NSU 1957 251 OSB “Supermax” 247 cc OHC frame # 3229907 engine # 1836241 Production at NSU was resumed already in May 1945. The company had been lucky that only part of the production facilities had been damaged and the American occupiers immediately consigned the works as a repair facility for US army vehicles. At first bicycles and Kettenkrad off-road vehicles were produced and from the summer of 1947 the pre-war 125 ZDB and 251 OSL models left the factory again. Chief designer became Albert Ro ...
Nimbus 1952 746 cc OHC four in line frame & engine # 10398 In April 1934 the “Nimbus II” is brought out. The flat steel strip frame is a feature in common with the earlier “stove pipe”, but most other features are totally new: the top half of the crankcase is cast in one piece with the ribbed air cooled cylinder block. The iron cylinder head sports an overhead camshaft. The crankshaft drives the overhead camshaft through the upright mounted dynamo via sets of bevel gears. Its distinctive humming ...
Harley-Davidson 1920 “JS” 989 cc IOE V-twin engine # 20 JS 3390 In April 1920 the new Juneau Avenue factory building was completed; this made H-D the largest motorcycle factory in the world with 2,400 employees and established dealerships in 67 countries. There were 50,000 subscribers to “The Enthusiast” magazine. Harley-Davidsons were fast becoming famous for their power, comfort and reliability: more than 7,500 Model Fs and more than 14,000 Model Js would be delivered to customers during 1920. ...
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 ...
BSA 1939 G-14 986cc side valve V-twin combination frame # KG14 735 engine # KG14.941. BSA’s first V-twin was the Model A and it was primarily intended as a sidecar machine. It was introduced for the 1920 season and remained in production for about 3 years. A larger 986cc version debuted as the Model F in 1922 and would continue in production as the Model G, regularly revised and updated, until 1940. The 80 x 98 bore x stroke engine has the cylinders set at a 50 degree angle. The constant loss lu ...
BMW 1961 R 50S 494 cc transverse OHV twin frame & engine # 564812 Bayerische Motoren-Werke is known in English as the Bavarian Motor Works, or more simply as BMW. The firm launched its first horizontally opposed twin in 1923 and has stood by this style of engine layout ever since. The opposed design offers riders buttery smooth performance as the engine has inherently good balance. In 1955 BMW created its R50, R60, and R69 models. These new models had a similar engine and the same shaft-drive as ...
Triumph 1910 3½ HP 499 cc with Brampton Variable Gear frame # 152324 engine # 8564 4 2 The first Triumph motorcycle appears in 1902, equipped with a Belgian Minerva engine. In 1903 and 1904 JAP and German Fafnir engines are employed and by 1905 Triumph’s own engine, designed by Charles Hathaway, comes in use. Winning the single cylinder class in the 1908 TT races on the Isle of man gives an enormous boost to sales of Triumph machines. The cubic capacity of the engine grows from 363 cc in 1905 ti ...
BSA 1933 B33-2 249 cc OHV frame # A1806 engine # A2.561 BSA’s 1933 range comprises models from 249 cc till 986 cc. The model ranges get a letter code: “B” for 249 cc, “R” for 348 cc, “W” for 499 cc, “M” for 595 cc and finally “G” for the big 986 cc twin. Three types of machines are offered in the “B” class, all with bore x stroke dimensions of 63×80 mm. The B33-1 is a side valve machine, the other two have overhead valves. The B33-3 is the “Blue Star” Sports version with tuned engine, full cradl ...
Harley-Davidson 1942 “WLC” 750cc side valve V-twin frame # 8A 1354 A engine # 42WLA68130 Harley-Davidson began producing the WLA in small numbers in 1940, as part of a general military expansion. The later entry of the United States into World War II saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the war (along with spare parts the equivalent of many more). Harley Davidson would also produce a close WLA variant for the Canadian Army. This model was called the WLC. ...
Hobart 1921 “2 ½ HP Spring Frame” 269 cc Villiers MK IV two stroke engine # C 2285 William Hobart Bird (c1851-1934) started to manufacture bicycles in 1884. In 1901 motorcycle production was also taken up and soon the company developed an excellent reputation for the high workmanship that was apparent in their bicycles and motorcycles. The company also supplied frames and engines to other manufacturers. At first Dalton and Wade engines were employed, later models were fitted with JAP singles and ...
