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SUN Cycles

hi mojm
yes they did have a place in aston brook st i cannot remember they had the old baines first then moved to aston brook st aston
its been at least fifties years since she told me the history i can picture the old lady now i could even go to the named road and the house and the colourof there house
but she definately told me it was where george baines was on the corner of finch rd way back in time before they bought it and created the bakery
late 1800s to early 1900s they was there
astonion
 
Hi Astonian: Re: Sun Cycles... My mother worked for a few years at Sun Cycles in Aston Brook Street. I went to her office a several times and the Parkes family who ran Sun Cycles for many years were very kind to me. My Mother worked for Peter Parkes mostly as his secretary. There was also a Mr. Armfield whom she also did work for. Our first caravan holiday in 1953 at Cromer was in Mr. Armfield's caravan. The Parkes family were very good business people and had quite a modern outlook for their company in the l950's.
They used bright yellow stationery all embossed headings on good quality stock for their letterhead and green typewriter ribbons. No one that I know of in Brum was using anything but the standard type stationery used all over the place and in some cases a left over from the Edwardian era.
Astonian, I wonder if that lady that you mention was a relative of the Parkes family?
Just before I started my first secretarial job at British Rail my typing speed was in need of some work. Peter Parkes loaned me one of the typewriters
from Sun Cycles to practice on before I started my job at New Street Station in 1957. He brought it to the house personally. Mom and I also attended Peter Parkes' daughters wedding in Edgbaston.
 
hi jenny
that was very intresting to hear that what you had to say about them that was him he was a genuine kind person even when i met them for the very first person
they was most sincere people and highly proffessionial in every think they said and even done
yes every think was done in yellow the post hoarding they left behind above the bakery after theymoved out and went to aston brook st
even there big house was yellow and white it must have been a lucky colour for them but i surpose it represented the sun and there trade mark for there bussiness
i had known them for years jenny we all think its abig world but its amazing just how small the world is isnt it
many thanks for your input on this thread and remembering them sad to say there isnt that many decent people of that kind left in theworld today
jenny many thanks aghain take care alan astonion
 
Hi all!

Very interesting to read all the memories of Sun Cycles.
I'm currently restoring a Sun Wasp solo from the mid 50s and happen to have several Sun catalogues from the late 30s to 1967ish and if anybody wants to see any particular model I can upload some pics of them.
Sun bicycles were high quality machines in their day and deserve to be remembered and preserved.

If anybody wants to check out my Wasp solo on Flickr here's the link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/page4/
Scroll down the page a little.

Also had a lovely 1937 Sun Wasp ladyback tandem, pics here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/sets/72157624172942122/

If you check my Flickr photostream there are several Birmingham made bicycles on there: )
Several great Dawes machines for example, and, if you think Redditch is of interest, also a smashing Royal Enfield or two!

John.
 
My Sun 'Vitesse' bike was bought for me in July 1955 for my birthday in November, it was bought from a cycle shop in Selly Oak where Sainsburys is now, it cost £19-19-6 old money with a free bell. It is still going strong although I don't ride it very much now there is too much traffic on the roads for my liking. It has a maroon coloured frame and is about 90% original parts. It is a much travelled bike going from B'ham to Lincolnshire and Yorkshire while I was in the WRAF, back to Brum and finally to Scoland .

Hi Pamela Y.
I looked through my Sun catalogues and can only find one Super Vitesse from 1951. But I bet it is very similar to yours.
Here is a link to it on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/5351834588/
It's listed as available in Plum which might very well be your maroon!
How nice that you still have yours!

John.
 
Viscount, your site is fantastic and you have a deep passion for bikes that is obvious. I was hoping to see the 54ish Rudge Special that I had. Anyway a great site, thanks.
 
Viscount, your site is fantastic and you have a deep passion for bikes that is obvious. I was hoping to see the 54ish Rudge Special that I had. Anyway a great site, thanks.

Well, thank you kind Sir!
Had a couple of Rudges, the sweetest being this 1947 one:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/4284780845/

For 1954 try this one: )
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesruz/4404182104/
Not sure I should be promoting Coventry/Nottingham bicycles here but Rudge were lovely bicycles.

(I need to check how to upload the pics here directly: )

John.
 
Hi John
Thank you for the info,yes that is my bike except mine has straight handlebars,I wasn't allowed to have the dropped ones. It must be officially plum coloured. I hope to ride up the road to TESCO's in the better weather.
Regards Pam
 
Sun motorcycles

Are there any people out there that used to work at the Sun motorcycle factory, Aston Brook St (i think).If so have you any history you can share with me ie photos of the factory or even the motorcycles. There are lots of photos on the internet but none from the original source.
We have two 1951 Sun Challengers under restoration and would be nice to be in touch with people that actually put these together.
 
Re: Sun motorcycles

Sun Motorcycles, like so many other MC firms, came out of older, bicycle, firms. The first Sun Motorcycle appeared in 1911 and continued in manufacture until 1933. After WWII with the dearth of cheap transport, Sun started again with a 'moped'. Like most of these, flimsy tin pressings housed a Villiers engine. In 1948 a lightweight motorcycle appeared, known as the Challenger. Sun produced many variants in the 50's, the 99cc Hornet, 224cc Cyclone and 249cc Wasp twin, there were competition variants too. In 1957, they jumped on the scooter craze with the 99cc Geni.
By 1960 however, like so many B'ham MC firms, Sun having been owned by one family since the start, they decided to retire. All manufacturing rights were sold to Raleigh, and any post 60 Bicycles came from Worksop.
Does that help ?
 
Are there any other Sun Cyclone owners out there?
I have one manufactured in 1955 and first registered in 1956. I had this restored in 1999 and to the best of all the info I have tracked down so far, she looks pretty original. She does not have the optional chrome tank plates but does have what appears to be Challenger MKIV brass tank badges. May of the parts are pattern or after-market now but I would love to hear from anyone with any more info on these machines. Willing to share.
 
Apologies to anybody clicking on my Flickr links in my old posts above. They are all dead since I closed that account.
I will edit them out if I can, since clicking on dead links is quite annoying I know very well.
Most of my stuff is now being transferred to my own site here:
https://www.bicyclz.com/

There are a few Birmingham bikes on there, plus some of Leonard Gundles great carrier bikes, and Royal Enfields, Rudge, etc.
More to be added as I get time.

John.
 
Re: Sun motorcycles

I have just coming into a Sun Challenger 197cc original paint and in many pieces. I will be bringing it back to life and wondered if there were others out there who have recently done the same. Andrew
 
Re: Sun motorcycles

Hi Andrew we also have a 1954 challenger waiting to go back together. What year is yours?
Regards Bud.
 
Re: Sun motorcycles

Hi Andrew we also have a 1954 challenger waiting to go back together. What year is yours?
Regards Bud.

Mine was built in 1956 and registered in 1957. Same as me.

Same as me. We put it all together with a friend when I was 16 and we found it in a friends shed. Still original paint mostly and the engine turns over.

What shape is yours in?

Andrew
 
Re: Sun motorcycles

All repainted and engine restored waiting to be put together. Working on a 122cc at the moment so it will have to wait.
Yours must be a challenger mark IV with a Villiers 8E engine and a frame prefix of VMC.
Keep in touch on the progress and post a photo when finished and I will do the same.
Regards Bud.
 
Can see there are no replies here for a few years now!

Does anyone here have a 197cc plunger? I'd like to connect with you if so.
 
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