| Val | 1913-24 |
| Vasco | 1921-23 |
| Vauxhall | The quality car company Vauxhall Motors decided to get into motorcycles in 1922 to provide a vehicle in a lower price range. Major Frank Halford designed the Superb Four, a 931cc inlined four, shaft-driven, with a massive duplex frame and numerous innovations, producing 30 bhp. After only a half-dozen machines were made, Vauxhall dropped the project in 1924. A rebuilt one was shown in a vintage rally in 1959. |
| Velocette | A family firm, Veloce Inc. was founded by German-born Johannes Gutgeman (changed to Goodman), who started making motorcycles around the turn of the century under name Ormonde. However, the company foundered in 1904 and he turned to bicycles, not coming back to powered vehicles until 1910, when sons Percy and Eugene joined the company and started under the name Veloce. Starting with two-strokes, Percy designed the ohc 206cc Type A, but his real breakthrough was the 350cc Model K in 1925, which was the blueprint for future models. This machine won the 1926 Junior TT and led to the KSS (sports) and KTT (racing) models of the 1920s. The first bike to bear the name Velocette was the 1939 GTP, a 250cc two-stroke.The company concentrated on racers until WW2, when they turned to less exotic but still different road machines. Included among these post-war models are the 350cc Viper and 500cc Venom singles - high-performance machines, fast and powerful. The Thruxton, a souped-up Venom made from 1965, was their most powerful machine and one of the best contemporary singles. An attempt to develop a 149cc (later 200cc ) shaft-driven, liquid-cooled scooter (the LE) in the late post-war 1940s proved unsuccessful and costly. While advanced, it was sedate and economical - and unpopular. Despite its flaccid sales, the LE remained in production from 1949 until 1970. The company went out of business in 1971. |
| Venus | 1920-22 |
| Verus | 1919-25. Built by Alfred Wiseman who also made Sirrah machines. |
| Victa | 1912-13 |
| Victoria | 1902-26 (28?).Scottish firm. |
| Villiers | Founded as Villiers Cycle Components Co. in Wolverhampton by John Marston (see Sunbeam) in 1898 to make pedals and other small fittings for his bicycle firm. Soon started making other products such as wheels, turning to engines and motorcycles in 1911. Originally planned for a 349cc four stroke, but switched to two-stroke design in 1912. Started mass-production with Mk 1 269cc two-stroke single in 1913. Closed in 1916 for war time production, re-opened in 1918. By 1922, they had advanced their design several times and were making the Mk V. They were also making 98, 147, 247 and 342cc sizes, branching out from that to make 18 models by 1925. They made a pressurized oil system in 1926, an inline twin in 1927 and water-cooled singles in early 1930s. Merged with four-stroke rival JAP in 1957 (58?). Taken over by shareholder Manganese Bronze Holdings in 1965, which later took over AMC to form Norton Villiers. At this point, Villiers stopped supplying engines to outside companies. Production of the Villiers engine closed in the UK, but continued on in Madras, India. |
| Vincent Vincent-HRD | See also HRD. Philip Vincent designed and built his first motorcycle in 1924. He purchased HRD in 1928 and continued a tradition of making fast, well-crafted but expensive machines. His prime innovation was his own design of rear suspension. After receiving a batch of poor JAP engines for his TT racing models in 1934, he decided to make his own engines and ended up with the series A line. Australian engineer Phil Irving joined Vincent to make the 1935 Meteor, a powerful 499cc single (sold in four models as the Meteor, sports Comet, Comet Special and TT racing models). The Comet line had both front and rear suspension at a time when most manufacturers had only front suspension. In 1936 he developed the famous 998cc V-twin. But the engine proved cantankerous and too much for current transmissions. After WW2, the 45 hp Series B Rapide was released with an upgraded transmission, a new gearbox and a radical new frame to offer a 110mph top speed. Comet and Meteor singles were brought back in 1948 (with a racing TT replica version), followed by the sporting 55 hp Black Shadow V-twin, capable of 120-128 mph (it weighed 458 lb dry, about 80lb more than a T100 Tiger). In 1949, Series C was released with new Vincent forks. But as good as the machines were, they were handcrafted and expensive. After selling only 11,000 machines post-war, a sales slump in 1954 forced the company to manufacture NSU mopeds (selling about 20,000) and Firefly engines under licence. Vincent released the Series D Black Knight (formerly Rapide) and Black Prince (formerly Shadow) in late 1954 but despite a wealth of technical innovations, their fully-faired styling was unpopular. Short supply of fibreglass encouraged an attempt to release them as 'naked' bikes, but it backfired on the market. Sales of new models of this "two-wheeled Bentley" were very slow. The company was also losing money in an experimental water scooter called the Amanda - predating today's jet skis by a quarter century. Vincent finally closed in 1955. Rollie Free broke the 150mph barrier on a Lightning in 1951 (?), Russell Wright set the world record at 185.15 mph and Robert Burns the sidecar record at 163.06 mph in 1955, both on Vincent Lightnings in New Zealand. |
