A to Z Reference

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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Early Seventies 125cc Star-Dream L300 1932-c1948/50 Russia DKW 294/346cc two-stroke clones built in quantity, many for military use. Also ohv 348cc single. Never seen one but, considering numbers built, survivors must exist. Labor 1908-60 France Intermittent production commencing with 300/350cc singles by Courbevoie firm which became part of Alcyon group. Later production included 98-248cc two-strokes…

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Denis Parkinson poses on his 250cc ohc Excelsior Manxman Excelsior 1896-1964 UK The early history of the Bayliss, Thomas and Slaughter – later Bayliss, Thomas and Co – is a story of ‘firsts.’ They were the first company to coin the name Excelsior – on a cycle in 1874 – and the first British company…

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Benelli 354 Sport Benelli 1917- Italy The six Benelli brothers, with help from their mother, Teresa, established an engineering firm in Pesaro in 1911. A 75cc two-stroke, clip-on motorcycle was designed in 1917, which had grown to 98cc by the time production started two years later. The first complete motorcycles were built in 1921. Antonio…

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The two stroke Velocette was to form the basis of Veloce’s early range. This is a 1925 example Velocette (Veloce Ltd) 1904-71 UK German born Johannes Gutgemann emigrated to England and the Midlands in 1876. Eight years later he married Elizabeth Ore. They had five surviving children, boys Eugene and Percy and girls Adele, Dora…

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Announced for the 1910 season, the first of the new generation of Royal Enfields Royal Enfield 1898- UK Humour of sorts has been aimed at motorcycle marques since time began. Much good natured, some less so. And of the world’s major players, Royal Enfield have been the butt of more jokes than most. Yet as…

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The early Zedel-engined NSU with the inclined engine suspended from frame tube NSU 1900-1965 Germany Heinrich Stoll and Christian Schmidt started their knitting machine (Strickmaschinen) repair and manufacture business in 1873 at Riedlingen, a Danube island town. A year later the flourishing enterprise moved to larger premises at Reutlingen though Christian and Heinrich dissolved their…

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1924 Kenilworth Miniature Kieft 1955-57 UK Business – founded by Cyril Kieft – best known for their 500cc single seat racing cars and later sports cars – who also marketed German built Hercules 147/198cc scooters and 198cc motorcycles under the Kieft label. King 1901-07 UK Although I only know of one survivor, the King marque…

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Enfield (now Royal Enfield) Bullet Eagle 1910-15 USA Quality made Spake-engined singles and V-twins. Now rare and expensive. EBE c1920-30 Sweden Proprietary engine manufacturer who made cycle clip-ons and then complete machines with 172-598cc engines. A number of 172cc ohv models with three-speed Sturmey Archer gearboxes survive in Northern Europe. EBS c1924-30 Germany Berlin manufacturer…

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1908 Bat 7hp V twin BAC 1951-53 UK After the Bond Minibyke design and production was taken over by Ellis of Leeds, the Bond Aircraft and Engineering Company built two conventional but very small motorcycles called the Lilliput. The 125cc version powered by a JAP two-stroke engine was in production for a year while the…

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