Vintage Motorcycle Days - 1920-1940
Although World War I ended in November
1918, rationing remained in force for some time and
it was not until the following year that motorcycle
factories were allowed to go back into production.
However, the end of the war coincided
with an enormous demand for transport, fuelled by
the returning servicemen and women, many of whom had
their first experience of motorcycles or cars while
at arms.
At first this demand was met by secondhand
pre-war models or reconditioned military machines,
of which there were many thousands - mostly the ubiquitous
despatch riders' Triumph single or Douglas twin, Prices
were high, there were long waiting lists and fuel
was in shoty supply, but demand was steady. The situation
was tailor-made for ingenious dealers and accessory
manufacturers to offer ways to make an old model appear
like a new one, or economise with gadgets such as
fuel-savers , 'hot' exhausts and plug protectors.
When restrictions on the manufacturers
were lifted, there still remained the problem of limited
raw materials, including most metals and rubber. Manufacturing
capacity was no problem at all, there was a host of
factories that had been forced to turn their attention
from profitable and intensive war work to the civilian
market. For fimrs such as Triumph, it was simply a
matter of reopening the production lines but there
were others with no pre-war experience, for whom the
seller's market was impossible to resist. Factories
that had until recently been building aircraft, tanks
or munitions began to turn their attention to motorcycles.
By the end of 1919, there were at least 50 new manufacturers
and within two years this had risen to over a hundred.
More than two hundred models were exhibited at the
first post-war Olympia show in 1919. Some of these
were gimcrack designs, hastily rushed into production,
other were simply 'assembly jobs' relying on bought-in
engines.
For the most part there was little immediate technical
advancement, for the war had shown what was worthwhile.
The emphasis tended to be on reliability and convention,
BSA, Matchless, Sunbeam and Clyno all showed bikes
that would have seemed familiar six years earlier.
Others such as Royal Enfield were prepared to experiment
with their prototype four-cylinder bike, which failed
to go into production. But the star of the show was
the revolutionary ABC, manufactured by the Sopwith
Aviation company. Representing a hugh technological
leap, this above all seemed to presage a new direction
for the industry, althought the detail flaws and financial
muddle that attended its launch were indicative of
the age in a less attractive way. Other industrial
giants were not far behind, such as Beardmore with
their Precision design that again proved to promise
more than it delivered.
Production got into full swing in 1920 but the euphoric
promise of a year before all too often proved impossible
to keep. Many price were nuch higher than had been
suggested.
Competitions had also returned in 1919. Hill-climbs,
sprints and trials regained all their pre-war popularity,
while the Isle of Man TT and Brooklands were back
in 1920. An ABC won at the first Brooklands event
while Sunbeam, AJS and Levis took the TTs. The 1920s
ushered in what many call the 'Golden Age' of motorcycling.
According to the strict definition, a 'Vintage' bike
is deemed to be one constructed before 1930.
As prosperity returned, customers increased in numbers
and the successful factories boomed. Motorcycling
was seen as socially acceptable for all classes. A
motorcycle could provide a family with transport or
be a workday tool. Sidecars were built with enough
seats for a large family or designed for butchers
and bakers to transport their wares. A solo motorcycle
was a very fashionable accessory for the young who
could afford the latest 'race replica'.
The basic motorcycle was similar to its pre-war counterpart
- usually a 500cc single cylinder side-valve - made
by Triumph or Norton. There was also a boom in lightweights,
such as the Levis and Royal Enfield, partly as a result
of a 1921 regulation which halved the tax payable
if the bike was under 200lb in weight. This helped
the motorcycle appeal to a whole new breed or rider.
Speeds also began to rise and sports bikes grew in
popularity. In 1924, a Blackburne-engined Cgarter-Lea
became the first 350cc to exceed 100mph at Brooklands.
Much of the interest in motorcycling was fuelled by
the glamour of racing and in particular the TT, which
attracted huge crowds throughout the period. Stars
such as Stanley Woods, Jimmy Simpson and Wal Handley
were household names, while riders such as Bert Le
Vack and Freddie Dixon became famous for their record
breaking exploits, hoisting the world record to almost
130mph by the end of the decade. Norton and Velocette,
among other manufacturers, built their reputations
with a string of wins that proved Britain really did
build the best bikes in the world. Such new sports
as dirt-track (speedway) sprang up and proved hugely
popular with the crowds.
It was only at the end of the 1920s that light cars
such as the Morris Minor and Austin Seven began to
offer a challenge to the motorcycle. There were three-quarters
of a million bikes - a third of the world's total
- on Britain's roads in 1929, when the New York stock
exchange collapsed. The shock waves of the Depression
soon reached Britain.
That year's motor show had seen the buoyant launch
of new luxury models, but economy would soon become
the byword. Weaker manufacturers went to the wall,
while others turned to new ideas such as hire purchase.
Prices went down and then reached rock-bottom in 1932,
when the annual show at Olympia was cancelled. A year
later the taxation classes were revised to favour
smaller bikes. By 1936, the 250cc pushrod-engined
Red Panther offered well over 110 mpg and cost less
than £30 cash, payable in weekly installments
of some 33p. Motorcycle sport continued to prosper,
perhaps as an antidote to the drab austerity of the
times. But comercially things failed to improve and
many famous factories were forced to close or merge
- Ariel, the second largest concern in the land, AJS,
Douglas and Sunbeam among them. One of the most significant
factors in the shape of the postwar industry was also
taking place in the Midlands, where Edward Turner,
late of Ariel, now of Triumph, was laying down the
form of the Speed Twin, a model that would dictate
the form of the motorcycle for three decades and more.
Meanwhile, an increasing continental challenge to
British sporting supremacy was being mounted by Italian
and German motorcycles. The great Stanley Woods switch
to Moto Guzzi in 1935 and won two TTs for the Italian
team and BMW, NSU and DKW began fielding technically
advanced racers trying to demonstrate Germany's engineering
supremacy. By the end of the 1930s however, the British
motorcycle industry was gearing up for a greater conflict
on a wider front. Within months Europe was at war,
drawing another chapter in motorcycle history to a
close.
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