| Vinco | 1903-05. Produced by W. H. Heighton Ltd. |
| Vindec | 1902-29 (1914-28?). Sold by Brown Brothers. |
| Vindec-Special | 1903-14 Same as Allright, built in Germany for Britain. |
| Viper | 1919-22 |
| Vitesse | Name derives from VTS the Valveless Two Stroke Company, of Birmingham. Engine manufacturer. |
| Voyager | 1990. A feet-forward machine like the Quasar, but without a roof. Used same Reliant car engine as the Quasar. |
| Vulcan | 1922-23. |
| Umberslade Hall | Not a manufacturer, but a think tank; an expensive, common research laboratory at Umberslade Hall (becoming known as "Slumberglade Hall," "Marmalade Hall" and "Mecca" because they "mecca balls up of everything"). It was assembled by Triumph and BSA to redesign motorcycles. It included few motorcycle engineers, but boasted a lot of engineers, many fresh from university. The cost to run the think tank, with its 300-member staff, was about 1.5 million pounds a year. A massive computer system worthy of NASA is installed.. The result of their Umberslade's early cogitations was the too-tall, generally disparaged oil-in-frame Bonneville. |
| Unibus | 1920-22. Advanced scooter made by Gloucestershire Aircraft Co. |
| Ladies' Pacer | 1914, build on Isle of Guernsey. |
| Lagonda | 1902-05 |
| lancer | 1904 |
| L&C | 1904 |
| Lea-Francis | 1911-26. Bicycle and early motorcycle manufacturer, founded by Graham Francis and R. H. Lea (Graham's son, Gordon, would go on to co-found Francis-Barnett). |
| Leonard | 1903-06 |
| Lethbridge | 1922-23 |
| Le Vack | 1923 |
| Levis | Made two-stroke machines from 1911 to 1931, when it added a line of four-strokes. First Levis was made in the Norton works, by Bob Newey, but turned down by James Norton. Newey joined with brothers Arthur and Billy Butterfield, and their sister Daisy (whom he later married) to set up their own company. Their first model was a 211cc machine. They achieved their first racing success at the 1920 TT with a 247cc machine, repeated in 1922. As a result, they adopted the slogan, "The Master Two Stroke" for their machines. Several models were made up to a 600cc single. Continued until 1941 when war ended production. |
| LGC | Small Birmingham company that used Villiers and JAP engines. Founded by Len Grundle in 1926. Closed in 1931.s |
| Lily | 1906-14 |
| Lincoln-Elk | 1902-24 |
| Little Giant | 1913-15 |
| Lloyd | 1903-26. Heavy sidevalves; 499cc singles and 842cc V-twins. |
| London | 1903 |
| Lugton | 1912-14 |
| Kempton | 1921-22 |
| Kenilworth | 1919-24. Scooter. |
| Kieft | 1955-57. Rebadged Hercules scooters. Name changed to Prior 1957-60. |
| King | 1901-07 |
| Kingsbury | 1919-23. Scooters and lightweights. |
| Kumfurt | 1914-16 |
| Kynoch | 1912-13 |
| James | James started out as a bicycle firm in Birmingham, founded by Harry James in 1880, moving to larger premises in 1890 and going public in 1897. Their first motorcycles in 1902 used Belgian Minerva and FN engines, but they made their own engine in 1908 and their own two-stroke in 1913. They started building four-stroke singles and large V-twins in the 1930s but went back to lightweights before the war. Production continued into the 1960s, based on two-stokes, notably the 250cc Commodore and the twin Superswift. They built the first internally-expanding brakes in 1908. James took over the Baker motorcycle company in 1931 (its founder built the first Villiers engines). About 300 Model ML (Military Lightweight, 125cc) James were used on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. About 6,000 motorcycle were produced in WW2 for the Allies. After the war, they reverted back to Villiers engines. The company was acquired by AMC in 1951 (47?) and ceased production in 1964, disappearing when AMC folded in 1966. |
| JAP | Named for James (John) Alfred Prestwich, who founded his own company at age 20, in 1894. Designed his first motorcycle engine in 1901, but it wasn't produced until 1903. Made the first overhead-valve V-twin in 1906. Built a 660cc three-cylinder engine for Dennell. Val Page worked for JAP before going to Ariel. JAP patented a desmodromic valve design in 1923.Very successful after WW1 supplying engines for many manufacturers, but as more companies developed their own engines, JAP relied heavily on industrial engine sales in the 1930s. Merged with Villiers in 1957. |
