Ducati 1982 900 Super Sport 864 cc OHC DESMO V-twin frame # DM860SS *091152 engine # 93411 Ducati were a relatively small motorcycle manufacturer in the 1960s, their road bikes focusing on single-cylinder machines of small capacity and didn’t start producing the first V-Twin engine until 1970, but it was British racer, Paul Smart, who established the firm winning the Imola 200 on a ‘round case’ 750cc bike which featured the now famous ‘Desmodromic’ valve system. The first production bike availab ...
Triumph 1979 T 140 “Bonneville” 744 cc OHV twin frame & engine # T140EKA13014 The Bonneville owes its creation to the 1937 Triumph Speed Twin, designed by Edward Turner. This breakthrough design served as a blueprint for future classic British motorbikes. Public demand for more power increased every year and in 1949, Turner upgraded the bike to become the 1950 6T Thunderbird. During the 1950s, Triumph racked up a number of victories on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US. For example, in 1955, J ...
Rudge 1929 “350” 340 cc four-valve single frame # 34508 engine # 53991 video: https://youtu.be/CNhOtMcZzKg The Rudge-Whitworth company was an established bicycle factory that entered motorcycle production in 1911. Their first machines were 499 cc IOE singles. They developed the famous Multi gear, with a possibility of up to 21 gear positions. For the 1924 model year the factory introduced a new range of four-valve singles in the 350 and 500 cc class. These were fitted with four-speed gearboxes, ...
Triumph 1969 T150 “Trident” 740 cc 3-cylinder frame & engine # CC02584T150T Triumph’s eagerly awaited 3-cylinder T150 Trident was a radical new idea, introduced by the end of 1968, alongside BSA’s similarly powered A75 Rocket-3; both models were individually styled. The idea was wild, especially considering the conservative nature of BSA & Triumph management at the time. There were lots of singles & twins, and even some fours. But no one had a triple! The Triumph engine had its cylinders mounted ...
Gilera 1948 Saturno Sport 499 cc ohv single frame & engine # 269784 video: https://youtu.be/cm57A61lVTo The Gilera Saturno was shown for the first time at the Milan show in 1938, the single unit engine designed by Guiseppe Salmaggi being a departure from the norm of the day; besides having clean lines most components were easily removable without taking the engine out of the frame. The main production ran from 1946 till 1958. In that period only about 6000 Saturnos were produced. Through the yea ...
Rudge 1922 “7/9 h.p. Three speed Twin” 998 cc IOE V-twin combination frame # 806160 engine # 24370 gearbox # 467 Already before the outbreak of WWI the company started development work on a twin version of the Multi, but it was only in November 1919 that the new twin, meant as a powerful sidecar machine, was introduced. It was fitted with a dropped frame that provided a lower seating position and gave the new model an appealing, modern look. At first it was fitted with the famous “Multi-Gear” sy ...
MV Agusta 1954 175 CS / “Disco Volante” CSS 175 cc OHC frame # NR400500 engine # 471401 Having commenced motorcycle production late in 1945 with a 98cc two-stroke, Meccanica Verghera (MV) introduced its first production four-strokes, the single-cylinder 175 CST and CSTL, at the Milan Show in 1952. The newcomers’ advanced overhead-cam, unitary construction engine set them apart from most of the opposition. Their cycle parts too were state-of-the-art, consisting of a duplex loop frame incorporatin ...
Gilera 1937 VTE “Quattro Bulloni” 499 cc ohv single frame # 102595 engine #12176 video: https://youtu.be/yjeoHsS1Czc Founded by 22-year-old engineer, Giuseppe Gilera in 1909, this Italian manufacturer first sprang to international prominence in the late 1930s when its supercharged four-cylinder racers heavily defeated BMW in Grands Prix and snatched the world speed record away from the German marque. Throughout the early 1950s it was the racers which again grabbed the headlines, the Arcore marqu ...
Velocette 1947 KSS 348 cc OHC single frame # KDD 9064 engine # KSS10301 video: https://youtu.be/gWbi-U9Rs6w The firm of Veloce Ltd. was formed in 1905 by Johann Goodman. It was a family business that concentrated on sound motorcycle engineering principles. Their first machines were lightweight four strokes; after that a line of top-class 250 cc two strokes was brought out. In 1924/25 Percy Goodman designed the 350 cc overhead camshaft model K, a machine destined to win many TTs and other races, ...
Rex Acme 1920 “Standard Touring” 8hp 1000 cc JAP v-twin combination frame # T202223 engine # 20/7299 Acme is best remembered for its association with the Rex concern; both firms had premises in Osborne Road, Coventry, Rex setting up there in 1899 and Acme a few years later. Unlike its close neighbour, which built motor cars and tricycles as well as motorcycles, the Coventry Acme Motor Company Limited, to give it its full name, was only ever a motorcycle manufacturer, its first machines being pow ...
