From The Archive

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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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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Kawasaki GPZ900R was the bench mark sports machine of the eighties K125 1940s-1950s Russia Yet another copy of the DKW125. Modestly priced survivors have appeared since the end of the East/West divide. Spares will be a problem for, despite the design being heavily based on the Deek, much is not interchangeable. Kaptein 1938-1950s Holland Dutch…

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Star of the 1908 Stanley Show, the PL Renouf designed James Safety with for the first time a James engine Jackson-Rotrax 1949-66 UK Superb 500cc JAP-engined speedway machines by Alec Jackson. Many were adapted for grasstrack using a variety of engines. Still active and a choice motorcycle for vintage grasstrack and speedway. Jamathi 1962-77 Holland…

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