From The Archive

Velocette ohc Velocette's overhead camshaft model had proved itself popular almost from its early beginning in 1925. Their Junior TT win in 1926 had such a profound effect on sales that they had to move to new premises in Hall Green, Birmingham, to increase production and keep pace with demand. Soon to be available in…

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JAP speedway engine Few will be aware that John Alfred Prestwich, the founder of the north London company that made the famous JAP engine, was at first a pioneer of cinematography. His contribution to the early days of the cinema was substantial, as will be evident to anyone who visits the Barnes Museum of Cinematography…

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Stevens single The recession of the late 20s hit the motorcycle industry particularly hard causing many of the smaller manufacturers to disappear almost overnight. Undercapitalised and often assembling in small numbers a machine that bore their name from a miscellany of bought-in parts, they stood little chance of survival. In the main most of the…

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Triumph Terrier classic British motorcycle When Edward Turner launched his first Triumph twin in 1937 it marked the begin­ning of his plan to replace all the older single cylinder models by twins. Based on al Page's original design, Turner had completely restyled the singles, to form the imaginatively-named 'Tiger' range. Finished in silver sheen with…

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Pouncy two stroke If it not been for Jack Pouncy's enterprise in Dorset, the only connection the county would have had with motorcycles was when AJW assembled mopeds with engines of foreign manufacture in Wimborne after World War 2. His first job was with the Farmers Union, for which he used a bicycle to visit…

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Baughan sidecar outfit In the days when the British motorcycle industry was at its peak each individual manufacturer was constantly striving to come up with some startling development that would give them the edge over their competitors. Although it might have done so for only a relatively short period before the rest caught up, the…

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KRM Superstreak racer When it became obvious that there was no longer any hope of Britain having a Grand Prix racing motorcycle capable of taking up the foreign challenge, the idea of a Manx Lottery arose. In principle it seemed a good means of raising money to fund such a possibility. Whilst the primary aim…

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BSA B31 roadster Bearing in mind the B31 BSA was made from 1945 to 1959, and the B33 from 1946 to 1960, large numbers of them are still in use judging from the number one sees in classic motorcycle events. Although they were never intended to match the sparkling performance of their illustrious and more…

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Ariel 3. Erm… Like many of Britain's former motorcycle manufacturers Ariel were in at the very beginning. Although it was not until 1902 that they made their first motorcycle, their association with transportation of one kind or another goes back much further. The first known use of the name Ariel had occurred in connection with…

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BSA 500CC ohv Gold Star Model M24 Destined to become the cornerstone of the British motorcycle industry, BSA were late in making their first motorcycle. Although they had been making bicycle parts since ) 1873, and had supplied frames, forks and other cycle parts for motorcycles, it was not until 1911 that they launched their…

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