Collection

Search our collection

Clear all filters
Image
Category
Maker
Object type
Place
Material
Date

Velocette LE200 motorcycle

1955

Levis 2.25 h.p. two stroke motor cycle, 1916

1916

Ariel 'Leader' motorcycle

1963

Michaux-Perreaux steam motor cycle scale model

1868

Ner-a-Car B-Series Motor Bicycle

1925

Werner Motor Cycle, 1899

1899

Triumph Model H Motorcycle

1917

Avro monocar motorcycle

1926

Wolfmuller Petrol Motor Bicycle, 1894

1894

Rudge-Whitworth 3.5 hp motorcycle, 1911

1911

M21 Motorcycle and Sidecar

1958

Zenith-Gradua motor bicycle, 1920

1920

De Dion Bouton motor tricycle

1898

Ariel Square Four motorcycle

1959

F.N. 3 h.p. 4-cylinder motor cycle, 1905

1905

B.S.A. Twin-Cylinder Motor Cycle and Sidecar, 1922

1922

Steam Motor Cycle

1912

Douglas Dragonfly Motor Cycle, 1956

1956
N.S.U. Quickly moped, 49cc, c. 1961

N.S.U. Quickly Moped

1961
Raleigh moped bicycle, 1959. Raleigh Industries Ltd started making motorized bicycles in 1901, but production stopped in 1933. The Raleigh moped bicycle came into production in 1958 and was designed to provide personal motor transport at low cost. The design championed economy, ease of handling, maintenance, parking and safety as its key features. During the late 1950s there was a growing demand in Britain for independent transport, people were travelling further to get to work and parking was getting more difficult in towns. Mopeds were ideal as they were smaller than scooters and motorcycles and easier to drive. In 1960 Raleigh’s own moped was replaced by one built under licence from Motobécane and a copy of the French Mobylette.

Raleigh Moped Bicycle, 1959

1959
New Hudson autocycle Reg. No. 656 EHK, 98 c.c. manufactured 1955

New Hudson Autocycle

1955
Indian 3.5 h.p. single-cylinder motor cycle, 1911. This motorcycle was made in 1911 and has a 3.5hp 499 cc single-cylinder engine with speed gears and positive chain drive.

Indian Motorcycle, 1911

1911
O.E.C. motor bicycle, 1930, fitted with J.A.P. engine

O.E.C. Motor Bicycle, 1930

1930
N.S.U. Quickly 49cc moped, 1961 (including handbooks)

N.S.U. Quickly 49cc Moped

1961
Ariel motor tricycle, 1898-1899. Motor-tricycles were at their height of popularity in the 1890s. During this period Ariel Motors produced the ‘Ariel’ motor-tricycle, its design based on the De Dion-Bouton model of tricycle. The Ariel motor-tricycle was able to establish its reputation by winning the Paris to Marseilles to Paris race in 1896 at the speed of 14.5 mph, making the model very fashionable. This is an example of a later model than the machine that won the 1896 race and sports some improvements including enclosed gears and improved weight distribution positioning the engine in front of the axle.

Ariel Motor Tricycle

1898-1899
'Junior' Triumph, 2-stroke, 2.25 h.p. motorcycle, c. 1914-1918. These motorcycles were also affectionately known as the ‘Baby’ Triumph. They first started being produced in 1913 to satisfy the growing demand for economical lightweight motorcycles, and were so successful production continued until 1925. The later models were fitted with a clutch and kick-start, though models like this had neither and had to be started by sitting astride and ‘paddling’ off. These motorcycles also still carried the common Triumph feature of the front fork rocking about a single pivot.

Junior Triumph motorcycle

1914-1918
Vespa Sportique scooter, 1965

Vespa Sportique scooter, 1965

1965
Motor bicycle manufactured by the British Motor Traction Co. Ltd., 1899-1900. An example of when the idea of a motorising a bicycle was still new and was simply achieved by clamping a small air-cooled engine to a bicycle frame.

British Motor Traction Motor Bicycle

1899-1900
Airspring motor cycle, c. 1909

Airspring Motor Cycle, c. 1909

1909
Douglas 2.75 h.p. motor cycle, 1914

Douglas 2.75 h.p. motor cycle, 1914

1914
F.N. 2.5 H.P. single cylinder shaft driven motor cycle, 1909

Single Cylinder Shaft Driven Motor Cycle

1909
De Dion Bouton motor tricycle, 1899, plus a collection of components. This represents one of the most successful forms of early motor tricycle. The engine develops 1.75 h.p. which drives the tricycle at speeds of over 25 m.p.h.

De Dion Bouton Motor tricycle and a collection of components

1899
Werner 2 h.p. motor bicycle, 1902-3, with accumulator ignition, spray carburettor. Pedals, crank and chain missing. This model marks a major step in the development of the practical motorcycle. The location of the engine at the bottom bracket of the frame provided the best solution to problems of weight distribution and frame strength. In addition, the engine was actually built in to the frame, rather than simply being clipped on. The engine is a 262 cc, four-stroke unit with an automatic inlet valve and the De Dion-Bouton system of coil ignition. Lubrication is by hand pump. There is no clutch, and pedalling gear would originally have been fitted for starting and for assisting the engine where necessary.

Werner motor bicycle

1902-1903
Triumph motor cycle sidecar outfit, 1913

Triumph Motor Cycle Sidecar Outfit

1913
Brough Superior 11-50 motorcycle with sidecar, 1935

Brough Superior 11-50 Motorcycle with Sidecar

1935
A.B.C. Scootamota motorcycle, designed by Granville Bradshaw. These were first introduced in 1919 and were one of the earliest and best examples of what we would now just call a scooter. A cheap, simple and practical vehicle, Motor Cycling magazine was particularly impressed by its stability. Unsurprisingly the design was soon copied by other manufacturers, however Skootamota ceased production in 1921.

