Yesterdays

Excelsior 1913 “Model 7C“ single speed 974 cc IOE V-twin engine # 42814 The Excelsior Supply Company of Chicago starts producing motorcycles with its own single cylinder engine in 1908. In 1911 the firm becomes part of Ignaz Schwinn’s bicycle empire. The 1913 brochure introduces the new models with confidence: “ In presenting the 1913 Excelsior Auto-Cycle we have purposely condensed its features into these few pages. All mention of the innumerable Excelsior triumphs is omitted, for the speed and ...

Peugeot 1904 2½ HP 300 cc aiv single frame # 11790 engine # 9294 Although a prototype De Dion-engined Peugeot bicycle was displayed at the Paris Salon in 1898, the first motorized cycles to leave the factory were actually tricycles with De Dion & Bouton engines. The popularity of the tricycle was unchallenged at first, but by 1902 the motorized bicycle started to take the lead: at the Paris Salon in December 1901 81 motorised cycles were exhibited, of which there were only 21 tricycles or quadri ...

Moto Guzzi 1934ca. GT16 498 cc Inlet Over Exhaust frame # 4510 engine # 22066 In 1927 Giuseppe Guzzi, elder brother of Carlo and the engineering genius of the family, designed a prototype of a touring version of the Sport model, the Grand Tourer (GT). This machine was equipped with a very comfortable and well designed sprung frame, a swing arm with friction dampers. The new model was dubbed “Norge” after the Italian airship that had carried out the first verified flight over the North Pole in 19 ...

Velocette 1968 499cc OHV “ Thruxton” Frame # RS19708 Engine # VMT 785 Gearbox # 12-12815 The Truxton, designed in 1965 by Bertie Goodman, was almost an instant legend after a series of impressive results on various racing tracks, where its average speed often exceeded 100 mph. This high performance production racer, which was also sold over the counter in road going version, was a perfect choice for both the fast touring enthusiast and the racing buff. In 1965 the 500 mile race (held at castle C ...

Nimbus 1924 746 cc IOE four cylinder frame # 702 engine # N702 The Nimbus was manufactured by the firm of Fisker & Nielsen of Copenhagen. This company was formed in 1905 to manufacture electric motors; in 1910 the Nilfisk electric vacuum cleaner was marketed. This product was a great success and it was soon sold in many countries all over the world. Fisker believed he could develop a motorcycle that had its own unique shape, and in late 1918 decided to construct a prototype to his own design. It ...

Bradbury 1914 6 HP 750cc side valve v-twin frame # 44923 engine # 8486 Bradbury & Co. was one of the pioneers of the British motor cycle industry: already in 1902 the company advertised a motorcycle driven by a Minerva clip-on engine. Before motorcycles were being produced at the Wellington Works in Oldham, the company – established in 1852 – had already earned a worldwide reputation as Britain’s and Europe’s first sewing machine manufacturer. Bradbury & Co. was active on various markets: the fi ...

Nimbus 1953ca 746 cc OHC four in line frame # 11664 engine # 11664 In April 1934 the “Nimbus II” was brought out. The flat steel strip frame was a feature in common with the earlier “stove pipe”, but most other features were totally new: the top half of the crankcase was cast in one piece with the ribbed air cooled cylinder block. The iron cylinder head sported an overhead camshaft. The crankshaft drove the overhead camshaft through the upright mounted dynamo via sets of bevel gears. After World ...

Magnat-Debon 1907 2 ½ HP « Rapide Légère » ca 325cc A.I.V. single frame # 6531 engine # 204 In the year 1900 Joseph Magnat and Louis Debon founded a firm in Grenoble that started to produce bicycles. In 1902 the first motorcycle was produced, equipped with a De Dion Bouton engine. In 1905 they started to use their own engines and in the years before the first world war the firm prospered: the machines had many novel features such a telescopic front suspension and some models had overhead valves. ...

Moto Guzzi 1949 “Albatros” 247cc OHC racer with flex sidecar engine # A563 The “Albatros” came along in 1939 and was a result of a joint effort by Carlo Guzzi and an engineer called Giulio Cesare Carcano. It was built for the races reserved for amateur riders on production bikes and was effectively the works Grand Prix machine minus the blower. After the war, when supercharging was banned, it became the marque’s top racer in the 250cc class. Mechanical performance was virtually on par with the w ...

FN 1924 M 50 748 cc four cylinder overhead inlet valve frame # 563 engine # 1369 To many enthusiasts the FN four has always been one of the most appealing machines of veteran and vintage times. Its production runs from 1905 till 1926. The earliest type has a 362 cc engine with automatic overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves. The machine is single geared, has shaft drive and the top speed is about 60 km/hour. The FN four is an immediate success and finds customers all over the world; FN s ...

