BRITTOUR 2001: M/C MUSEUM

The AMA UK/Isle of Man Tour (25 Aug - 6 Sep)

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The British National Motorcycle Museum is one of the largest m/c museums in the world with over 600 bikes.  The place has about 6 large rooms packed with bikes made in the UK.  It also has a restaurant, conference facilities, and a large gift shop with tons of books, models, clothing, and other stuff pertaining to motorcycling in the UK.  As you walk through the galleries and look at the features on the bikes, you really realize that "new" features on bikes have probably been done already.

In the first table, the 848cc 1912 Wilkinson may be among the first touring bikes (note the saddle).  Wilkinson made bikes from 1909 until 1916.  This bike went to war with a side car carrying a machine gun but the Army didn't care for it and went with other marquees.  The long wheelbase made it hard to maneuver.  Wilkinson decided to stick with its primary business of making swords and razor blades.  The 350cc 1925 Ner-a-Car, Model C is another early touring bike, with protection for yer feet and "ape-hanger" handle bars!  The 1930 Brough Superior with a 680cc overhead Vertical Twin features twin headlamps and "whale tail" pipes.  The bike looks like raw power even standing still!
 

In the bottom row of the first table, the 1937 500cc Triumph Vertical Twin was an experimental prototype.  The 1963  500cc Velocette V-line Venom Clubman (what a name!) was a pretty hot bike.  Its single cylinder ohv engine cranked out 37bhp @ 6200 rpm.  It also has a four-speed gearbox, telescopic forks, and a pivoted fork rear suspension.  The last bike is a Boost Palouste - powered by a rocket motor in post-World War II England.  Top speed was 183 mph.

Some early Brit touring bikes are in the next table.  The first bike, a 1000cc 1956 Vincent Series D Black Prince is a predecessor to plastic-enveloped touring bikes like the post-1988 Gold Wings.  The back wheel is covered in plastic and the fairing is too.  The headlamp is HUGE!  The 700cc 1959 Royal Enfield Constellation has a plastic full fairing.  The third photo shows a 250cc 1961 Francis Barnett cruiser, model 84.  Full fairing, twin headlamps, what more could you want in an anemic wee touring bike?  The last photo shows a Triumph Thunderbird that a father and son rode around the world (1982-1987) - 90K miles and 57 countries.
 

As in any motorcycle museum, you will see a lot of odd-looking things people have done to motorcycles and the British National Motorcycle Museum is no exception, as the next table shows.  The first bike in row one is a 1904 Quadrant Forecar was an early people-mover (the passenger rides in front of the bike!).  It has a second engine if it needs more power, as when the rider weighs more than the bike.  The 1924 SEAL (Sociable, Economical And Light) looks like a Ford Model T that lost one of its front wheels.  The 1924 BSA Taxi in the third photo was one of 20 operated for holiday-makers in Brighton, a coastal resort.
 

The first bike in the bottom row of the above table is a 990cc 1934 Morgan Super Sports trike that looks more like a sports car than a bike.  Maybe it's a prototype for Corbin's trikes?  The next bike is a 1500cc Don Sliger twin-engined Royal Enfield.  That's right, two engines.  Set a record speed of 203 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  The last bike is an 850cc 1983 Quasar.  Similar to a bike made in Massachusetts in the '80s, I think.

Lest we forget, motorcycles have had military applications.  Here are some bikes that have gone to war.  The first bike in the table below is a 750cc 1914 Clyno with a Maxim machine gun in the sidecar from World War I (1914 - 1918).  Bet they had few problems with cage drivers!  The next one is a World War II bike, a 1941 Matchless G3L WD from General Montgomery's troops that fought German General Rommel's Afrika Korps in the north African desert.  The third photo is a BSA, also from World War II.  (Trivia answer: BSA stands for British Small Arms, which tells you something about the main business of that brand of bike.)  That photo and the next one came from the Imperial War Museum's Duxford site, a World War II museum south of Cambridge, England.  On the second row, the first photo shows a German 800cc Zundapp K800-W bike.  The Germans also used BMW bikes.  The last photo shows a bunch of military motorcycle models at Eden Camp, a World War II memorial northeast of York.  The photos on the bottom are of a BMW with a sidecar and a Kettenrad (motorcycle tractor).  Basically an early ATV, Kettenrad were used to haul cargo and signals personnel.  The bikes on the ends of the top row of the collage are also German bikes or Motorradden.
 

Anyway, if you want more info, either visit the museum or write to them at:

The National Motorcycle Museum
Coventry Road
Bickenhill
Solihull
West Midlands
B92 OEJ