J-RAD 1921 frame # 1485 This unique bicycle was designed by Paul Jaray, an Austrian pioneer in aviation and streamlining. He is well known for his significant contributions to the development of the Zeppelin and for his streamlined automobile designs in the 1920s. It’s said that the design principles behind the J-rad were based on the shortcomings of conventional bicycles—issues Jaray observed while teaching his children to ride. For instance, the seat height allows the rider to start and stop w ...
Saroléa 1927 “23 O” 494 cc side valve single frame # 411 engine # 014821 video: https://youtu.be/lY_x1iI7d94 After the First World War Saroléa takes up motorcycle production with a continuation of the 1914 3½ HP single but soon a new 4 HP model with bore x stroke of 85 x 97 mm and countershaft gearbox is presented. The engine and primary drive cover of this model bear a striking resemblance to those of the Triumph Model H and the Saroléa is, like the Triumph, also equipped with a Sturmey–Archer ...
Harley-Davidson 1930 model DL 742cc side valve V-twin frame # 123078 engine # 30DL2747 The HD company introduced the side valve concept for the V-twins for the 1929 model year when the 742cc model D was introduced. The model D is sometimes referred to as the “three cylinder Harley“, because of the remarkable vertical position of the dynamo: in a cost saving idea, the new motorcycle was designed to use the existing frame from the 350cc Model B single. This required the generator to be mounted ver ...
FN 1931 M 70 C “Sahara” 346 cc side valve frame # 69284 engine # 19209 At the end of 1923 FN presents a 350 cc single cylinder ohv with unit construction engine. 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 500 cc brother is brought out, the M 67. Shortly after that FN four cylinder production is finished. The ohv singles are very successful, but the factory real ...
Harley-Davidson 1920 Model F 989 cc IOE V-twin engine & frame # 20T9120 video: https://youtu.be/FqXgDkCt_PU The 1920 catalogue gives some excellent arguments why one should choose a Harley-Davidson: ”Enthusiastic Harley-Davidson riders have often pointed out that it actually costs less to ride a Harley-Davidson than to walk. Considering the present cost of shoes, whether one figures his time worth anything at all or not, there is little doubt but that is true. But in figuring the cost of driving ...
Excelsior 1918 Series 19 998cc IOE V-twin frame # 18923 engine # 85883 video: https://youtu.be/w-L55_ON3wg 1911 was a landmark year in Excelsior’s history, for the firm was acquired by bicycle maker Ignaz Schwinn and introduced its first v-twin model that year. In 1913 a twin within the 61 ci displacement was offered with all-chain drive, while two-speed planetary transmission and a leaf-sprung, Indian-style front fork were two of the following season’s innovations. Alongside rivals Harley-David ...
Harley-Davidson 1934 “VFD” 1217 cc side valve V-twin frame # C188 engine # 34VFD1663 There are various new features for the 1934 model year, many being mainly cosmetic. The cylinders are modified and new tank graphics with “Flying Diamond” design are introduced. Frames and forks are now completely heat treated and the company states that this “adds full fifty per cent more strength”. The mudguards get a new shape and a new “Airflow” tail lamp is fitted. 1934 wil be the only year of the upswept “ ...
Douglas 1928ca “DT/ SW 5” 498 cc flat twin ohv racer frame # TF 257 engine # EL779 gearbox # YG1175 When speedway racing arrived in Britain in 1928, the new sport quickly caught the public’s imagination and before long many major UK manufacturers listed a dirt track model, Douglas being the first marque to establish dominance with its 500 cc DT 5 and 600 cc DT 6 overhead valve models. The company’s inline flat twins had benefited from much prior development on the Australian long tracks, but as ...
Harley-Davidson 1933 model RE 742 cc side valve V-twin combination frame # 33-1037 engine # 33RE1067 video: https://youtu.be/-3bfzcfV2TQ Introduced in 1931, the Model R series was the successor of the Model D. The latter had the generator mounted vertically, which proved a vulnerable design point. So with the new R the generator was placed horizontally in front of the engine and driven by a conventional gear drive directly from the timing gear train. Consequently, a newly designed and heavier fr ...
Monarch 1956ca SP-1 246 cc high camshaft single frame # SP-1-56-1019 One might say that both American and European influences have put their mark on the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry. Metallurgical know how, quality control, spare part management, dealer management and after sales management were subjects brought in by the licence agreement Harley-Davidson had made with Rikuo in 1929. The HD/Rikuo factory also became a laboratory for the whole Japanese manufacturing society wit ...
