Classic Bike Hub UK

The Williamson flat twin was offered with the options of air or water cooling Williamson 1912-20 UK Family links tied in early Williamson production with the Douglas family who ran the famous Bristol maker of flat twin motorcycles, Douglas. Built in Coventry, the Williamson used either air-cooled or water-cooled fore and aft 962cc flat twin…

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Vindec V-twin three wheeler Vindec 1902 -29 UK Parts and cycle suppliers to the trade and later motor and motorcycle parts and accessories factors, Brown Brothers Ltd of Great Eastern Street, London, entered the motorcycle world with the Vindec brand in 1902. Brown Bros also marketed machines under the Brown label during 1902-19. As Brown…

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French firm Ultima made motorcycles for 50 years. This is a 1923 model Ultima 1908-58 France Maker from rue Commandant Faurax, Lyon headed for many years by ME Billion. Early production centred round side-valve single and V-twin motorcycles using JAP and Zurcher engines. Later used Aubier-Dunne engines too. Through the Thirties, Ultima concentrated on 250/350cc…

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1937 Motor Glide motorcycle from Salsbury Sadrian 1956-63 Spain Established maker of lightweight three-wheelers who branched out into lightweight motorcycle manufacture, using 125-200cc Hispano-Villiers power.  Salsbury 1935-49 USA Super salesman and entrepreneur E Foster Salsbury conceived his idea for cheap personal transport in 1935. Salsbury folklore claims EFS had one of those flashes of inspiration…

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1953 Rabeneick F250 two-stroke twin Rabeneick 1933-63 Germany Bielefeld company founded by August Rabeneick to make ultra lightweights and autocycle type machines with bought in two-stroke engines including Sachs. AfterWWII its range was expanded to include 98-247cc two-stroke singles using Ilo and Sachs power. Briefly in 1951 Rabeneick produced larger horizontally opposed flat twin four-strokes…

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Minerva-engined 1901 Quadrant Autocyclette Quadrant 1901-28 UK Extravagant claims of ‘Britain’s oldest motor cycle’ were made in Quadrant’s mid-Twenties catalogues. True, they were pioneers, and extremely worthy ones too, but Britain’s first motorcycle makers they weren’t. That honour goes to the Holden, or perhaps… Not through any maliciousness, history was later created to suit the…

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During WWI, P&Ms were supplied to the military with many used by the Royal Flying Corps PA 1921-29 Belgium During the early Twenties a leading Belgian marque from Liege whose owner/designer Mons Praillet fitted a range of side-valve and ohv Blackburne engines. Later PA also used JAP and MAG units and built their own 250…

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Ohc OEC featuring ‘Atlanta’ engine OCMA 1953-c1960s Italy Well made two and four-strokes from 48-175cc. Typically Italian lightweight motorcycles, the sports models perform well too. Like many Italian machines, exports were limited but examples now find their way out of Italy. Different, but spares are difficult. OD 1927-35 (c1950s) Germany Assembly/manufacture began in Dresden with…

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Ner-a-Car 350cc sidevalve (Blackburne engine) Nassetti 1951-57 Italy Accessory maker Ettore Nassetti, who during the early to mid-1950s built friction drive cycle attachments, which were also supplied mounted in suitable frames. He went on to design and build 49cc mopeds including the Sery and Dilly, using both tubular and pressed steel frames. Neander 1924-29 Germany…

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1928 Magnat-Debon 350 Mabeco 1923-27 Germany Intrigue surrounds Max Bernhard and Co from Berlin, who began making near exact copies of 600 and 750cc Indian Scouts with engines built by Siemens and Halske. Following successful legal action by Indian, production stopped and Max Bernhard and Co folded to be reformed as Mabeco. Under this label,…

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