Oldtimers

Indian 1941 Model 441 “De Luxe Four” 1265cc inline IOE Four frame & engine # DDA 384 Early in 1927 Indian bought the entire assets of the famous ACE motorcycle corporation. Indian proceeded to manufacture the Indian–ACE until 1928 when the Indian Four took its place. The 1265 cc engine had overhead inlet valves and side exhaust valves and delivered in its late twenties form around 30hp. About ten years later this had grown to about 40hp and tuned examples were known to put out some 50hp! But wit ...

FN 1903 2 ½ HP 320 cc two stroke special frame # 12750 engine # 9438 FN (Fabrique Nationale d‘Armes de Guerre) was a Belgian company established in 1889 to make arms and ammunition for hunting and warfare. Soon it was decided that diversification of production was a good strategy to reduce the risk of peaceful times. In the late 1800’s the production of bicycle parts was taken up; soon complete bicycles were added to the programme, followed in 1900 by motorcars. At that time FN was already a maj ...

Scott 1926 Super Squirrel three speed 598 cc water-cooled two-stroke twin frame # 553 engine # Y9477 Alfred Scott, a gifted Yorkshire engineering genius, started experimenting with twin cylinder two-stroke power around the year 1900, when he mounted his little air-cooled twin in front of the steering head of his Premier bicycle. He kept on refining his design and by 1910 the open-framed machine, so much different from standard motorcycle practice, was attracting more and more attention. In 1912 ...

Indian 1925 Scout 600cc side valve V-twin engine # 55Y628 After WW I the Indian factory decides it is time to add a lighter model to the range that complements the successful 1000cc PowerPlus. The new machine is labelled “Scout” and it creates a sensation when brought out in 1920. The strong points of the new design are easy handling, lightness, ample power for the 1920s roads and unbeatable reliability. The new middleweight is also appealing to the prospective motorcyclists who are put off by t ...

Excelsior 1919 “Series 19” combination 974cc IOE V-twin frame # 17025 9 engine # 101612 The famous American Excelsior motorcycle was produced by the Excelsior Motor Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois from 1907 until 1931, latterly under the ‘Super-X’ brand name. The first Excelsior was a belt-driven single cylinder machine, the engine of which formed part of the frame. The engine itself was an inlet-over-exhaust ‘F-head’, a design then much in vogue because, whatever its limitations, it ...

Humber 1914 3½ HP 499 cc side valve single frame # H 2828 engine # F 2856 A Coventry firm with its roots in the Victorian bicycle industry, Humber began experimenting with powered transport in the closing years of the 19th century, introducing its first successful motorcycle -a built-under-license P&M – in 1902. Because of the need to increase car production motorcycles were discontinued after 1905. For the 1909 model year Humber came on the market again with a 3½ HP motorcycle, now fully of the ...

Mondial 1952 “Stampato” 198 cc OHV frame & engine # 590 Few marques have achieved so fine a competition record in so short a time as FB Mondial. FB Mondial was founded in the aftermath of WW2 by the Boselli family, whose first venture into powered transport had been with the FB (Fratelli Boselli) three-wheeled delivery van in the 1930s. The name ‘Mondial’ first appeared on a motorcycle in 1948, when the Boselli brothers introduced a revolutionary double-overhead-camshaft 125 cc racer. Mondial’s ...

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 1966 XLB “SPORTSTER” 883cc OHV V-twin frame # E 4440 engine # 66XLB 10118 When it was introduced in 1952, the Model K was as radical a machine for Harley-Davidson as the Knucklehead had been in 1936, and the company presented it as a fully modern motorcycle. With full suspension front and rear, a unit-construction engine, modest weight, foot shift/hand controls and clean styling, the K was clearly intended to address foreign competition in the U.S. market. Unfortunately the K’s s ...

Saroléa 1929 “24 T” 494cc side valve frame & engine # 100633 After having used Sturmey-Archer gearboxes for many years Saroléa starts to produce its own in 1927 and early in 1929 the factory is extended to some 6000 m2. Nearly all components of the bikes are made in-house now and the production capacity grows to 50 machines per day. Later in 1929 a brand new state-of–the-art production facility is commissioned which brings the production capacity to 75 machines per day. Saroléa is all ready for ...

Indian 1919 “ N-19 ” PowerPlus 998 cc side valve V- twin engine # 82M971 By 1915 the Indian Board started to have worries about the financial situation of the company, because the IOE engine and Hedstrom-designed carburettor were costly to produce. The inlet-over-exhaust configuration was adopted by most American manufacturers and was basically a good design, but it had one weakness: the inlet valve pushrods and rockers were external to the engine and thus exposed to the elements. This could giv ...