Pointer 1954ca “Comet ” 148 cc OHV two port single frame # 28-22665 engine # PLB 241 One might say that both American and European influences have put their mark on the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry. Metallurgical know how, quality control, spare part management, dealer management and after sales management were subjects brought in by the licence agreement Harley-Davidson had made with Rikuo in 1929. The HD/Rikuo factory also became a laboratory for the whole Japanese manufactu ...
Puch 1905ca 905 cc IOE V-twin in road racing trim From 1889 Johann Puch (1862–1914) worked as an agent for Humber and manufacturer of Styria safety bicycles in a small workshop in Graz and in 1890 he founded his first company Johann Puch & Comp., employing 34 workers. By 1895, Puch already employed more than 300 workers producing about 6000 bikes a year. In 1897 Puch left the company after a dispute with his business partners. Two years later he founded the Erste Steiermärkische Fahrradfabrik AG ...
Norton 1936ca Model 30 International “Composite” 490cc OHC single frame # B36775 engine # 65933 video: https://youtu.be/UVhMtVAX0Jo One of the most charismatic model names in motorcycling history, ‘International’ was first used by Norton for its top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1932. The Inter’s overhead-camshaft engine had been developed in the works racers for the preceding two years, and although (in the case of the ‘500’) it retained the classic 79x100mm bore/stroke dimensions and shaft-a ...
Triumph 1921 Model “H” 549cc side valve single frame # 317225 engine # 63612 PTO The model H is announced late in 1914 as a logical development of the famous veteran “Trusty”. But it isn’t just a 1914 model with a countershaft gearbox: the engine differs from the veteran engine in various ways. It has a single camwheel with 2 cams instead of separate camwheels for the inlet and exhaust valves. The casting for the cylinder is entirely new, the valve head diameter is enlarged by ¼ inch and the val ...
AJS 1912 “Model B” 2 ½ HP 315 cc side valve single frame # 636 engine # 1696 gearbox # 296 The Stevens brothers Harry, George, Joe Junior and Jack had been in motorcycle engine manufacturing for various clients since the final years of the 19th century. In the course of 1909 it was decided to start building complete motorcycles under their own name. In 1910 two models were developed and built, Model A with direct belt drive and model B with chain drive and 2-speed gearbox with cork inserted clut ...
Cabton 1954ca “RTF” 500cc OHV vertical twin frame # 544914RC engine # TF4194 “ According to some people it was the licensing of HD to Rikuo in 1929 that gave the Japanese their first knowledge into modern mass-production technology. Harley didn’t only give them all their tooling and drawings; they also gave them the metallurgical know how, including metal hardening technologies. The Japanese also for the first time understood the importance of keeping the factories clean etc. Harley sent some su ...
BMW 1939ca R51 unfinished restoration 494cc ohv horizontally opposed twin frame # 512929 engine # not clearly visible In the late thirties BMWs are sold in considerable numbers, in spite of their high prices; in the UK a 1938 BMW R51 costs £123, while a Triumph Speed Twin can be had for less than £77. The make has built up an excellent reputation for quality and luxury: from 1938 on all BMWs have both front and rear springing, a feature which is at the time very uncommon for most other makes. Fr ...
Harley-Davidson 1947 model EL “ Knucklehead” 989 cc OHV V-twin engine # 47EL11283 During the Depression years of the early Thirties Harley started the development of a new line of motorcycles, an up-to-date OHV model with sophisticated dry-sump recirculation lubrication system and a constant mesh four-speed gearbox. The frame was different of that of any other Harley: a duplex loop with twin down tubes. The new model was well-designed but hastily launched on to the market; it took the company se ...
Triumph 1921 LW “Junior” 2 ¼ HP 225 cc two stroke single frame #602153 engine # 5981 gearbox # 7071 The Model LW, also known as the Junior, and nicknamed the ‘Baby’ for it’s the baby of Triumph’s models, breaks new ground for Triumph at its introduction to the press at the end of 1913. It’s Triumph’s first two-stroke model but it’s a success right from the start. With its weight of around 60 kg, ease of (paddle) starting and low saddle height the model gains immediate popularity amongst District ...
Norton 1934 Model 40 “International” 348cc OHC in racing trim frame # 51699 engine # CJ2600 The Norton OHC story starts as far back as 1927, when Walter Moore (formerly the Douglas chief designer) creates the first Norton overhead camshaft engine with bore and stroke dimensions of 79×100 mm, giving 490 cc capacity. Straight from the drawing board it provides Alec Bennett with a TT victory in 1927. Known as the CS 1 (Camshaft Senior one) it’s listed as a production machine for the 1928 season. Th ...