Yesterdays

Bayliss, Thomas & co. 1885ca. “The Excelsior” 53-inch Ordinary This ordinary was made in the 1880s by the English firm of Bayliss, Thomas & co of Coventry. The bicycle has 80 radial spokes, slotted cranks, an open head typical for Bayliss, and drop-down handlebars with original pear shaped wooden handgrips. There’s a spoon brake on the front wheel and we think the saddle is the original item. It is said that the firm was one of the first to fit cone bearings and hollow drawn forks. This 53 inch ...

Triumph 1924 “SD” 550 cc side valve single frame # 8850MS engine # 98177 OGH The SD (Spring Drive) is a somewhat modernised version of the famous model H, which has grown out of the “Trusty” veteran Triumph. By the early twenties belt drive is losing its appeal to many motorcyclists, so Triumph designs a model with chain secondary drive. With the “H” the power pulses of the low revving engine are taken up by the belt, with the SD this function is taken over by a strong spring fitted to the gearb ...

Harley-Davidson 1927 Model “JD ” 1217 cc IOE V-twin frame & engine # 27JD8692 From 1915, after a number of years of development, the top-of-the-range twin with full electrical equipment is listed as the Model J. From 1921 on that becomes the 1217 cc JD, that is slightly more expensive. For many enthusiasts the modern Harley-Davidson motorcycle truly comes into its own in 1925 when the entire range is fitted with new frames that lower the riding position by a full three inches, allowing smaller r ...

Velocette 1932 KTT ex-Les Archer 348 cc OHC frame # KTL4238 engine # KTT 402 After the 1928 TT win the KTT was marketed as the first British “over the counter” racer. Thus began the production of a competitive racing motorcycle offered for sale for 25 years up to 1953. A total of 868 KTTs were built. Foot change was optional from 1929, a Velocette first, as the company claimed. In 1932 the MK IV is introduced. It is fitted as standard with the new positive stop four speed gearbox which had previ ...

Rover 1914 3½ hp 499 cc side valve frame # 040230 engine # 4373 gearbox # 1138 The Rover safety bicycle creates a breakthrough in bicycle design at the end of the 19th century. By the late 1890s, John Kemp Starley’s firm is reshaped into the Rover Cycle Company Ltd.. The massive commercial success of his diamond-frame bicycle generates high profits which allow the company to fund research and development into internal combustion engines. At the end of 1903 the company presents its first motorcyc ...

Harley-Davidson 1929 model DL “Three Cylinder” 742 cc side valve V-twin frame & engine # 29DL5140 At the end of the twenties the HD sales people realize it’s high time to do something about the gap in the HD model range between the light single and the 1000 cc twin. Indian is very successful with their upgraded 750 cc Scout so the HD design office is pressed to offer a model in that segment too. In August 1928 the 742 cc model D was introduced, with bore x stroke dimensions of 69.85 x 96.85 mm. ...

Harley-Davidson 1916 “16F”, 989 cc IOE V-twin, frame # 2147 engine # 16868M video: https://youtu.be/3IdPXWA40xc Voor het modeljaar 1916 wijzigde Harley de aanduidingen van haar modellen: voortaan volgden deze de kalenderjaren, in plaats van de eigen H-D-productiejaren die sinds 1905 werden gehanteerd. Machines die in 1916 werden verkocht – en die volgens de oude telling ‘model 12’ zouden zijn geweest – kregen daarom de aanduiding ‘model 16’. Tot de vele verbeteringen, waarvan sommige minder dire ...

Royal Enfield 1914 6 HP “Model 180“ 770 cc JAP side valve V–twin frame # 7556 video: https://youtu.be/RDS5hiKq_Vg The Redditch-based Royal Enfield firm enters the motorcycle business as early as 1898. In the early days engines from De Dion-Bouton power their tricycles and quadricycles; Minerva supplies the power for the first motorized cycles. By 1904 the firm is concentrating on car production, resuming motorcycle manufacture in 1910 with a 2¼ HP v-twin Motosacoche-powered lightweight. A 2¾ HP ...

BMW 1939 R35 340cc OHV single frame # 311443 engine # 351122 The early history of BMW single cylinder machines appears somewhat erratic as to the chosen cubic capacity. From 1925 to 1927 the R39 is available, which measures 247 cc. This model is not very successful with 855 machines sold. A single cylinder model is not in the range till 1931, when the 198 cc R2 sees the light. This model is positioned in the class up to 200 cc, for which no driver’s licence is needed and no tax has to be paid. T ...

Evans 1921ca Power-Cycle 91 cc two stroke frame # 1930 engine # 34270 The Cyclemotor Corporation of Rochester, New York, starts producing a self-contained power pack for attachment to a pedal bicycle in 1916. In 1919 the company steps up and offers a complete machine, the Evans Power-Cycle. It’s a light, well-made and graceful machine that is powered by a 91 cc two-stroke engine and weighs a mere 37 kilogrammes. The company promises a top speed of more than 45 km/h, but advises to operate the Po ...

BSA 1926 “S26 de Luxe” 493 cc side valve frame # U1861 engine # M6664 In the second part of the nineteen twenties the motorcycle market is growing fast in Britain. But rivalry between the factories is intense and the profits are modest. The whole industry is fighting a price-cutting war that has been started by the incredibly cheap model P Triumph that cost just under 43 pounds when brought out in 1925. But BSA stands firmly in the market and brings out an extensive range in 1926: no less than 1 ...

Panther 1951 “Model 100” 598 cc OHV single frame # 18973 engine # 51M995B P&M motorcycles were produced for more than 60 years; the last 650 cc sloping engine singles left the Cleckheaton (Yorkshire) factory in 1966. The name “ Panther” was added during the 1920s. Many different models were made, but the typical Panther layout was that of the sloping engine that acted as an essential component of the frame diamond. The Model 100 has a 598 cc, 87 mm × 100 mm OHV sloping engine that has a 6.5:1 co ...

Philipp Mathäus Hahn calculating machine 1770-1776 recreation It is well known that the calculating machine for the four basic arithmetic operations was invented by the universal genius Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the 1670s. During his lifetime he made several copies or had them built by skilled craftsmen, but none of them worked properly. However, the stepped roller used by Leibniz, an elongated gear wheel with teeth of different widths, later made practicable devices possible. The first worki ...

Harley-Davidson 1924 JDCA 1208cc IOE v-twin frame # 24F13184 engine # 24JDCA 13718B In 1921 the 989cc twin got a larger-capacity brother; both bore and stroke were increased to 86.97 and 101.6 mm which led to 1208 cc or 74cu capacity. The 1922 sales brochure made a big thing of the extra power: “The Harley-Davidson 74” Superpowered twin cylinder Motorcycle is a specially designed machine possessing tremendous power, superpower, a surplus of the might that enables it to conquer rough roads, sand ...

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 video: https://youtu.be/pLajekjVBcs 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 nex ...

FN 1930 “M 67 D Standard” 495 cc OHV, frame # 101093 engine # 21983 video: https://youtu.be/6gpKn3ZGR7k 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 Oct ...

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 ...