by
Vic Holt
Being neither engineer nor historian, what follows is a loose approximation of the truth. I am not going to
chart the concise development of the motorcycle, but will touch on the early factors which brought it about.
Let us go back prior to 1880. Steam traction is reaching its zenith of development, most of this country’s main lines are built, both goods and passengers can be transported over considerable distances at relatively high speeds. The canal system still carries a fair amount of goods traffic. The horse provides personal transport, either mounted or in harness. Young men of a sporting nature ride Pennyfarthing (Ordinary) cycles, the less adventurous and ladies ride tricycles.
Over the next two decades several inventions brought about a revolution in transport, as far as the motorcycle was concerned. It was not just the invention of the internal combustion engine.
Towards the end of 1885 Starly and Sutton produced the Rover safety bicycle, with a loop frame without a seat-tube, which had wheels of near equal size and a chain transmission. Within a couple of years it gained a seat-tube and became the diamond frame that has been the standard form for many generations and thus the frame design of many of the early motorcycles.
Before I leave the humble pedal cycle it should be noted that the early chains were of pin and plate construction and due to their fragility often broke. They also had high frictional properties which led to constant maintenance and rapid wear. To combat this they were of large pitch (1inch) so that the number of teeth on chainwheel and rear sprocket could be reduced, thus saving on wear and rider effort.
It was not until Hans Reynolds introduced the roller chain in 1880 that some of the problems were resolved, but these chains were still relatively fragile. In 1889 FN in Belgium produced the first shaft-drive bicycle. Shaft-drive bicycles were made until the 1920s by several companies both in Europe and America.
Before the invention of the infernal combustion engine several attempts were made to propel a wheeled vehicle by steam, starting with the Vocipedraisiavapourianna of 1818, then the Roper Steam velocipede to the 1869 Michaux Perreaux machine. All appeared to be ungainly and cumbersome with low power output.
In 1862 Alphonse Beau De Rochas postulated the initial design of the internal-combustion or heat engine. This was then refined into the four-stroke engine by Nikolaus Otto in 1876.
It was another nine years before Gottlieb Daimler produced the first pseudo two wheeler powered by a petrol engine. These early machines tended to be of large capacity and low output (Hilderbrand and Wolfmuller’s first machine reached 240 rpm max). To supplement this low power a bicycle drive was often added to allow pedal
assistance for starting and on gradients.
Transmission of these early machines was a mixture. Often power was taken direct from the con-rod to a crank mounted on the drive wheel or by intermediate levers, such as in the Butler tricycle. This mimicked the steam locomotive. Some used chain drive, but for reasons given earlier these were not popular, except for supplying auxiliary power. They were also expensive and not easily repaired at the road side.
The most common form of transmission was by riveted leather belt. This system was well established in industry, it was easy to produce and relatively easy to repair either by blacksmith, cobbler or competent owner.
They allowed a certain amount of slippage which absorbed some of the shock and vibrations caused by slow-revving, poorly balanced engines.
They were adapted into multi-speed machines by the use of split pulleys on either drive or driven pulley.
Their disadvantages were, once wet they stretched and thus slipped. They also broke causing inconvenience and sometimes injury to the rider.
The belt drive system, although not perfect, lasted well into the 1920s, particularly on light-weight or cheaper machines.
Gearboxes when used were crude and usually of two, widely spaced ratios. Starting in first the beast would be accelerated to maximum revs, then dropped into second, whereupon the engine would CHUG- CHUG- CHUG until either it managed to pull away or stalled. Clutches were not often employed even on bikes with gearboxes. So drive was often permanently coupled to the wheel. This meant the starting and stopping required great skill and judgement.
The above applies to the earliest machines, from 1876 to about 1905, but a lot of the features were to be found on much later machines too. Early motorcycles were looked on as toys or novelties, not as a serious form of transport. (In an early race between a cyclist and a motorcycle, the cyclist won, much to the delight of the spectators). Many of the early machines were one-offs – even when several machines were produced from the same design they may not have been identical.
After about 1910 machines began to be produced in factories rather than workshops. Although hand-built they had more uniformity and could be identified as a particular model. A typical 1900s motorcycle was belt-driven, single-cylinder in a reinforced cycle frame. Fortunately not all motorcycles followed the same theme, some were of very advanced and sophisticated design. The early shaft-drive bikes fell into this latter group.