Indian 1923 “PowerPlus Standard” 998cc side valve V- twin engine # 71V183 The hugely popular PowerPlus enjoyed a nine year production run. Its side-valve engine proved utterly reliable and almost unbreakable. However, by the early twenties the Chief and Big Chief had taken up the top position of the PowerPlus in the Indian range. In the 1922 catalogue the PowerPlus was referred to as the “Special” and in 1923 the model got wider and more modern looking mudguards. It was then christened “Standard ...

Saroléa 1928ca Model “23T” 494 cc side valve single frame# 40282 engine # EAL 6 7196 Commercially the financial year 1928-1929 is very successful for Saroléa: the company makes a profit of 12 million Francs which is, related to the total capital of 18 million, an excellent result. The 1928 models feature an enlarged front wheel brake and this is also the last year that flat tanks are employed on the standard 349 cc and 494 cc machines; the “23U Racing” is already equipped with a saddle tank in 1 ...

Norton 1953 Model 7 “Dominator” 497cc OHV parallel twin frame # 51784 engine # 5178 The Norton twin first appeared as the Dominator Model 7 at the Earls Court Show in November 1948. Its cycle parts were based on the single-cylinder ES2 model, and it had a modified form of the Norton gearbox and a brand new engine, designed by Bert Hopwood. He had previously worked on the Ariel Square Four and Triumph twin and was to go on to BSA in 1949 to design the A10 before returning to the Norton board in 1 ...

ACE 1921 1229 cc 4 cylinder IOE engine # A1585 William Henderson created the fabulous Ace after he left the Excelsior Company in 1919. With growing discontent he had witnessed that the Excelsior engineers added more weight to the four between 1917, the year of the Henderson takeover, and 1919, without really working on better engine design or tuning. So he left and with financial backing of bicycle maker Max Sladkin he designed a faster, lighter and more graceful machine than the Henderson had g ...

AJS 1936 model 36/10 “Camshaft Trophy Competition” 498 cc OHC single frame # 7/ 795 engine # 36/10 1051 In 1931, in the middle of the economic depression, The Matchless Company had taken over AJS Motorcycles and moved production from Wolverhampton to London. AJS machines kept their identity for some years, but from halfway the thirties rationalization was the keyword and Matchless and AJS models became almost identical, even to the engine numbering system, in which first the year and then the mo ...

Saroléa 1924 “23K Supersport” 494 cc OHV frame #30115 engine# 30115 The first Saroléa OHV model, the “23G Supersport” was presented for the 1924 season and had long stroke engine with configurations of 80.5 x 97 mm. One year later a 350 cc version was presented, the “ 25F Sport”. Both OHV models were consequently further developed and became very popular with sports riders. Late in 1924 the 1925 494 cc OHV model was announced and got the designation “23K”. An improvement was the new rear brake: ...

Sunbeam 1925 “Light Solo” Model 5 499cc side valve frame#08192 engine#45/16221 S Although vintage Sunbeam side valve machines look very much the same to many people, there were actually three different 500cc models in the mid-twenties: the standard 85x88mm Model 3 machine was marketed as an all purpose machine and was suitable for sidecar work. The Model 5 “Light Solo” had the same engine dimensions but sports handlebars and footrests instead of footboards. The reciprocating engine parts were li ...

Triumph 1909 3½ HP Roadster 475 cc single speed frame # 159664 engine # 4686 The first Triumph motorcycle appeared in 1902. It was equipped with a Belgian Minerva engine. In 1903 and 1904 JAP and Fafnir ( German) engines were employed and by 1905 Triumph’s own engine, designed by Charles Hathaway was in use. Winning the single cylinder class in the 1908 TT races on the Isle of Man gave an enormous boost to sales of Triumph machines. The cubic capacity of the engine grew from 363cc in 1905 till 5 ...

FN 1925ca. “M50” 748cc four cylinder overhead inlet valve frame # 839 engine # 1756B Responding to demands from sidecarists for more power, FN introduces a 748cc, 7hp four – the Type 700 – for 1914. This new engine is a side valve of ‘T’-head layout, with mechanically operated valves and a mechanical oil pump, which drives the three-speed gearbox via a steel, multi-plate clutch. Pedal starting is dispensed with on the Type 700, a kick-start mechanism is added at the right-hand side of the engine ...

Indian 1946 Chief 1207 cc side valve V-twin frame # 3463097 engine # CDF3097 B In 1940, 39 years after the company’s founding, Indian went all-in on the skirted fender design, outfitting Scouts, Chief and Fours with the new tin ware. For many, the pre-’50 girder-fork Chiefs offer the best styling. After that date, telescopic forks were fitted, which threw off the aesthetics a bit in many people’s opinion. The 1946 brochure’s opening sentences are surely tempting: ”Drop into the saddle of this ne ...