| JD | 1920-26. Clip-on engines. Another (?) company in 1902. |
| JEHU | 1901-10 |
| JES | 1910-24 |
| Jesmond | 1988-1907 |
| JH | 1913-15 |
| JNU | 1920-22 |
| Joybike | 1959-60. Scooter, 49 and 70cc. |
| Juckes | 1910-26. |
| Juno | 1911-23 |
| Jupp | 1921-24 |
| Imperial | 1901-04 |
| Indian | 1948-52. US firm. Brockhouse became a major stakeholder in the company in the 1940s, and started making a 250cc sidevalve in the UK, badged as the Indian Brave. It proved commercially unsuccessful and mechanically troubled. Indian then turned to Royal Enfield and started badging them for sale in the USA in 1954. |
| Invicta | 1902-06 and 1913-23 |
| Ivel | 1901-05 |
| Ivy | 1908-32 |
| Ixion | 1901-03 and 1910-23. Name revived by New Hudson, 1930. |
| Hack | 1920-23. Scooter. |
| Haden | 1920-24 |
| Hamilton | 1901-07 |
| Hampton | 1912-14 |
| Hansa | 1920-22 |
| Hansan | 1920-22 |
| Harper | 1954-55. Scooter. |
| Harewood | 1920 |
| Hawker | 1920-23. Designed by aircraft pioneer Harry Hawker. |
| Haxel-JAP | 1911-13 |
| Hazel | 1906-11 |
| Hazelwood | 1905-23. Many exported. |
| HB | 1919-24 |
| Healey | Built in Redditch in small numbers by the Healey brothers, 1968-74. |
| HEC | 1922-23. Another company of this name made autocycles 1939-55, merged with Levis during WW2. |
| Henley | 1920-29 |
| Hercules | 1955-61. Made mopeds. Another company in Derby made motorcycles in 1902 under this name. |
| Hesketh | 1980-82. Lord Hesketh planned to revive the failing British motorcycle industry. In 1981 he started with a new high-tech bike, the V-twin V1000, that offered all sorts of advances - the first British bike with four valves per cylinder and twin camshafts (although commonplace in Japanese machines). But lack of funding, technical problems and too much weight plagued the V1000. Despite some interest in putting Triumph badges on the bikes (Triumph was really in no position to fund it by now), after making 139 bikes, the company went bust in 1982. In 1983, Hesketh formed a new company (Hesleydon) to manufacture a revamped V1000 with a full fairing, called the Vampire, but it retained too many of the V1000's faults and only 40 were produced before the company closed again. Broom Development Engineering has continues to provide support for Hesketh motorcycles, even making around a dozen bikes a year. |
| HJ | 1920-21 |
| HJH | 1954-56. Welsh company. |
| Hobart | 1901-23 |
| Hockley | 1914-16 |
| Holden | ??? German company 1898-1903. May have had British subsidiary. |
| Hoskinson | 1919-22 |
| Howard | 1905-07 |
| H&R | Hailstone & Ravenhall. Also known as R&H. 1922-25. |
| HRD | Started by famed racer and WW1 pilot Howard Raymond Davies in 1925, after which he won the 1925 Senior TT on one of his own machines. HRD created three initial models using JAP engines, all designed for racing. Despite their quality, the bikes were expensive, so he tried to make lower-cost models, but he went bankrupt in 1928. OK Supreme acquired the name briefly only to sell it to Phil Vincent shortly after. The HRD name was dropped in 1950. See also Vincent. |
| Hulbert-Bramley | 1903-06 |
| Humber | Founded by Thomas Humber in 1868 (1870?) to make penny-farthings, then turned to bicycles. Made the first diamond-frame in 1884. Financial whiz-kid Terah Hooley took over the company in the 1880s, and Humber left in 1892. The company started experimenting with powered machines in 1896, working with entrepreneur Harry Lawson, who had the rights to build the De Dion engine, in Coventry. Lawson also had the rights to De Dion's tricycle, which Humber made for him in 1898. Started building P&M machines under licence in 1902 and exhibited their own Beeston-Humber machines in 1903. By 1908 they had their own lineup and soon had several race winners including the Junior TT in 1911. They announced a 750cc flat-three in 1913, but never produced it. In 1914, they made a water-cooled 500cc single and a water-cooled 750cc flat twin. During WW1 they made sidecar outfits for the war effort, returning to civilian production in 1919. Their 2 3/4 hp model had a great success in 1923 in the Scottish Six day Trials. In 1927 they announced a 350cc ohc machine, but it wasn't successful. Sales slumped and by 1931 the company had left motorcycling to concentrate on cars. Bicycle business was sold to Raleigh. |
| Tandon | Founded by Indian-born Devdutt Tandon in 1948 to make medium and lightweight motorcycles, first powered by 125cc (later 197cc) Villiers engines. Used novel rear suspension. Made Milemaster, Supaglid models, a Kangaroo trials model and Starlett, as well as several others. Closed in 1955 (57?). |
| Tee-Bee | 1908-11. Also called Tee-Bee Glasgow. |
| Temple | 1924-28 |