The first shaft-drive I can find was the FN produced in 1904, this was a four-in-line engine with inlet-over-exhaust valves and magneto ignition. It was 362cc and clutchless. The frame was the typical elongated
bicycle design with the petrol tank mounted under the top tube. It did however have an early form of telescopic forks. The shaft drive was fully enclosed and appears to be of the bevel type.
The engine capacity was first increased to 412cc and then again in 1911 to 491cc, by which time it was fitted with a clutch and a two-speed gearbox of the slide gear type mounted in the shaft. By 1914 the capacity had been increased to 748cc.
After WWI it failed to evolve and by 1923 had lost both its shaft-drive and popularity with the buying public. It is probably down to FN’s experience with bicycles that they were prepared to use the same technology on their motorcycles.
The 1911 FN The Curtis V8 The Wilkinson TMC
The next machine I have very little information on. The ROC tricycle was built by A. W. Wall and funded by the brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. Production started in Guildford and transferred to Birmingham. The power from the engine was transmitted to a worm-gear which drove a two-speed epicyclic hub gear in the back axle. Epicyclic gear is analogous to a Sturmey–Archer cycle gear. I have included this as the worm must have been mounted on a shaft.
For our next machine we cross the pond to the USA in 1907. Glenn Hammond Curtis was one of those breed of men who excelled at whatever they did. At the end of the 19th century he had been quite a successful racing cyclist, he was a cycle messenger for Western Union and also owned his own cycle shop.
In 1901 he started to build his own motorcycles, firstly single-cylinder, then twin- and three-cylinder machines. On these he became American champion. In his quest for speed he developed many innovations including the twist grip throttle.
In January 1907 he attempted the absolute land speed record at Ormond Beach. The monster of a machine he used consisted of a V-eight engine of nearly 4.5litre capacity, with two carbs each feeding a bank of four cylinders via poppet-type inlet valves. There was no clutch, the engine drove the rear wheel directly by shaft and exposed bevel gears. All this was hung in a strengthened bicycle frame with a 1.6 metre wheelbase. The total weight of the machine was 125kg.
The speed run was over a four-mile course, two miles for acceleration, a timed mile, then a further mile for stopping. He covered the timed mile in just over 26sec, a speed of 136mph. Unfortunately, on slowing down the bevel drive broke causing damage to the frame and so a return run was not possible and therefore the record could not be ratified. The bike never ran again and Curtis turned his attention to the aeroplanes for which he became famous.
The last entry in this section is British. The Wilkinson Sword company from 1909 produced a sophisticated luxury motorcycle – the Percy Taichi-designed TAC (Touring Auto Cycle) model, built in Acton, West London.
It drew many of its features from the motor car, even using a wheel for steering. It had an air-cooled four-in-line, 679cc engine with magneto ignition. A short shaft took the drive via a cone clutch to a three-speed
slide type gearbox. The final drive was by shaft to an under-slung worm drive. The frame was sprung at both ends by leaf springs. In place of a saddle it had a deeply upholstered bucket seat. The fuel was car ried in a curved tank sitting over the rear mudguard. Although the wheel base was quite long the bike was intended for solo use.
The TAC was superseded two years later by the TMC (Touring Motor Cycle). The steering wheel had been replaced by handle-bars. The engine was now 848cc and water-cooled. The shaft’s final drive was changed to bevel gears. The front leaf spring forks were replaced by girder type forks. In solo trim it was good for 65mph, with chair attached it could reach 50mph, not bad for 1911!
In 1913 the engine was increased to 996cc. and it was marketed as a sidecar machine. After the start of WW1 Wilkinson sold the manufacturing rights to Ogston Motor Company. Production seems to have ceased in 1916 when the government banned the production of civilian motorcycles.
From about 1908 there seems to have been a divergence in the development of the motorcycle between the marvellous and the mundane. The bikes that are covered here, plus the likes of Scott, Indian, Henderson ABC fall into the former group, while the single-cylinder, single-speed, belt-drive, the latter. WWI changed the use of the motor cycle from luxury plaything to a highly mobile versatile mode of transport. Unfortunately many manufactures did not return to motor cycle production after the war.
chart the concise development of the motorcycle, but will touch on the early factors which brought it about.