Indian 1915 7 HP “Model C3” 994 cc IOE V-twin engine # 72G745 Indian’s first, 38.61ci (633cc) v-twin appears in 1907 with an engine clearly derived from that of the single, though mechanical inlet valves – introduced for 1908 – are an early improvement. The twin’s rear cylinder continues to form part of the frame until 1909 when a loop frame of the type favoured by rivals Harley-Davidson is adopted. The Springfield Company’s first ‘Big Twin’ debutes that same year displacing 61 ci. By 1913 India ...
Indian 1916 Model K “Featherweight” 221cc two stroke single engine # 22H179 Late in 1915 the Indian management decides that a small two stroke utility type machine will add to their coverage of the market. In many countries light two strokes are getting popular and also the American domestic market appears to be ready for such a type of Indian. So early in 1916 a new model is presented in the catalogue: “ The Indian Featherweight is transportation made practically universal. By this we mean it h ...
Indian 1907 2¼HP ca 311 cc IOE ‘CAMEL BACK’ engine # 5378 Oscar Hedstrom and George M. Hendee, both active in the cycle racing world, got together to found the Hendee Manufacturing Company as a partnership, with Hendee as President and General Manager, and Hedstrom as Chief Engineer and Designer. Their first prototype was presented in 1901 and during that year six machines were built, of which two were sold. The first machines were powered by a single-cylinder, ca 213 cc ‘F-head’ (inlet over exh ...
Raleigh 1922ca 2¾ HP 348cc side valve “2¾ HP Lightweight” frame # 11773 engine # 11340 In the beginning of the 20th century Raleigh’s main business is in the cycle trade. Company founder Frank Bowden is a firm believer in variable gear systems and from the end of 1902 the Raleigh Cycle company puts the Sturmey-Archer cycle hub gear on the market. There is some motorcycle production between 1899 and 1906, but only after the first world war serious thought is given again to motorcycle production. ...
BMW 1969 R69US 590 cc OHV transverse twin frame & engine # 665749 In 1955 BMW introduces a new line of twins with a completely redesigned frame with trailing fork rear suspension and Earles fork front suspension. The final drive shaft is no longer exposed but is enclosed in the right arm of the trailing forks. All three new models, the 500 cc R50, and the 600 cc R60 and R69 have 18 inch wheels in place of the earlier 19 inch ones, twin leading shoes in the front brake, smaller mudguards and larg ...
MV Agusta 750S America Frame # MV750*2210380 DGM Engine # 221-0360 The 750S America model was introduced in 1975. It featured blockier styling and a larger engine than previous MV 750s. MV Agusta’s glorious racing background gave rise to numerous street bikes over the years, such as the 1977 MV Agusta 750S America motorcycle. The 790-cc double-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine in the 1977 MV Agusta 750S America motorcycle had its roots in a 500-cc racing powerplant. The exhaust system is a combi ...
BMW 1928 R57 494 cc ohv transverse twin frame # 25723 Engine # 70343 The 1928 BMW range comprises four models: two in the 500 cc class, the R52 sv and the R57 ohv, and two models in the new 750 cc class, the R62 sv and R63 ohv. The new 494cc models are again further developed: the front brake diameter goes from 150 to 200 mm, and there’s a new 3-speed gearbox with oil lubrication instead of the earlier grease-filled boxes. The kick starter now works in line with the crankshaft, the earlier model ...
Norton 1948 Model M30 “Manx” 499 cc OHC single frame & engine # C11M 14566 After five years of meticulous work, Dutch self-employed mechanical engineer and 3D-artist, Niels Schoen, has completed a unique document. Counting 164 pages and narrated in English, this book entirely reveals his 1948 Norton racer down to the very last nuts and bolts in a series of 3D illustrations that are unseen before. It took him nine months to execute the main task: have each item taken from the motorcycle, measure ...
Rudge 1937 “Sports Special” 495 cc four-valve OHV single frame # 61107 engine # S3394 The Rudge-Whitworth company is already an established bicycle factory when the firm starts to manufacture motorcycles in 1911. Their first machines are 499 cc IOE singles. They develop the famous Multi Gear, with a possibility of up to 21 gear positions. In 1924 the factory introduces a new range of four valve singles and in 1928 Graham Walker manages to win the Ulster Grand Prix on a Rudge, after a heroic hand ...
Clément 1903 ca 1 ¾ HP 143 cc OHV Autocyclette frame # 18463 engine # LM 1815 Clément is one of the true French motorcycle pioneers and this particular model was produced around 1903. The big outside flywheel acts as a pulley for the direct round rubber belt transmission to the rear wheel. The seat tube is fitted with an adjustable belt tensioner. A spray carburettor takes care of the correct mixture and there is a throttle valve in the intake tube. Ignition is by trembler coil and battery, neat ...