Oldtimers

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Martinsyde 1922 “Type B” 6 HP 678 cc exhaust-over-inlet V-twin engine # 221434 The British firm of Martinsyde was founded in 1908 when Helmuth Paul Martin and George Harris Handasyde went into partnership to build aircraft. By the end of WWI Martinsyde was Britain’s third largest aircraft manufacturer, occupying sites at Brooklands and Maybury Hill in Woking. Faced with a sharp downturn in demand for its products, the firm turned to motorcycle production after the war’s end, having acquired the ...

Magnat-Debon 1914 4 HP 485 cc OHV V-twin frame # 8849 engine # 2531 In the year 1900 Joseph Magnat and Louis Debon found a firm in Grenoble that starts to produce bicycles. In 1902 the first motorcycle is built, equipped with a De Dion Bouton engine. From 1906 on there is a regular motorcycle production with own-brand engines. In the years before the first world war the firm prospers: the machines have many novel features such a telescopic front suspension and some models have overhead valves. B ...