Let us go back prior to 1880. Steam traction is reaching its zenith of development, most of this country’s main lines are built, both goods and passengers can be transported over considerable distances at relatively high speeds. The canal system still carries a fair amount of goods traffic. The horse provides personal transport, either mounted or in harness. Young men of a sporting nature ride Pennyfarthing (Ordinary) cycles, the less adventurous and ladies ride tricycles.
Over the next two decades several inventions brought about a revolution in transport, as far as the motorcycle was concerned. It was not just the invention of the internal combustion engine.
Towards the end of 1885 Starly and Sutton produced the Rover safety bicycle, with a loop frame without a seat-tube, which had wheels of near equal size and a chain transmission. Within a couple of years it gained a seat-tube and became the diamond frame that has been the standard form for many generations and thus the frame design of many of the early motorcycles.
Before I leave the humble pedal cycle it should be noted that the early chains were of pin and plate construction and due to their fragility often broke. They also had high frictional properties which led to constant maintenance and rapid wear. To combat this they were of large pitch (1inch) so that the number of teeth on chainwheel and rear sprocket could be reduced, thus saving on wear and rider effort.
It was not until Hans Reynolds introduced the roller chain in 1880 that some of the problems were resolved, but these chains were still relatively fragile. In 1889 FN in Belgium produced the first shaft-drive bicycle. Shaft-drive bicycles were made until the 1920s by several companies both in Europe and America.
Before the invention of the infernal combustion engine several attempts were made to propel a wheeled vehicle by steam, starting with the Vocipedraisiavapourianna of 1818, then the Roper Steam velocipede to the 1869 Michaux Perreaux machine. All appeared to be ungainly and cumbersome with low power output.
In 1862 Alphonse Beau De Rochas postulated the initial design of the internal-combustion or heat engine. This was then refined into the four-stroke engine by Nikolaus Otto in 1876.
It was another nine years before Gottlieb Daimler produced the first pseudo two wheeler powered by a petrol engine. These early machines tended to be of large capacity and low output (Hilderbrand and Wolfmuller’s first machine reached 240 rpm max). To supplement this low power a bicycle drive was often added to allow pedal
assistance for starting and on gradients.
Transmission of these early machines was a mixture. Often power was taken direct from the con-rod to a crank mounted on the drive wheel or by intermediate levers, such as in the Butler tricycle. This mimicked the steam locomotive. Some used chain drive, but for reasons given earlier these were not popular, except for supplying auxiliary power. They were also expensive and not easily repaired at the road side.
The most common form of transmission was by riveted leather belt. This system was well established in industry, it was easy to produce and relatively easy to repair either by blacksmith, cobbler or competent owner.
They allowed a certain amount of slippage which absorbed some of the shock and vibrations caused by slow-revving, poorly balanced engines.
They were adapted into multi-speed machines by the use of split pulleys on either drive or driven pulley.
Their disadvantages were, once wet they stretched and thus slipped. They also broke causing inconvenience and sometimes injury to the rider.
The belt drive system, although not perfect, lasted well into the 1920s, particularly on light-weight or cheaper machines.
Gearboxes when used were crude and usually of two, widely spaced ratios. Starting in first the beast would be accelerated to maximum revs, then dropped into second, whereupon the engine would CHUG- CHUG- CHUG until either it managed to pull away or stalled. Clutches were not often employed even on bikes with gearboxes. So drive was often permanently coupled to the wheel. This meant the starting and stopping required great skill and judgement.
The above applies to the earliest machines, from 1876 to about 1905, but a lot of the features were to be found on much later machines too. Early motorcycles were looked on as toys or novelties, not as a serious form of transport. (In an early race between a cyclist and a motorcycle, the cyclist won, much to the delight of the spectators). Many of the early machines were one-offs – even when several machines were produced from the same design they may not have been identical.
After about 1910 machines began to be produced in factories rather than workshops. Although hand-built they had more uniformity and could be identified as a particular model. A typical 1900s motorcycle was belt-driven, single-cylinder in a reinforced cycle frame. Fortunately not all motorcycles followed the same theme, some were of very advanced and sophisticated design. The early shaft-drive bikes fell into this latter group.
