Bradbury 1912 3½ HP 554 cc sv 3412

Bradbury 1912 3½ HP 554 cc side valve single frame # 36212 engine # 4815
Bradbury & Co. is one of the pioneers of the British motor cycle industry: already in 1902 the company advertises a motorcycle driven by a Minerva clip-on engine. Before motorcycles were being produced at the Wellington Works in Oldham, the company – established in 1852 – had already earned a worldwide reputation as Britain’s and Europe’s first sewing machine manufacturer. Bradbury & Co. was active on various markets: the firm also made bassinettes, bicycles, forecars and a range of engineers’ and machine tools. In 1903 the company starts producing motor cycles under Birch’s patent whereby the crank case is brazed into the frame. This crank case is made of steel; on the offside an aluminium side plate is fixed that houses the timing wheels and cams. This particular design point has the advantage that the engine is practically a part of the frame and this makes for a very rigid construction. This construction will become a Bradbury trademark and will be used till the end of motorcycle production in 1923. Year by year the models are improved: by 1908 both valves are mechanically operated, by 1910 the crankcase runs on ball bearings. The 1912 catalogue presents five models, all with bore and stroke dimensions of 89×89 mm. This means a change in cubic capacity, in 1911 bore x stroke were 87 x 87 mm, giving 517 cc. There are two models with direct drive, one model with a free engine hub and two models with two speed gears, one with belt drive and one with chain drive. The machine on offer is equipped with a practical NSU 2- speed engine pulley, that was specially designed to be used on Bradbury machines. The spark comes from a reliable Bosch magneto, carburettor is Brown & Barlow.

This sturdy and practical veteran has been excellently restored. She comes with current Dutch road registration and an extensive information file with press reports, photos, NSU 2-speed gear info, Bosch Magneto brochure and photostat copy of 1912 Handbook.