A.B.C. Scootamota Motor Scooter

1920-1921
3.5 hp Triumph motorcycle, 1907; an improved version of the 1905 3hp Triumph, the first wholly in-house designed and manufactured Triumph motorcycle. This design helped increase the popularity of motorcycling at a time when the market was at a slump due to the unreliability of the machines. The Triumph 1907 had a newly designed light frame with Triumph patented spring forks, a jet carburettor with magneto ignition, and a ball bearing engine. The motorcycle also claimed to have the most comfortable ride compared to other motorcycles. Due to these combined features of increased dependability and comfort the motorcycle had been transformed into a form of reliable transport.

Motorcycle

1907
James 4.25 hp motor cycle, 1913

James 4.25 hp motor cycle, 1913

1913
B.S.A. Golden Flash vertical twin-cylinder motor cycle, 1953. BSA Cycles has its origins in the Birmingham Small Arms company, founded in 1861 by fourteen Birmingham gunsmiths. In the 1880s the company branched out into the newly emerging bicycle trade. In 1903 the company first experimented in motorcycle construction and by 1951 it was successful enough to buy the struggling Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, making them the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. The Golden Flash motorcycle had been introduced a year earlier, a larger version of the 1938 Goldstar model. It led to the rise of the parallel twin engine layout, which was to dominate British design throughout the 1950s and 60s, and with its all-over gold paint scheme proved a popular escape from post war austerity.

Golden Flash motorcycle

1953
Singer 1.75 hp motor cycle, 1901.

Singer motor cycle with luggage carrier

1901
D.K.R. Capella motor scooter, 1961. Due to traffic congestion, high fuel costs and inadequate parking the motor scooter was becoming increasingly popular in Europe in the late 1950s. D.K.R Scooters Ltd started producing scooters in 1957, and in 1961 they brought out the Capella. The Capella was given a new style and body work and replaced most of DKR’s other models. The Capella’s basic design is typical of many of the scooters being produced in the 1960s while scooters and mopeds were reaching their peak of popularity. The growing scooter culture is illustrated by the production of the ‘Scooter Weekly’ supplement to the magazine ‘Motorcycling’. The Capella ran for five years until DKR Scooters ceased production in 1966.

D.K.R Capella Motor Scooter

1961
New Imperial motor cycle, 1935

New Imperial Motor Cycle, 1935

1935
Raleigh 'Wisp' moped, 1967. Mopeds and scooters were a cultural phenomenon in 1960s Britain. At their peak in 1964, imports stood at 100,000 a year and UK production at 36,000, yet by 1966 imports had sunk to 15,000 a year and UK production also continued to decline. However the aspects of modern life which initially caused the scooter's popularity, urban congestion, parking restrictions and costs, continued to rise. This led manufacturers like Raleigh to believe there was still a market. With the Wisp, Raleigh attempted to go back to the motorized bicycle, trying to appeal to a market that asked for ‘a design gayer, more cosmopolitan and less utilitarian appeal’.

Raleigh 'Wisp' Moped

1967
Swallow 'Gadabout' motor scooter, 1948. The Swallow Coachbuilding Co. Ltd was bought in 1945 by the Helliwell Group, an aircraft servicing and repair company. They started to produce the Gadabout in 1946 in an attempt to enter the emerging market for easily maintained, inexpensive, lightweight scooters. It was designed by two aircraft-men, Eric Sanders and Frank Rainbow, inspired by the foldable Welbike, used on airfields during the War. The Gadabout was billed as the "British Two-wheeler for Mr & Mrs Everyman", and was confirmed successful when adopted by public bodies including the Staffordshire Constabulary. The Gadabout Mark II followed in 1949 and the model continued to be made until September 1951. Another lightweight scooter was designed to follow the Gadabout, the Joyrider, but it was never produced.

Gadabout Motor Scooter

1948
P. and M. 3.5 h.p. motor cycle, c. 1911

P. and M. Motorcycle, 1911

1911
Royal Enfield 8 h.p. motor cycle and sidecar, 1921

Royal Enfield 8 h.p. motor cycle and sidecar, 1921

1921
Velocette Valiant motor cycle, 1959. The Valiant was launched in 1956 at the Earls Court motorcycle show. It was intended to combine the ‘civilized’ virtues of the LE Velocette with a sporting appeal for the younger rider. The Valiant had many of the LE’s features but was designed to be faster with a top speed 60mph. At the time this Valiant was made, in 1959, Veloce also released their entry to the scooter market, the Velocette Veeline. This was generally considered to be a Valiant but with a dolphin fairing and was produced until 1961. The Valiant faired slightly longer and was finally withdrawn in 1963.

Velocette Valiant motor cycle

1959
Corgi motor cycle, 1948. The Corgi is a fold-up motorcycle based on the military Welbike. The Welbike was designed to fit in a container and be dropped by parachute behind enemy lines during the Second World War. The design was redeveloped for a mass market by John Dolphin and production of the Corgi began in 1948. 27,050 were manufactured and some exported to the US, branded as the ‘Indian Papoose’. However even though additions like a side car and kick start were added, standards of motorcycles and living were changing in the 1950s and people wanted more than the very basic Corgi, so production ended in October 1954.

Corgi Motorcycle, 1948

1948
Humber 2.75 hp motor cycle, 1925, sectioned

Humber motorcycle

1925
Lamaudiere motor cycle, 1902

Lamaudiere Motor Cycle

1902