FN 1903 2 ½ HP 320 cc two stroke special frame # 12750 engine # 9438 FN (Fabrique Nationale d‘Armes de Guerre) was a Belgian company established in 1889 to make arms and ammunition for hunting and warfare. Soon it was decided that diversification of production was a good strategy to reduce the risk of peaceful times. In the late 1800’s the production of bicycle parts was taken up; soon complete bicycles were added to the programme, followed in 1900 by motorcars. At that time FN was already a maj ...

Scott 1926 Super Squirrel three speed 598 cc water-cooled two-stroke twin frame # 553 engine # Y9477 Alfred Scott, a gifted Yorkshire engineering genius, started experimenting with twin cylinder two-stroke power around the year 1900, when he mounted his little air-cooled twin in front of the steering head of his Premier bicycle. He kept on refining his design and by 1910 the open-framed machine, so much different from standard motorcycle practice, was attracting more and more attention. In 1912 ...

Indian 1925 Scout 600cc side valve V-twin engine # 55Y628 After WW I the Indian factory decides it is time to add a lighter model to the range that complements the successful 1000cc PowerPlus. The new machine is labelled “Scout” and it creates a sensation when brought out in 1920. The strong points of the new design are easy handling, lightness, ample power for the 1920s roads and unbeatable reliability. The new middleweight is also appealing to the prospective motorcyclists who are put off by t ...

Humber 1914 3½ HP 499 cc side valve single frame # H 2828 engine # F 2856 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV_KflgWl9I A Coventry firm with its roots in the Victorian bicycle industry, Humber began experimenting with powered transport in the closing years of the 19th century, introducing its first successful motorcycle -a built-under-license P&M – in 1902. Because of the need to increase car production motorcycles were discontinued after 1905. For the 1909 model year Humber came on the mar ...

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 1966 XLB “SPORTSTER” 883cc OHV V-twin frame # E 4440 engine # 66XLB 10118 When it was introduced in 1952, the Model K was as radical a machine for Harley-Davidson as the Knucklehead had been in 1936, and the company presented it as a fully modern motorcycle. With full suspension front and rear, a unit-construction engine, modest weight, foot shift/hand controls and clean styling, the K was clearly intended to address foreign competition in the U.S. market. Unfortunately the K’s s ...

Indian 1923 “PowerPlus Standard” 998cc side valve V- twin engine # 71V183 The hugely popular PowerPlus enjoyed a nine year production run. Its side-valve engine proved utterly reliable and almost unbreakable. However, by the early twenties the Chief and Big Chief had taken up the top position of the PowerPlus in the Indian range. In the 1922 catalogue the PowerPlus was referred to as the “Special” and in 1923 the model got wider and more modern looking mudguards. It was then christened “Standard ...

Matchless 1922 Model H/2 996 cc MAG IOE V-twin frame # 3961 engine # 2C9 ^ No. 60982 The first Matchless motorcycle was made by the Collier brothers in 1899. In 1907 the Isle of man TT races in the single cylinder class were won: after a second place in 1908 victories were gained again in 1909 and 1910, proving that the machines were matchless indeed. After WW I the company designed a model especially suitable as a sidecar machine, the model “H”. Both JAP and MAG engines were used as power sourc ...

AJS 1927 Model H1 799 cc side valve v-twin frame & engine # H 60440 video: https://youtu.be/Dm1UrdhCbRQ The four Stevens brothers had been in motorcycle manufacturing since the final years of the 19th century, but only in 1911 their first complete “AJS” motorcycle, a 298 cc two speeder, was marketed. Their first V-twin Model D with a cubic capacity of 632 cc was introduced in 1912 and was a very successful model, especially for sidecar use. At the 1919 Olympia Show a redesigned 748 cc model D wa ...

Matchless 1996 “G50” 496cc OHC Tom Kirby tribute racer frame # MRD 93044 engine # RVB The Matchless G50 was a racing bike made by Associated Motorcycles (AMC) at the former Matchless works in London. It was introduced in 1958 and developed from the 350cc AJS 7R but with the engine capacity increased to 496cc. The “G50” designation stands for the 50bhp that the engine developed. The G50 was immediately popular, and while slightly less sophisticated than its Norton rival, it was nonetheless 30lb l ...

Saroléa 1926 494 cc OHV “23 M Super Sport” frame# 30060 engine# 30060 The firm was established in 1850 at Herstal (Liege) as an arms factory by Joseph Saroléa. In 1892 the production of bicycles was started. Joseph died in 1894 and under the management of his sons the company grew bigger and bigger. In the early years of the new century the company started to develop motorized bicycles and soon Saroléa was a force to reckon with: around 1907 the firm employed some 200 labourers and had 4000 m2 o ...