| Thomas | 1904 |
| Thomas Silver | 1909(?) Built same as Quadrant and Silver machines. |
| Thorough | 1903 |
| Three-Spires | 1931-32. Same company built Wee McGregor and Coventry B&D. |
| Tickle | 1963-73. Acquired rights to Manx Norton after AMC closed. |
| Tilston | 1919 (1917-19?) |
| Tooley's Bi-Car | 1905. Produced by Zenith. |
| Toreador | 1924-26 (1924-28?) Built by Bert Houlding, who also built Matador. |
| Torpedo | 1910-20. Same as Elswick, built by Hopper bicycle company. |
| Townend | 1901-04. Also called Townsend-Coventry. |
| Trafalgar | 1902-05 |
| Trafford | 1919-22 |
| Trebloc | 1922-25. Clip-on engines. |
| Trent | 1902-06 |
| Triple-H | 1921-23. Built by Hobbis brothers. |
| Triplette | 1923-25. Built by Hobbis brothers. |
| Triton | A name given to a Triumph engine placed in a Norton Featherbed frame to create a racing bike, and cafe racer popular with Rockers of the 1960s. Most famous Triton maker is Dave Degens, who formed Dresda Engineering. Another hybrid, the Tribsa, combined the Triumph engine within a BSA frame. |
| Triumph | Perhaps the greatest of all British marques and the only one that remains today. Began motorcycle production in 1902. The 1938 Speed Twin, designed by Edward Turner, changed motorcycling design, racing and production. See bottom of page for links to Triumph Motorcycle Timeline at www.ianchadwick.com/motorcycles/triumph/ |
| Trobike | 1960-61. Mini-bike. |
| Trump | 1906-23. Successful racing machines at Brooklands. |
| Turner By-Van | 1946-58. Two-wheeled goods carrier. |
| Tusroke | 1919 |
| Tyler | 1913-23 (1913-18?) After 1918 known as Metro-Tyler. |
| Gaby | 1914-15 |
| Gadabout | 1948-51. Scooter. |
| Gamage | 1905-24. Rebadged Omega, Radco and others. |
| GB | 1905-07 |
| Gerard | 1913-15 |
| Givaudan | 1908-14 |
| Glendale | 1920-21 |
| Globe | 1901-11 |
| Gloria | 1924-25. Name also used by low-end Triumph-built bikes 1931-33 (32-34?) that used 98cc & 147cc Villiers engines. |
| Grandex-Precision | 1910-16 |
| Graphic | 1903-06 |
| Graves | 1914-15. Built by New Imperial. |
| Green | 1919-23. Early pioneer of water cooling. |
| Greeves | Known for its trials and motocross bikes which won many international trials events, Greeves also made 250 and 350cc roadsters using Villiers or Anzani engines. Sample models Fleetmaster, Sportsman, Sports Twin, Hawkstone Scrambler, Anglian. Bert Greeves began building bikes in 1951, using Villiers engines. The bikes won several races in the 1960s, and started making their own engines in 1964. Greeves closed in 1977 when Bert retired. |
| Greyhound | 1905-1907. Also called Greyhound Hampstead. |
| GRI | 1921-22. Single-valve engines. |
| Grigg | 1920-25 |
| Grindlay- Peerless | Former sidecar maker. Made stylish roadsters from 1923; 150cc to 1,000cc V-twins using JAP and Villiers engines. Their big moment came when Bill Lacey set a world record by covering over 100 miles in an hour on a Grindlay-Peerless in 1928. Closed in 1934. |
| Grose-Spur | 1934-39. Lightweights. |
| GSD | 1921-23 |
| G&W | 1902-06 |
| GYS Cyclemotor | 1949-1955. Bicycle attachments. Changed name to Motoamite in 1952 (same as Cairns Mocyc) |
| Fagan | 1935-36, Ireland. |
| Fairfield | 1914-15 |
| Farnell | 1901 |
| FB | 1913-22 |
| Federation | 1919-37. Funded by the Cooperative Wholesale Society, which went back to groceries in '37. |
| Fee | 1905-08 |
| Few-Paramount | 1920-27 |
| FLM | 1951-53. Frank Leach Manufacturing. |
| Force | |
| Forward | 1909-15 |
| Francis-Barnett | Affectionately known as the 'Fanny B,' Francis-Barnett specialized in making economical and lightweight roadsters. Founded by Gordon Francis (whose father, Graham Francis was co-founder of Lea-Francis) and his father-in-law, Arthur Barnett in 1919. Moved into the former Excelsior works in Coventry when that company moved to Birmingham. They started using two-stroke, one cylinder 293 and 346cc Villiers engines in 1920. After the war, efforts to try to design and build their own engine proved financially unsuccessful so they returned to Villiers motors for their final years. In 1924 they used a unique bolted-together, triangulated frame which helped reduce weight, and costs. This also allowed the bikes to be taken apart for shipping and the company advertised it could be re-assembled in 20 minutes (two works fitters were filmed doing just that, the film still being available on video today). Fanny-Bs became popular in the trials world because of their lightness. In 1927 they worked with Villiers to develop a 344cc in-line, two-stroke vertical twin model, but it never sold well. Their most popular machine was their 250cc Cruiser (Model 39), made from 1933 to 1940 with Villiers two-stroke engines. In 1935 they offered their first four-stroke, using a 250cc ohv Blackburne engine. In 1938, they offered