Motorfietsen - Groot-Brittannië: boeken - historie (2/2)

British Racing Motorcycles

With foreign-built motorcycles generally dominating road and track today, it is perhaps difficult to appreciate that the situation was not always so. There was a time when virtually every manufacturer in Great Britain listed a racing machine in his catalogue and British machines dominated the scene.

Between the world wars, Norton, Rudge, Sunbeam, AJS and Velocette shared the spoils of victory despite the efforts of Italy, Germany, Sweden, France and Belgium. It was not until the mid 1930s that success began to come the way of the continentals, at first in the lightweight class, when Guzzi and Benelli from Italy appeared in the list of winners, along with Germany's DKW.

For many years after her decline as a force in world motorcycle manufacturing, Britain (and the Commonwealth) continued to provide great riders; Surtees, Hocking, Hailwood, Read and Sheene, to name but a few.

Contents: AJS 7R, BSA Gold Star, Manx Norton, Matchless G50 & G45, JPS Norton, AJS Porcupine & 3-valve, Rocket 3 & Trident, Specials, Triumph GP, Two Strokes, Velocette, Vincent HRD & Thruxton.

Specificaties

Coventry's Motorcycle Heritage

Coventry was the birthplace of the British cycle industry and the city became heavily involved in the development of the British motor industry during the mid-1890s. From the first velocipedes built here in 1868, most of the later well-established cycle manufacturers quickly turned their attention to motorized vehicles, and many of the early motoring pioneers moved to Coventry to become part of this revolutionary work. Local companies such as Bayliss, Thomas & Co., Coventry Eagle, Humber, Riley, and Swift were just a few of the cycle firms quick to catch on, and steadily new companies were formed solely to manufacture motorcycles.

This book covers the history of all these companies and their products, focusing on the individuals who both founded and worked for such firms. From world-famous companies like Triumph, to the more obscure marques like Wartnaby and Draper, it provides a brief summary of each manufacturer, as well as an insight into the social history of Coventry at the peak of its involvement in motorcycle history.

Specificaties

British 250cc racing Motorcycles 1946-1959 - an era of ingenious innovation

From 1946 up to 1959, the 250cc class in Britain was supported almost entirely by privately built Specials and Hybrids.
This book recalls the men and machines involved, and traces their history and development, in what was clearly the most technically innovative class of Road Racing in the 1950s.

Specificaties

Motorcycle Road Tests 1949-1953 (from The Motor Cycle Magazine UK)

Dit boek bundelt twee delen die Floyd Clymer oorspronkelijk in 1952 en 1954 uitgaf. Het materiaal verscheen eerst in het Britse tijdschrift "Motor Cycle- en richt zich vooral op Britse motorfietsen en Europese modellen die in het VK werden verkocht.
Het deel uit 1952 behandelt motorfietsen; het deel uit 1954 bevat ook testen van scooters, driewielers en hulpmotoren.

Deze gecombineerde editie telt 120 pagina's en bevat 226 foto's. Voor elk voertuig zijn specificaties en prestatiedata opgenomen. In totaal bevat het boek 49 motortesten, 2 scootertesten, 2 driewielertesten en 7 testen van hulpmotoren.

Op de omslag staat een overzicht van de geteste modellen. Er zijn machines van verschillende fabrikanten opgenomen.

Motorfietsen: Ariel, Bown, B.S.A., D.M.W., Dot, Excelsior, Francis-Barnett, Greeves, Indian (Brave), James, Norman, Norton, Royal Enfield, Sunbeam, Tandon, Triumph, Velocette & Vincent.

Scooters: Vespa & Lambretta.

Driewielers: Bond & Reliant.

Cyclemotors: Berini, Cucciolo, Mini-Motor, Velo-Solex, Cyclemaster, Power Pak & B.S.A. Winged Wheel.

Specificaties

The British Motorcycle Story

Until the 1950s, even into the 1960s, British motorcycle makers ruled the roost, names such as Scott, Rudge, BSA, Norton and the mighty Triumph. There were many others now remembered by enthusiasts. Yet these were the companies which developed the motorbike from its earliest beginnings as little more than a bicycle with a tiny engine and made it the fast, powerful and exciting machine we recognise today.
This is the story of those British machines and their development, even the story of some who rode them. Within this story may perhaps be discerned some of the reasons for their demise, but this is primarily a story of success.

Specificaties

Motos anglaises - Les marques de légende

With over 550 brands to its name, including the legendary Ariel, Brough Superior, Excelsior, Vincent, Velocette, Triumph, Norton, BSA, Royal-Enfield and Matchless, the British motorcycle industry dominated the world of motorcycling for several decades.
Also present on the world's greatest circuits, where the Norton 16H side-valve motorcycles, then the famous Manx, or even the Triumph overhead valve twins of GP and the unforgettable Velocette KTT won so much success, English machines have long been at the top of the competition. Riders such as Phil Heath, Joe Davis, Ken Kavanagh, Bill Lomas, Dick Mann, Geoff Duke or Bob McIntyre, Phil Read and the unforgettable Mike Hailwood, have also contributed to the success of English motorcycles by repeatedly offering them the laurels of victory.

With over 400 illustrations, this French book traces the history of the British motorcycle industry and its most iconic manufacturers, as well as the riders who brought them their letters of nobility. It should be noted that Triumph, legendary and indestructible, occupies a privileged place in this book.

Specificaties