MV-Augusta

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MV Augusta

Vintage bike MV Augusta

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Norton story

Norton models

MC museum Surahammar


 

 

Norton The man from salvation army, James Lansdown was the one who loved precision. He created Norton, 1902, cycle. The firm was founded already 1898. With this he sold part for bicycles. In the beginning he used engines from Clement or Motor Rev. When Norton with Rem Fowler won the first Isle of Man TT, James decided to construct his own engine. Well James had no good health and because of being away very much, the firm went bankruptcy and soon he died. Any way it was started, or saved, by one of his part deliveries. The time between wars was an continuing development and competition. Norton was a winning machine. The constructions from Norton were for the time advanced. Besides the cycle won Isle of Man more times than anyone else. They had no competition from other producers.

During WWII Norton got a army contract and delivered over 100000 single and side car cycles. Even a model with third wheel drive. This is something one never hear of. The three wheel drive are only well known from BMW and Zündapp. After the war Norton continued their dominance, with Featherbed frame and the famous Manx models. The company also put money for selling in America with a racing team. They won most competitions and had almost HD on knee. Difficulties, strikes and Japanese import pushed Norton out of money and with government money Norton was joined to NVT (Norton Villers Triumph Group). In spite of big reductions one didn't succeed to kill Norton completely. At last the company was sold to a Canadian Company inclusive the name and later Norton Motorcycles of Canada was founded. The goal for this company was to build nostalgia machines in small series.

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DKW Hilfsmotor

DKW motorycles

DKW models

DKW classic models

Johnson Motor Wheel
 

Fahrrad DKW Hilfs-motor 1919
 
Two-stroke engine which was produced in a series of 20000. An ordinary bicycle in which the rear luggage carrier was removed and in this place the engine was mounted. The power was transmitted to the rear wheel by an ordinary transmission belt. The construction was made by Hugo Rappe at DKW. The engine gave 0,7 kw (1 ps). Note the name of the bicycle is Hermes. Compare with Johnson Motor Wheel.

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Swedish version

AJS 1928

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Stevens Screw Factory

A.J. Stevens Co 1909

AJS Motorcycles

Retreat Stevens Factory

Stevens Motor Manufacturing Co

History of AJS

Vintage AJS

Brief story AJS

AJS MC today

 

AJS 500 1928 The motorcycle which is shown here is made at the end of the original owner's production. It was the family Stevens 1931 A.J Stevens Motorcycle Ltd. Wolverhampton was in economical difficulties and had to sell their company to Colliers & Co in London. This form stood behind the mark Matchless cycles. But much had happened before this. Already 1874 Joseph Stevens had registered his firm Joseph Stevens & Co. This company was working with screws and other small details made of steel or brass. The qualifications were perfect for this company to take care of the petrol engine in order to produce some sort of vehicle. The Stevens family had 9 children and also in the former generation there were several heirs. One should also know that at this time a producer of screws had to know much of all sorts of special threads as the Whitford thread standard not official until 1841 and in common use about 1860. Different threads were very important in spinning mills during this time. The senior son Harry was the boy that should bring the firm working in the direction for vehicles. He bought an engine from America 1894. It was a Michel  one cylinder petrol engine. It was not a good construction when it didn't run well. This was not accepted by the severe engineer Harry Stevens. The result was that they had to make it better. This work was put in action and 1897 they were ready. The engine gave 1.75 hp. They understood with the help of such engines power could be transferred to working machines in a garage. Harry saw also the potential to mount them on bicycles and in this was earn money. The high wheels were on the way out and normal cycles were popular.  Now the brothers started Stevens Motor Manufacturing Co. In their old working place there were an old BSA cycle and in this the mounted the Mitchell engine in order to test their ideas. During the time the delivered the rebuilt engine to Wearwell Cycle Co. Before for this cycle producer they had delivered parts like spokes screws and nuts and other details for their production.