a 125cc unit-construction Snipe and a 98cc Powerbike autocycle. The Snipe was adapted to war use later. The Francis-Barnett plant was demolished in the same blitz that ruined the Triumph factory. Post WW2, the company used entirely two-stroke engines from 98 to 248cc. In 1947, the company was taken over by Associated Motor Cycles (AMC), but continued to produce bikes for almost 20 years, closing in 1966. Initially there were few differences between the AMC James and Francis-Barnett machines, although they developed independent designs later. AMC dropped Villiers engines, using a lower-quality AMC engine instead. However, the F-B 199cc Falcon 87, made from 1959-66 proved very popular. as a tourer The last model made was the 150cc Fulmar. A Francis-Barnett motorcycle is seen used by police on the British TV series, Heartbeat. |
| Frays | |
| Frogmore | |
| Fuller |
| Eadie | Founded in 1889. Made motorcycles under their subsidiary Royal Enfield starting in 1904. Albert Eadie was a founder of Royal Enfield. |
| Eagle | |
| Eagle-Tandem | 1903-05 |
| EBO-Leicester | 1910-14 |
| Economic | 1921-23 |
| Edmonton | 1907-24 |
| Elf-King | 1907-09 |
| Elfson | 1923-25 |
| Eli | 1911-12 |
| Elmdon | 1915-21 |
| Elswick | 1903-20 |
| EMC | Ehrlich Motor Company, founded in 1946 by Dr. Josef Ehrlich who moved from Vienna to England before WW2. Designed his own unique two-stroke motorcycles (singles), including racing models which won several events over the next 25 years. Production stopped or reduced in 1952. His 125cc was considered among the fastest of its size in the early 1960s. In 1963 he made a water-cooled 125cc twin. Ehrlich left in 1967, but the company continued fitfully until 1977. |
| Endrick | 1911-15 |
| Endurance | 1909-24 |
| Energette | 1907-11 |
| ETA | 1921. Three-cylinder radial engine with shaft drive. |
| Evart-Hall | 1903-05 |
| Ever-Upright | |
| Excelsior | Excelsior was Britain's first motorcycle manufacturer, starting production in 1896. Started as a bicycle company making Penny Farthings in 1874 in Coventry, under their original name, Bayliss, Thomas and Co. They started putting Minerva engines on bicycles in 1896 and built their own 'motor bicycle' in that year, although they continued to use outside engines (JAP and Blackburne) in most models. They changed the company name to Excelsior Motor Co. in 1910. In 1914, they offered a JAP-powered twin. A deal to supply the Russian Imperial government with motorcycles ended with the Revolution and Excelsior wound up with an excess inventory as a result. The Walker family (father Reginald ands son Eric) took over after WW1 and made a range of motorcycles from 98 to 1,000cc, mostly powered by JAP, Blackburne and Villiers engines, plus an 850cc Condor engine. The new company put more effort in competition and racing. To avoid confusion with the American maker of the same name, they called themselves the "British Excelsior." Their first major racing success was in 1929 when they took the Lightweight TT race on a B14, soon to be their most popular model. Excelsior specialized in small-size engine bikes and production racers like the complex but invincible 250cc Mechanical Marvel, which won the Lightweight TT in 1933. But the company wasn't doing well. The four-valve 250cc Manxman was released in 1935, later produced in 350 and 500cc sizes, as well as a 250cc model with fully-enclosed, water-cooled engine. In 1937 they made a 98cc Autobyke, the forerunner of modern mopeds and built a 98cc Sprite for Corgi. After the war, they used Villiers engines to make the 250cc Viking and in 1949 the Talisman, a smooth two-stroke with 180-degree crank. A later 328cc twin-carb sports version didn't sell well. Excelsior last manufactured a motorcycle in 1964 and folded in '65. Britax, a car accessory company bought the name and produced limited numbers of Britax-Excelsior machines in the late 1970s. There was another American firm of the same name, which made motorcycles from 1907, but was taken over by Henderson in 1931. The American Excelsior made larger bikes, including the Super X, a 750cc V-twin in the mid 1920s. |
| Saltley | 1919-24 |
| Sarco-Reliance | 1967-73. Offroad bikes. |
| Saturn | 1925-26 |
| Saxessons | 1923 |
| Scale | 1913-19. Not producing during WW1. |
| Scarlet | 1915 |
| Scorpion | 1951-56 (and 1963-65?) - offroad machines. |
