Francis-Barnett Light Cruiser classic motorcycle It was with their 1960 range that, for the first time in over 45 years, the Coventry-based makers of lightweight motorcycles failed to include a Villiers engined bike in their
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Reference: When was it that? Humber
3.4hp OCS Sports Humber Maybe you didn't know that Humber had made motorcycles at all? Car firm Humber, a one time part of the badge engineered Rootes Group. Well, if so, you're quite wrong, as
Read moreReference: When was it that? Book 3
Now when was it that? Book 3 Now when was it that? to give it its true print title, is a compilation of milestone snippets from the motorcycle history books. Originally written by Old Bike
Read moreReference: When was it that? Greeves
Greeves model 25R Unheard of as a motorcycle manufacturer until the early 50s, Greeves Motor valid carriages stemmed from Invacar Limited, a company that specialised in making invalid varriages for the disabled. Founded by Bert
Read moreReference: When was it that? Excelsior
Excelsior 250cc Model STT4 Excelsior had the honour of being Britain's oldest motorcycle manufacturer, having sold their first machine in 1896. The company had been formed in 1874 as Bayliss Thomas & Co, to make
Read moreReference: When was it that? Ariel
Popular Ariel Leader When, during 1943, Jack Sangster decided to sell Ariel Motors to the BSA Group, there was concern at Selly Oak lest the company should lose its identity. This concern heightened in March
Read moreReference: When was it that? Velocette GTP
Velocette advertisement It was not until 1909 that Veloce Limited had their first own-designed motorcycle on the market, an unorthodox but ingenious unit-construction four-stroke single that failed to attract much attention. As a result they
Read moreReference: When was it that? Triumph
Triumph model Q I suppose it's the historian's who determine whether one man's name should be remembered when another's forgotten, sadly for Siegfried Bettmann and his partner Mauritz Schulte, only the knowledgeable now recall that
Read moreReference: When was it that? Scott
Scott moves to Birmingham Only 600 post war models had been made and even the construction of a prototype plunger rear suspension model had shown little promise. Fortunately, not all was lost. Matt Holder, a
Read moreWhat I rode in 2010
A ride out to Whitby for fish and chips with a bunch of mates It seemed like a good idea to me as I’ve had a reasonably varied year where bikes are concerned. Way back
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