This firm was owned by William Clark and he understood on a more expensive product like a cycle with engine than simple cycles. Stevens Motor gott the contract to deliver engines after thet he had seen the BSA cycle. This new motor bike was called Wearwell-Stevens motor bicycle. It had a mechanical exhaust valve and an automatic inlet valve. From 1902 the engine was improved yearly and Steven wanted of course make one themselves. They also tried to produce a three wheeler 1903. During the down period in business about 1905 Stevens had to divide the motor company from the screw part just to save it from the up and downs in production. Anyway it went well with both till their largest custom had to be suspended because of improprieties with money. This was the reason for that Stevens created a new company A.J. Stevens Co Ltd. This became AJS. The production was now running good together with success on the racing tracks. In the end 1930 AJS held 114 world records with AJS cycles. The Stevens brothers decided to during the second part of 1920th to start with cars and busses. This continued up to 1931 when depression forced them to sell AJS and the motor company to Collier & Sons. Now AJS became a mark within Matchless Motor Cycles. Cars and busses went to Crossley Motors. Stevens Screw Co was still in the hands of Stevens bothers. At Colliers AJS became the second mark and was only used when racing cycles were merchandised. For this reason the AJS mark disappeared and became only a special cycle. Collier change it's name to AMC and later in the 70 th it became Norton Villers. The production changed to  Cross/Scrambler machines and the enthusiast Fluff Brown was their prime driver. His son has then re-created the name AJS in order to sell both touring and cross machines. How did the screw company manage in these hard times? The still living family members Jim and Joan decides 1991 to continue with their Screw Co in small scale and this will continue as far as they decide.

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Swedish version


Solid Värnamo

Solid

This is a Swedish bicycle converted with a Swedish made engine 1½ hp by a firm in Värnamo Swedish cycle shop. The engine was sold complete or just the parts before machining.

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Swedish version

Huskvarna 1928

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CD:s for diferent Husqvarna models

Husqvarna factory museum

 

 

Huskvarna 1903 - Husqvarna 1000 cc almost identical to a Indian or HD, technically from the 30th. The company started to sell bicycles and later they put in a small engine.  Already 1920 they had their own 550 motor and later a 1000cc. With this they went into competitions. It was a success mostly due to the brilliant designer Folke Mannerstedt. Huskvarna won several World Championships. During the 30th they brought in line with what people wanted. Cheap 2- stroke bikes were sold. With successful models of these types Huskvarna managed till end of 50th. With the help of world known drivers like Bill Nilsson, Håkan Carlqvist and Torsten Hallman Huskvarna became a Cross machine with a high reputation. Huskvarna was bought and all products that didn't suit Electrolux were sold. The motorcycle part was bought by Cagiva in Italy 1986.

Sorry to say all these kind of fusions are leading to that the mark disappears from market some time later. In this case Huskvarna, as a company, ended all production and lots of good engineers and workers went out of job. The end result of the fusion with Electrolux, became only a short time higher book-keeping finances for Electrolux. For some time Huskvarna only produced freezers and alike. The best ad at that time was "Do as Electrolux buy Huskvarna". Several of the designers and drivers started their own production. Husaberg! They had difficulties with money and had big problems to economically fight the Japanese dragoons. The bad luck for Huskvarna was that they had an extremely wide production program and among these product they had freezers. Eletrolux was also a freezer producer and had to invest overflow money. Today in the honorable workshops of Huskvarna city it is only a very nice museum. Pity, Sweden might have had a mc producer with a high standard.

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Swedish version

Baylies Thomas 1928 

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Thomas Bayliss

Excelsior Motor Co

Excelsior motorcycles

Welbike

Models

 

Bayliss Thomas 1919 - 1930 Car were built 1922 - 1928 Excelsior 1896 - 1965 The company was established 1874 by John Thomas Bayliss. He merged early with Penny Farthing Bikes and changed name to Excelsior. This company now produced both cars and motorcycles. As this name already was on the market both in Belgium and Germany and also America they had to sell under the name Bayliss Thomas.

1920 the company was bought by R Walker & Sons i Birmingham. They did not produce their own engines. Instead there were Blackburn, JAP and Villers. A cheaper model was sold under the name Monarch. During WWII they were involved in the small mc for parachute troops. It was named Welbike.

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Swedish version

EBW 1923

 

Ernst Bücher Wilhelmsdorf Berlin 1923 - 1924
EBW 175 cc or 139 cc 1923

This motorcycle has a German heritage and the model i put together by bought parts. The engine is made by the producer.
Nothing is found on internet for this mark. Encyclopedia of Motorcycles has two lines about EB and only the year 1923 and engine volume of 139 cc.

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Swedish version

No comments.

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Swedish version

Skaftarp 1934

 

Homebuilt by the Sandberg brothers 1934.

They have later converted to gas.
Skaftarp a small village quite near Rydaholm.

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Swedish version

Supreme

Supreme 172 cc 1928.

This small motorcycle is a try to start production in the middle of Sweden. Engine is bought and the frame is produced locally.