| Scott | Founded by Alfred Angus Scott, who patented an early form of caliper brakes in 1897, a fully triangulated frame, rotary induction valves, unit construction and more. Scott was a true pioneer. He started making boat engines in 1900. He patented his first engine in 1904 and started production in 1908 with a vertical two-stroke 450cc twin, with patented triangulated frame, chain drive, neutral-finder, and two-speed gearbox. His two-stroke engine designs are still the basis of modern two-stroke engines. Very innovative company - created the first kickstart, monoshock rear ends, efficient radiators and rotary inlet valves. They offered drip-feed lubricators and centrestands in 1914, as well as designing unit-construction engines, friction-band clutch and twin pannier gas tanks. Scott quickly garnered a name for their liquid-cooled, two-stroke, parallel twin design that won numerous trials, hill climbs and TT races in 1911-14. But the two-stroke design was losing speed to four-strokes offered by other companies by then. By 1925, Scotts weren't winning races. Two-speed at first, their first three-speed appeared in 1923, and only after that did they return to some small prominence. Scott himself left the company in 1915 to set up an experimental workshop. After WW1, Scott turned his attention to a three-wheeler called the Sociable or Autocar, but despite its superior design, was not popular and led to financial disaster. Scott died of pneumonia in 1922 at age 48, and with him went the company's driving force. In trouble by 1927, they went into receivership in 1931. Albert Reynolds stepped in to save the company, but they never fully recovered and planned 650cc twin was never manufactured. Scott offered a three-cylinder two stroke (747cc, later 986cc) in 1934 and a 596cc Clubman Special in 1938. After the war, production continued with the 596cc Flying Squirrel, but ended in 1950. Then the company was taken over by Matt Holder's Aerco Jig and Tool Company. A 493cc Scott Swift based on the old design was made from 1956 to 1961. Later a later Silk model was produced, but it was a short-lived project. |
| Scott-Cyc-Auto | 1934-50. Same as Cyc-Auto. Scott took over in 1938. |
| Scout | 1912-13. |
| Seal | Made motorcycle-sidecar units from 1912 until 1933 using JAP engines and a three-speed gearbox. The sidecar contained the driving mechanism with a steering wheel, and both the rider and passenger sat in it. The actual motorcycle outrigger component had no seat. |
| Seeley | 1966-72. Colin Seeley got rights to make Matchless G50 and AJS 7R racers after AMC closed. |
| Service | 1900-12 (1911-15?) |
| SGS | 1926-33 |
| Sharratt | 1920-30. Originally a bicycle company. |
| Shaw | 1904-22 (1901-08?) |
| Sheffield-Henderson | 1919-23. Sidecar manufacturer, also made some motorcycles. |
| Silk | Small company started by racer/builder George Silk and Maurice Patey, in 1970, production started 1975. Started with a water-cooled 656cc twin. Went to 682cc in 1976 with their 700s production model. Closed in 1979. |
| Silva | 1919-20. Scooter. |
| Silver | 1907. Started by Thomas Silver after he left Quadrant. |
| Silver Prince | 1919-24. Built by Tyrus Cycle Co. |
| Simms | 1902. Made engines and magnetos, and some complete bikes. |
| Simplex | 1919-22 |
| Singer | Early British bicycle firm, founded by George Singer, that started in 1900 offering a 222cc four-stroke single (the engine design was bought from P&B, formed by former Beeston employee Edwin Perks and Harold Birch). The unique feature was the engine, gas tank and carburetor housed in a wheel! The design was used in the rear wheel and then the front wheel of a trike. Dropped out of motorcycles shortly after (around 1906), but returned in 1909 and built a series of racers and roadsters. In 1911 they offered a unit-construction 535 and 299cc models. In 1913 they offered an open-frame 'ladies' model.' They entered several bikes in races, including the Senior TT in 1914. The company also made more conventional bikes, but gave up after WW1 and turned to cars. They were taken over by rival Coventry Premier in the 1920s. Eventually the name was acquired by the Chrysler Corporation. |
| Sirrah | 1922-25 (1921-26?) Made by Alfred Wiseman. |
| Skootamota | 1919-22. Scooter made by ABC |
| SL | 1924-25 |
| Slade-JAP | 1920-23. Manchester. |
| Slaney | 1921-22 |
| SMS | 1913-14 |
| SOS | Super Onslow Special, later named 'So Obviously Superior' because they offered high quality products. Founded 1927, closed in 1939 at the onset of war. Models made with JAP and Villiers engines. Made water-cooled engines in 1932. Taken over by Tom Meeton in 1933 who added optional foot-change gearboxes in 1934. All-weather models offered deep-valenced mudguards, leg shields and under-shields. Also sold tuned versions under the name Meetons Motor. |
| Southey | 1905-25 (1921-22?) |
| SPA-JAP | 1921-23 |
| Spark | 1903-04. Name also used by Sparkbrook, 1921-23. |
| Sparkbrook | 1912-25 (1912-24?). Two strokes. |
| Spartan | 1920-22 and 1976-78. Two companies, latter made racing bikes. |
| Speed King-JAP | 1913-14 (1914-15?). Mail order motorcycles, sold by Graves. |