The first shaft-drive I can find was the FN produced in 1904, this was a four-in-line engine with inlet-over-exhaust valves and magneto ignition. It was 362cc and clutchless. The frame was the typical elongated
bicycle design with the petrol tank mounted under the top tube. It did however have an early form of telescopic forks. The shaft drive was fully enclosed and appears to be of the bevel type.
The engine capacity was first increased to 412cc and then again in 1911 to 491cc, by which time it was fitted with a clutch and a two-speed gearbox of the slide gear type mounted in the shaft. By 1914 the capacity had been increased to 748cc.
After WWI it failed to evolve and by 1923 had lost both its shaft-drive and popularity with the buying public. It is probably down to FN’s experience with bicycles that they were prepared to use the same technology on their motorcycles.
The 1911 FN The Curtis V8 The Wilkinson TMC
The next machine I have very little information on. The ROC tricycle was built by A. W. Wall and funded by the brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. Production started in Guildford and transferred to Birmingham. The power from the engine was transmitted to a worm-gear which drove a two-speed epicyclic hub gear in the back axle. Epicyclic gear is analogous to a Sturmey–Archer cycle gear. I have included this as the worm must have been mounted on a shaft.
For our next machine we cross the pond to the USA in 1907. Glenn Hammond Curtis was one of those breed of men who excelled at whatever they did. At the end of the 19th century he had been quite a successful racing cyclist, he was a cycle messenger for Western Union and also owned his own cycle shop.
In 1901 he started to build his own motorcycles, firstly single-cylinder, then twin- and three-cylinder machines. On these he became American champion. In his quest for speed he developed many innovations including the twist grip throttle.
In January 1907 he attempted the absolute land speed record at Ormond Beach. The monster of a machine he used consisted of a V-eight engine of nearly 4.5litre capacity, with two carbs each feeding a bank of four cylinders via poppet-type inlet valves. There was no clutch, the engine drove the rear wheel directly by shaft and exposed bevel gears. All this was hung in a strengthened bicycle frame with a 1.6 metre wheelbase. The total weight of the machine was 125kg.
The speed run was over a four-mile course, two miles for acceleration, a timed mile, then a further mile for stopping. He covered the timed mile in just over 26sec, a speed of 136mph. Unfortunately, on slowing down the bevel drive broke causing damage to the frame and so a return run was not possible and therefore the record could not be ratified. The bike never ran again and Curtis turned his attention to the aeroplanes for which he became famous.
The last entry in this section is British. The Wilkinson Sword company from 1909 produced a sophisticated luxury motorcycle – the Percy Taichi-designed TAC (Touring Auto Cycle) model, built in Acton, West London.
It drew many of its features from the motor car, even using a wheel for steering. It had an air-cooled four-in-line, 679cc engine with magneto ignition. A short shaft took the drive via a cone clutch to a three-speed
slide type gearbox. The final drive was by shaft to an under-slung worm drive. The frame was sprung at both ends by leaf springs. In place of a saddle it had a deeply upholstered bucket seat. The fuel was car ried in a curved tank sitting over the rear mudguard. Although the wheel base was quite long the bike was intended for solo use.
The TAC was superseded two years later by the TMC (Touring Motor Cycle). The steering wheel had been replaced by handle-bars. The engine was now 848cc and water-cooled. The shaft’s final drive was changed to bevel gears. The front leaf spring forks were replaced by girder type forks. In solo trim it was good for 65mph, with chair attached it could reach 50mph, not bad for 1911!
In 1913 the engine was increased to 996cc. and it was marketed as a sidecar machine. After the start of WW1 Wilkinson sold the manufacturing rights to Ogston Motor Company. Production seems to have ceased in 1916 when the government banned the production of civilian motorcycles.
From about 1908 there seems to have been a divergence in the development of the motorcycle between the marvellous and the mundane. The bikes that are covered here, plus the likes of Scott, Indian, Henderson ABC fall into the former group, while the single-cylinder, single-speed, belt-drive, the latter. WWI changed the use of the motor cycle from luxury plaything to a highly mobile versatile mode of transport. Unfortunately many manufactures did not return to motor cycle production after the war.