Rrosenthal

1901 Astor-powered Orient single Olmo 1951-c1961 Italy Production began using Mosquito clip-on units mounted under the pedal crank of suitable cycle frames and then moved into moped production using 50cc proprietary units. Olympic 1903-05 and 1919-23 UK Wolverhampton cycle-maker Frank Parkyn, who displayed MMC-powered motorcycles at the 1903 Crystal Palace Show, restarted production of lightweights…

Continue reading »

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…

Continue reading »

Parilla 250cc ohc single, influenced by British design Parilla 1946-67 Italy Of Spanish parents, Giovanni Parilla was born in 1912 in Southern Italy. The family later moved north, to Mantova, and by his teens Giovanni found himself in Milan where he started his first business, a garage, which went on to specialise in diesel pump…

Continue reading »

Late Fifties Peugeot moped Peugeot 1899-Present France Today a renowned car and commercial vehicle maker, and also leaders in the twist and go scooter/moped marketplace. Considering their world standing, it seems impossible to believe the founder Jean-Frederic Peugeot opened his tiny business in 1811 at d’Herimoncourt making stays for ladies’ corsets. Much later, due to…

Continue reading »

Vespa was launched onto a transport-starved Italian market in 1946 Piaggio 1945-present Italy Rapidly became, first, a national then world leader in terms of production. By 1978 they’d sold over 6,000,000 machines and 15 years later hit 10,000,000. A true international player, Piaggio remain among the world’s leading motorised two-wheel makers by volume, on occasions…

Continue reading »

Villiers-powered 346cc Pouncy Piatti 1952-58 Belgium and UK A truly European venture, designed by a London-based Italian Vicenzo Piatti who also boasted a Milan home, they were initially put into production by the famed Brussels coachbuilders Les Anciens Etablissements D’leteren and then later by Cyclemaster of Byfleet, Surrey. Prototypes appeared at the 1952 Brussels Salon…

Continue reading »

The new-for-1911 budget Premier 246cc sidevalve Premier 1908-1915/1933 UK, Germany and Czechoslovakia As Hillman, Herbert and Cooper, the forebears of Premier had been involved in the formative years of the cycle as opposed to the ‘Ordinary’ (Penny-Farthing). Their early offering, a front wheel drive high wheeler wasn’t that successful, but significantly it was given the…

Continue reading »

Big v-twins were offered early on by Puch and often used for sidecar duties Puch 1903-87 Austria, 1987- Italy Puch’s history is somewhat complex. Born in 1862 Johann Puch, a cycle mechanic, set up his first business in 1889. Two years later he established the cycle making firm Johann Puch and Comp Fabriksmassige Erzeugung von…

Continue reading »

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…

Continue reading »

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…

Continue reading »