| Sprite | Small Birmingham company that started making 246cc scramblers and trials bikes in 1964. Founded by trials rider Frank Hipkin. Sold in the USA under American Eagle name. Company went broke in 1974, but continued later to make forks and wheel hubs until at least 1978. |
| Spur | 1916. Same as Grose-Spur. |
| Stafford | 1898 |
| Stafford Pup | 1920. Scooter. |
| Stag | 1912-14 |
| Stanger | 1921-23 Unusual V-twin design. |
| Stan | 1919. |
| Stanley | 1902 |
| Star | 1898-1914 (1903-15?) Car and tricycle manufacturer, and 1919-21 (also called Star-Griffon) |
| Starley | 1902-04. Built by Swift. |
| Stellar | 1912-14 |
| Stevens | Formed by the Stevens brothers after they sold AJS to Matchless. Made motorcycles and enginesfrom 1934 to 38. |
| Stuart | 1911-12. Same as Stellar. |
| Sudbrook | 1919-20 |
| Sun | Started as Sun Cycles and Fittings Company in 1885, making bikes. Began making motorcycles with Precision engine-powered vehicles in 1911.Made a rotary disc-valve two-stroke racer in 1922 using a Vitesse designed engine. Later used Blackburne, Villiers and JAP engines. Motorcycle production ended in 1932, but returned in 1948 with a 98cc autocycle, later made into a full motorcycle. Made small two-strokes powered by Villiers in the 1950s. Its 1957 250cc Overlander twin offered 'generous' weather protection. A scooter called the Geni was announced for 1958. They ceased production a few years later, when chairman Fred Parkes retired in 1961. Raleigh picked up the company, and continued the bicycle manufacturing side. |
| Sunbeam | 1912-57. Founded the Marston family, they had been making metal goods since 1790 and bicycles since the late 1880s. They made cars starting in 1902 when the Sunbeam company split from John Marston Ltd. Marston, 76, started making motorcycles in 1912. His first model was a 347cc side-valve single designed by John Greenwood, designer of the Imperial Rover. It had high construction quality and finish, an unusual engine-balancing system and an oil-bath all-chain drive. Sunbeams were known as the 'Gentleman's Motor Bicycle.' Sunbeam's attractive gold-on-black paintwork was much copied in its day. Marston and his son died during WW1 and the company passed to Noble Industries (later becoming ICI). They developed the motorcycles even further, winning TT races with their 500cc machines. A smaller range for the 1920s was aimed at cost-effectiveness, and quality suffered. The Sunbeam 90 of 1920 had an alloy piston, overhead valves at 45 degrees and a central sparkplug. Electrical lighting by Lucas was an option at extra cost in 1928. In 1930 the company was noted as 'A subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries.' The last sporting Sunbeam was dropped in 1934. In 1936, Matchless purchased Sunbeam when AJS, Matchless and Sunbeam became Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) Ltd., continuing production with four new models (245, 348, 497 and 598cc), and next year the larger models got pivoted-fork rear suspension. But the outbreak of war stalled production of new machines. After the war the company was bought by BSA. In 1947 they produced the S7, an advanced overhead-cam, unit construction machine designed by Erling Poppe, using shaft drive, and an ohc longitudinal twin engine. However, it hadn't the speed, handling nor quality of earlier Sunbeams. A De Luxe version was introduced in 1949, making 10,000 by 1952. But BSA made no effort to improve the line outside of an S10 variant, and the name and production were dropped after 1956. BSA later labelled its 175 and 250cc scooters as Sunbeams launched in 1958 and continued until 1964. |
| Superb | Founded by engineer William Frederick Hooper in 1920, his first design was an advanced Superb Four, an inline-four ohc, shaft-driven machine, with a pump-driven oil lubrication system, and using aluminum cylinders, upper crankcase and gearbox. Only a handful were produced and the under-funded company collapsed in 1922. |
| Supreme-OK | See OK-Supreme. |
| Supremoco | 1921-23 |
| Swallow | 1946-51. Sidecar manufacturer, built small Gadabout scooter. |
| Swan | 1911-13. Sheet-metal open frames. |
| Swift | 1898-1915. Bicycle manufacturer, made Starley machines until 1905. Returned in 1910 to sell rebadged Ariels, later putting Abingdon engines in them. |
| Symplex | 1913-22 |
| Dalesman | 1969-74. Offroad. |
| Dalton | 1920-22 |
| Dane | 1919-20 |
| Dart | 1901-06 and 1923-24 |
| Davison | 1902-08 |
| DAW | 1902-05 |
| Day-Leeds | 1912-14 |
| Dayton | 1913-60. Small engines, clip-ons and scooters after 1954. Made a small machine in 1913, and a scooter in 1955 but closed out in 1960. Dayton: also made an autocycle in 1938. |
| Defy-All | 1921-22 |
| De Luxe | 1920-24 |
| Dene | 1903-22 |
| Dennell | 1903-08 |
| Despatch-Rider | 1915-17 |
| Diamond | 1910-38. Bought by Sunbeam in 1920. |
| DKR | 1957-66. Scooters. |
