9 would go on to become one of Sunbeam’s most e ...
Terrot 1929 “OS 3 cv Sport Luxe“ 246 cc side valve single frame # 81386 engine # 104020 video: https://youtu.be/6oQTvQvhiO0 After acquiring license to the Magnat-Debon name in 1928, Terrot becomes the leading French manufacturer of two wheeled vehicles. Through the thirties an extensive range of models is marketed, from a humble 98 cc single speed “Velomoteur” to a sturdy 750 cc side valve V-twin. The company uses elaborate model codes but the basis is that the first letter designates the cubic ...
Indian 1939 “Dispatch Tow” 750 cc side valve V-twin frame # 639396 engine# FCI396B Next to the motorcycles with commercial side cars Indian marketed some vehicles with two rear wheels on a differential-type axle. The first of this was the Dispatch Tow. It was first brought out in 1931 as a vehicle specially designed for use by automobile dealers, fitted with a 101 Scout engine. At that time cars needed more frequent garage maintenance (lubrication and running adjustments) and two men were usuall ...
Scott 1934 Flying Squirrel Tourer 496 cc water cooled two stroke twin frame # 3817M engine # LFZ3970 Gearbox # 4.S.C.3402 The Scott company first used the The Flying Squirrel model name for the fastest of the 1925-26 two speed models and this name was continued in the range with various changes for almost 25 years, all the way through to the end of production at Shipley in 1950. The economic situation meant that the 1930s were very lean years for the factory: only 63 machines were built in 1933. ...
Sunbeam 1929 Model 9 493 cc Twin Port OHV frame # D6517 engine # L4473 The first OHV production Sunbeams were listed as the model 8 (350cc) and 9 (500cc) in 1924. The model 8 with bore/stroke dimensions of 70×90 mm was an excellent sporty tourer, but stayed somewhat in the shadow of its more glamorous big brother, the 80×98 mm Model 9, which stayed in production till 1939. For model year 1929 the appearance of Sunbeam machines changed completely because the firm had finally decided to adopt a sa ...
Indian 1915 5 HP Model B-3 ‘Little Twin’ 684 cc IOE V-twin frame # 50654 engine # 50G547 gearbox # 1644 Indian’s first, 38.61ci (633cc) v-twin appeared in 1907 with an engine clearly derived from that of the single, though mechanical inlet valves – introduced for 1908 – were an early improvement. The twin’s rear cylinder continued to form part of the frame until 1909 when a loop frame of the type favoured by rivals Harley-Davidson was adopted. The Springfield Company’s first ‘Big Twin’ debuted t ...
Harley-Davidson 1948 Model GA Servi-Car 742 cc side valve v-twin frame # 48G16916 The Harley-Davidson Servi-Car was put on the market in the course of 1932 when Harley-Davidson was desperate to expand its product base to increase sales. Initially the new product was targeted at the automotive service industry, as Indian had done shortly before with their successful Dispatch Tow. The idea was for a garage to be able to send out one man (rather than two) to collect a customer’s car and to return w ...
Sunbeam 1921 8HP 976 cc JAP side valve V-twin frame # 83670 engine # KT/21 494 video: https://youtu.be/858z_giE_Es The first Sunbeam V-twin is brought out in 1914; although the company claims that the 3 ½ HP single was also capable to pull a sidecar, a special sidecar model is thought necessary to keep up with the competition. This first V-twin model is powered by a 770 cc JAP engine, for 1915 a 798 cc Abington King Dick power source is used. The following year the twin is built using the 996 cc ...
Vincent 1951/53 “Rapide Special” 1330 cc OHV V-twin frame # RC11684 engine # F10AB/1/7832 The first Series B Rapide was presented to the press on April 27, 1946. It was to be the base model of the post-war range, for Vincent-HRD made the decision to drop the successful singles and aim instead at the exclusive, high-performance end of the market with the only big British V-twin offered to the public after the war. The finish was to a very high standard in proportion to the cost of the machine, wh ...
Harley Davidson 1942 “U” 1209 cc side valve V-twin frame & engine # 42U2744 video: https://youtu.be/sG4m_zw15kc For 1937 the HD engineers redesigned the Big Twin range: frame and cycle parts of the newly introduced OHV ‘Knucklehead’ were used as the basis for the new 1209cc and 1303 cc models U and UH. An important new feature was the introduction (finally!) of dry sump lubrication. The “U” was the 5.0:1 low-compression type; the standard compression was 5:1. Power output of the U was 32.5 hp @ ...
BMW 1964 R 50/2 494cc transverse twin combination frame & engine # 636873 In 1955 BMW creates its R50, R60, and R69 models. These new models have a similar engine and the same shaft-drive as earlier models, but are fitted with modern swingarm rear suspension for the first time. The telescopic forks at the front of earlier models are abandoned though, in favour of the swinging or “Earles Fork” system. The cycle parts are finished in BMW’s signature black scheme set off by white pin striping. The ...
Sunbeam 1927 3½hp Model 6 ‘Longstroke’ 492 cc side valve frame # B1730 engine # J1778 video: https://youtu.be/EGi6aHZC4KU After the Great War, Sunbeams first new design was a side valve of 77mm bore and 105.5mm stroke and a cubic capacity of 492 cc. At the works it was known as the ‘Longstroke’ to differentiate it from its short-stroke 85 mm x 88 mm ( 499 cc) predecessor. The new engine made a fantastic impression at the 1921 French Grand Prix on July, 24 at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans ...
Harley-Davidson 1924 “JE” 989 cc IOE V-twin frame # 24F4203 engine # 24JE4408 1924 is not a good year for the firm: the losses amount to almost $ 120,000 and the workforce is trimmed down from 2,500 to 1,000 employees. Sales in the USA have seriously diminished in the early twenties because of the competition of the cheap automobile. A positive thing is that export sales are still looking good. More than 6000 machines are exported oversees this year; this amounts to almost half of all Harleys ma ...
Sunbeam 1932 Model 90 Road Racer 493 cc OHV frame # E13074 engine # NN6053 gearbox # BW1754F video: https://youtu.be/OwLfeKQ5MXQ The Model 90 first appeared in the firm’s catalogues for the 1927 season. Sunbeam had tried to develop an OHC racer but that proved to be unsuccessful: the camshaft Sunbeam that appeared in 1925 was seriously lacking in torque and power because of problems with valve timing. The much more direct ohc mechanism necessitated a totally different valve timing, of which ther ...