The Douglas manufacturing company was founded in 1882 as a family business which branched out into motorcycle manufacturing in 1907. Douglas venture into motorcycle making began when one of their customers, Joseph F. Barter’s Light Motors…
The Triumph Speed Twin is the bike said to have saved Triumph from disaster in the post Second World War era. Originally designed by Edward Turner – the creator of the Ariel Square Four – the…
BMW’s first venture into motorcycle manufacture was with their tube framed R32, R42, and R52 series (See our Revivaler post on these bikes here). Tube frames proved to be fine for motorcycle construction but BMW had…
BMW began in 1916 when the aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke was reorganized to become BMW. This was done at a time when the First World War was at its height. At the end of the…
You’ve no doubt heard of the Girling brake manufacturing company. Before they were called Girling the company was called New Hudson, and before they became a brake manufacturing specialist they began as a bicycle maker and…
The Triumph Thunderbird went into production soon after the end of the Second World War in 1950. Rationing was still very much in place in Britain and British manufacturers were left in no doubt by the…