| DMW | Dawson Motors, Wolverhampton. Started by W. 'Smokey' Dawson, who ran a small motorcycle business. Began making rear suspension systems in 1942, then progressed to grass-track 350 and 500cc JAP-powered machines. In 1947 they made a lightweight 125c roadster, moving to a 250cc vertical twin in 1953. Novel frame design used square-section tubing. They also made scooters, the most famous being the 250cc-Villiers powered Deemster. Made mostly trials and racing bikes until the late 1970s. |
| DOT | 'Devoid of Trouble,' founded in 1903 (1902?) by Harry Reed. Name probably originates with his daughter Dorothy's nickname, but the slogan was used in advertising from 1923 on. Started with Peugot and Fafnir engines. Reed won the 1908 TT on one of his Peugot-powered machines, with an average speed of 38.6mph. Reed became a regular competitor after that. DOT switched to JAP engines, then later Bradshaw. In 1926, the company was in financial trouble and had to rebuild, with Reed (50) leaving. The company continued to produce and race until 1932, when the Depression hit. They stayed in business doing contract engineering work until after WW2, when they re-emerged with a strong line in 1949. They lasted until 1973, when the doors closed. |
| Douglas | Based on Light Motors Ltd., founded by W. J. Barter. He produced his first single-cylinder motorcycle between 1902 and 1904, then turned to a 200cc horizontal twin called the Fee (French for Fairy, which it was later named). The company failed in 1907, but was taken over by the Douglas family, which owned the nearby foundry where Light had purchased components. Douglas concentrated on flat-twin engines in its motorcycles from 1906, using an engine designed by JJ Barter. They turned the engine into a 350cc model for 1907 and sold it through 1910 with increasing success. They won several races and trials events, and became a major supplier of machines in WW1, making 70,000 bikes for the allied effort, including about 25,000 WD models. The 1915 model had a fore-and-aft flat twin engine, belt drive, and full electrical lighting. Douglas built the first disc brakes in the early 1920s. During the 1920s, Douglas had a Royal Warrant for supplying motorcycles to Prince Albert (late King George VI) and Prince Henry. Performance for Douglas machines was good, and their reputation was great, but quality and workmanship were not. Despite this, they won several races including the 1923 sidecar TT and senior TT. Even King George V acquired a Douglas machine in this period. In 1934 they produced a 494cc shaft-drive model called the Endeavour. The company made several products including airplane engines, tractors, Vespa scooters, trucks and cars. In 1935 they were in financial trouble and were taken over by BAC. They continued to make motorcycles, and in WW2 made generators and bikes. In 1948, Douglas was again in economic distress and forced to rationalize its line to a series based on a 350cc flat twin. The last model made was the advanced and novel 350cc Dragonfly, in 1955. Distinctive looks and good handling couldn't hide the low top speed (75 mph, although a sports model claimed 84mph) and poor low-rev performance. A 500cc prototype was shown in 1951, but never made. The company was purchased by Westinghouse Brake & Signal, but new owners were more interested in making Vespa scooters, and motorcycle production ceased in 1957, although they continued to import and assemble Vespas and later Gilera motorcycles. |
| Downer Groves | |
| Dreadnought | 1915-25 |
| Dresda | Developed by racer David Degens, who acquired Dresda Autos in the late 1950s. He started making 'Tritons' (Triumph engines in Norton frames) which became popular race bikes. In 1965 he built a Triton, detuned for greater stability, and won the Barcelona 24-hour race on it. Later he also used Suzuki 500 twin and 750 triple, and Honda 750 quad engines. |
| Dunelt | Founded by Dunford and Elliott of Sheffield in 1919 with an unusual "supercharged" 499cc two-stroke single at at time when experts felt two strokes would never work above 350cc. Dunelt offered all-chain transmission in 1924. They became involved in sidecars in 1926. Their bikes broke several records in the 1920s including the first cross-desert ride (Cairo to Siwa and back in 1924) and the Double Twelve Hour World Record at Brooklands on a Model K in 1928. But their 1929 models were not a success and by 1931 the company closed its Birmingham plant. The company continued for a few years, making three-wheelers popular as commercial vehicles, but closed in 1935. A moped with the Dunelt name was shown at the Earls Court show in 1956. Company closed in 57. |
| Dunkley | 1913 and 1957-59 (Different company of same name that made scooters) |
| DUX | 1904-06 |
| Duzmo | 1919-23 |
| Dyson-Motorette | 1920-22. |