‘Calcott-pattern’ 1892 ca. safety bicycle frame # 4155 This early safety has a cross frame with steel rod bracing and solid rubber tyres that are somewhat perished. Both wheels are 30-inch diameter with opposed radial spokes. The handlebars have turned pear-shaped grips; the rod brake is not present. Chain and chainwheels have one inch pitch and the pedals are adjustable, with perished rubber blocks. The curved seat bracket is fitted with a spring seat pad that lacks the leather cover. Both fron ...
Indian 1913 7 HP T.T. Two-Speed Model 988 cc IOE V-twin frame & engine # 70E691 By 1913 Indian becomes the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world; the 1913 production amounts to almost 32,000 machines. There are 2,000 dealers all over the world and Indian controls some 42% of the domestic American motorcycle market, as the factory claims. Four models are catalogued, a single speed single and twin and a two speed single and twin. The Indian engineers have done their best to make the machine ...
NSU 1907ca 5PS 662 cc IOE V-twin frame # 159434 engine # 10558 The company started as a knitting machine manufacturer ( Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinen Union) and went into the bicycle trade in 1886. It was a logic step to move into motorcycle production and in 1901 the first motorised NSU bicycle with Zédel clip on engine was produced. Soon the development and production of the company’s own engines were taken up and within a few years NSU was making its own power units and was one of the first ma ...
FN 1925ca. “M50” 748cc four cylinder overhead inlet valve frame # 839 engine # 1756B Responding to demands from sidecarists for more power, FN introduces a 748cc, 7hp four – the Type 700 – for 1914. This new engine is a side valve of ‘T’-head layout, with mechanically operated valves and a mechanical oil pump, which drives the three-speed gearbox via a steel, multi-plate clutch. Pedal starting is dispensed with on the Type 700, a kick-start mechanism is added at the right-hand side of the engine ...
AJS 1933 model 33-7 Camshaft “Trophy” Competition Model 474 cc OHC single frame # 7/573 engine # 33/7 522 In 1931, in the middle of the economic depression, The Matchless Company takes over AJS Motorcycles and moves production from Wolverhampton to London. AJS machines keep their identity for some years, but from halfway the thirties rationalization is the keyword and Matchless and AJS models become almost identical, even to the engine numbering system, in which first the year and then the model ...
Norton 1959 Model 99 “Dominator” 596cc OHV twin frame & engine # P14.80933 “Powerful, good looking, comfortable to ride, the Dominator 99 is a big machine with a big performance. The 600cc vertical twin engine is the most powerful in the Norton range. This model has a large following of enthusiasts who demand, not only high performance , but the built-in stability of Norton roadholding and braking qualities”, says the introduction of the Dominator 99 in the 1961 catalogue. The model is first int ...
Velocette 1954 “MSS” 499cc OHV frame # 10974 engine # MSS 10413 The firm of Veloce Ltd. was formed in 1905 by Johann Goodman. It was a family business that concentrated on sound motorcycle engineering principles. Their first machines were lightweight four strokes; after that a line of top-class 250 cc two strokes was brought out. In 1924/25 Percy Goodman designed the 350 cc overhead camshaft model K, a machine destined to win many TTs and other races, starting with the 1926 Junior TT that was wo ...
Norton 1958 Model 88 “Dominator” 497 cc OHV twin frame # N122 77652 engine # 76767 14P Inspired by the popular success of Triumph’s pre-war Speed Twin and aware that other factories were working on their own versions, Norton realised that if they were to have any future after World War 2, they too needed a twin engine. The job was undertaken by Bert Hopwood, who had worked on the development of Edward Turner’s original Speed Twin design and had vast experience in the industry. Chief design point ...
Moto Guzzi 1971 Falcone Nuovo 498 cc OHV single frame # CF*11460* engine # A5443 Moto Guzzi recommenced production post-WW2 with a range of updated pre-war designs, the ultimate expression of its classic, vintage-style single not arriving until 1950. This was the legendary Falcone, which took over as Guzzi’s top sports model, its tuneable engine being closely related to that of the Dondolino racer. Offered in Sport, Turismo and military/police specifications, the Falcone outlived all its fellows ...
Harley-Davidson 1921ca. 989 cc IOE V-twin Model “F” frame # 20061engine # 21F 6919 It takes the Harley-Davidson Co. about 12 years to develop their motorcycles from a single cylinder belt driven single 3 HP machine to the 45 degree V-twin with 3-speed countershaft gearbox that is marketed in 1915. This sturdy 989 cc (84x89mm) machine becomes a popular choice for motorcycle buyers all over the world, private enthusiasts as well as police forces, postal services and other government bodies. The tw ...