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 ...
Moto Guzzi 1967 V7 703 cc transverse OHV V-twin frame # VS*97FL* engine # VS*008745 In the late fifties brilliant Moto Guzzi engineer Giulio Cesare Carcano designed a 90° V-twin air-cooled engine intended for a sports version of the Fiat 500, capable of reaching 140 km/h. The Moto Guzzi company was exploring other markets because the interest in the relatively lightweight motorcycles of the time was waning; small cars like the Fiat 500 became affordable for more and more people and motorcycling ...
Automoto 1929 AL9 Grand Tourisme Luxe 348 cc side valve single frame # 51896 engine # 30122 Automoto is one of the pioneer French makes: at the end of the 19th century a group of bicycle parts manufacturers in St. Etienne merges into one company that gets the name Automoto. Soon production of complete cycles, motorised tricycles and automobiles is taken up, next to various other products such as washing machines, hunting weapons and sundry agricultural machinery. During the 1914-1918 war the com ...
Indian 1919 “N-19 PowerPlus” 998 cc side valve V- twin combination frame & engine # 71M868 For model year 1919 only minor changes are made in The PowerPlus specifications: the gearbox gets larger bearings and an oil groove in the enlarged mainshaft improves lubrication. The valve chambers are larger and the engine main and big end bearings are made to closer tolerances for better wear resistance. The conspicuous black band striping edged with thin gold lines that was introduced for the 1917 mode ...
Moto Guzzi 1972 V7 GT 850 844cc 90 degree transverse V-twin frame # VP 11371 engine # VP 51984 The first motorcycle to use Guzzi’s v-twin appeared in the late 1960s in the form of the 703cc V7, and this remarkable engine would prove exceptionally versatile, being enlarged beyond 1,000cc and powering machines of all kinds ranging from the super-sports Le Mans to the automatic transmission Convert tourer. The V7 was developed into the 748cc V7 Sport and in 1972 a heavier touring version of the V7 ...
Ariel 1929 Model E “ Two Port Standard” 499cc OHV single frame # H5807 engine # H4032 The new line of Ariels, introduced at the end of 1925 and designed by engineering genius Val Page, had been an instant success. Not so much because of its technical innovations, but mostly for its very attractive styling: lower saddle position, shortened wheel base and high saddle tank. Victor Mole was the new man in charge of sales at the Ariel works and he designed the new eye-catching emblem of the Ariel hor ...
BAT 1914 4½ HP 654 cc side valve V-twin frame # 789 engine # 32478 The company was started in 1902 by S.R. Batson in Kingswood Road, Penge, a district of South East London. The first BATs were fitted with sturdy De Dion Bouton engines which were positioned vertically in the frame. This showed foresight at a time when many manufacturers still clipped their engines to the frame tubes. By 1904 the business was sold to Theodore and Sidney Tessier, who went on to promote the make by taking part in sp ...
Zenith 1926 Model “6-80” 678 cc JAP side valve V-twin frame # 9590 engine # GT/A/44028 Zeith machines were manufactured from 1904 till 1950, in a variety of factories in or around London. From the early days proprietary engines were used, such as Fafnir, Green-Precision, JAP, Bradshaw and Villiers. The latter engines were used in most models from the thirties. In pre WW1 days Zenith machines gained many successes; driving force was chief engineer Freddy Barnes, who was responsible for the famous ...