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First Motorbike

john70

john70

master brummie
Dad allway,s had motorbikes after he came out of the army after the war, so I couldn,t wait for my 16th. birthday when I could have my own. It was a Francis Barnett 125, that looking back I think dad chose on purpose for me, as it wouldnt pull your hat off, and top speed was 37 MPH. I had it for 12 months, and swopped it for a BSA 350 B31 model, that was a great bike, which I had for 2 years or so, then a 500 Ariel, a Square Four Ariel combo, and a few more before my last one a 650 Ariel Huntmaster. Great day,s.
 
First motor cycles

The first M/bike I had was a 350cc AJS which I bought brand new for £198.0.0,after 12 months I Traded that in for A Matchless G9 500cctwin brand new £272.o.o, and I was allowed £150 off Part exchange for the AJS,of course this was in 1954
 
My first motorbike was a 1932 Francis Barnett hand change, at the time I was working as a young lad at Albion Engineering in Upper Highgate Street, they made gearboxes for Royal Enfield and Villiers, they very kindly gave me a foot change box which must have been surplus to requirements.
 
Darby, what year was you working at the Albion.? I've a mate who worked there,it would have been the late forties early fifties.
 
Hi Darby,

I a currently doing a research on the Royal Enfield WD/CO motorcycles, which were made for the forces during the second world war. There have been made nearly 30.000 of these motorcycles, but one batch of 3.000 bikes has NOT been equipped with the Albion gearbox. A Burman was used in stead, and there are rumours that this was because of the bombing of the Albion factory during one of the German air raids on Birmingham. It is said that Albion couldn't make enough 'boxes anymore, so they had to look for an alternative. The "demand date" for this contract was 14/03/1942. Can anybody please confirm this theory? Was the Albion factory (48-56 Upper Highgate Street) bombed at the beginning of 1942?

Thank you very much for your help with my research,
Cheers,
Jan
 
On my Air Raid Map the area was heavily bombed, Upper Highgate St was blitzed by Incendiary bombs and a bomb failed to explode just by Angelina St end of Upper Highgate St so the area had to be evacuated till the bomb disposal could deal with it....
 
rewdco,
If my memory serves, the toolroom and machine shop did seem a bit more modern than the rest of the building so it is possible that it was bombed, if I were you I would ask Cromwell.
 
Hi Darby, hi Cromwell,

Thank you very much for this rapid reply!

In the original Royal Enfield factory ledgers, now in the posession of the Royal Enfield Owners Club, I have found that they never stopped production of the Albion equipped motorcycles. The army used to order contracts for 5.000 bikes, but all of a sudden, they ordered two contracts at the same time, both for 3.000 bikes, but one contract with the usual Albion, the other with the Burman gearbox. The production of the previous contract (5.000 motorcycles with an Albion 'box) was postponed for nearly one year, and replaced by this double contract. It looks indeed as if all of a sudden, the production capacity became smaller, and it seems very plausible that this was because of the air raids.

If anybody would have more information about the Royal Enfield WD/CO, I would be delighted to hear so!

Thank you very much in advance for your appreciated help,
Regards,
Jan
 
Dear Cromwell,

May I call upon your knowledge once more please. I have now also found the address of the Burman factory: Wychall lane in Kings Norton, Birmingham. Has this factory been spared during the air raids? Unfortunately, it is also outside the reach of the scanned fragments that I found on the internet...

Thank you very much in advance for your reply,
Regards,
Jan
 
Hi Brummie Nick,

Don't know where the hair clippers were made :) , but the Wychall lane, Kings Norton address was on their late 1930s gearbox spare parts lists... Maybe they went to another location during the war years, who has got more information about Burman?

Regards,
Jan
 
Jan, Stephen Burman (later Sir)who's family started the company was a fireman in Selly Oak and Kings Norton Auxillary Fire Service in 1937 and during the war he was head of the A.F.S.and he became second in command for the region ..........for his work he got M.B.E his sister was a BBC Radio announcer...My wife's father worked all his life at Burmans after leaving the Merchant Navy after the war making gearboxes at Kings Norton well into the 1960's
 
According to my "bible" (Kelly's 1949 directory):-

Burman & Sons Ltd. manufacturers of horse & barbers' clippers,motor cycle gear boxes & steering gears; Ryland Road,Edgbaston 15 (works)

But by 1968-69:-
Burman & Sons Ltd. manufacturers of horse & barbers' clippers, & steering gears; Wychall Lane,Kings Norton,30



Colin
 
Colin during the war the Burman & Sons Factory in Rylands Road made munitions.. Mills grenades etc.
 
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Albion versus Burman gearboxes

Hi Cromwell,
How interesting!
I have read that many WD/CO motorcycles have been used by the NFS / AFS. Just a thought: if Mr Burman had a high rank or knew the right persons in the AFS, maybe he's lobbied a bit to see his own products on the NFS / AFS bikes in stead of gearboxes from his competitor Albion...

I have found out that it took more than one year (from 11/07/'42 till 27/10/'43 to be precise) to build the 3000 Burman equipped bikes. This is a rather long period compared to the time it took to finish the contracts for the Albion equipped bikes (as an example: the sister contract for the 3000 Albion equipped motorcycles was finished in just over 4 months; 12/10/'42 till 17/02/'43). Maybe the Burman bikes were a special contract for the NFS / AFS? ??? ??? ???

Any ideas, anybody?

Thanks in advance for your reply,
Regards,
Jan
 
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Hello, I hope that nobody will object to me diving in here. I joined the forum on Jan's recommendation although my loyalty is not to Redditch bikes with Birmingham bits but to Nortons.

I'm restoring a 1939 16H Norton which seems to have been abandoned in Belgium by the BEF prior to Dunkirk. My researches into correct specification have also led to the aspect of bomb damage to Birmingham factories as a possible explanation for production changes.

According to information in some of the Norton histories, many of the steel pressings were made by another R.T. Shelley group company, Talboys who seem to have been in Tame Road Witton. I have read that Talboys was also bombed (in 1941 ?) and that this led to the cessation of their production of the "Talflow" tank-top air filter which had been developed by Nortons, with subsequent production of a similar item being taken over by Vokes in Guildford.

Tool box and mudguards also underwent some changes around this time. Can the forum confirm the bombing of Talboys and any further information ?

I should also mention that having spent most of my adult life immersed in names like Bracebridge Street and Aston Brook Street, I would be fascinated to hear any anecdotes relating to Nortons, Shelleys, Roberts who made their rubber fittings etc.

Incidentally, I knew John Hudson who was the former factory Service Manager and one of the very few who moved to London when AMC transferred production. I heard him say on a number of occasions "I have no idea why Woolwich felt the need to change it, Birmingham would never have done it that way !"

I have to say, as an almost South Londoner, he was right. There is a clear quality difference on the Birmingham built bikes:)

Rich.
 
Jan, the raids had stopped on Brum by July 42 except for a few lone German planes.
In the 40's Secret bands of rough riders were stationed all over Birmingham and the Midlands they were extremely Mobile units which consisted of crack motor cyclists, heroes of the dirt track and hill climbing trials they were stationed at strategic points ready to tear of at a moments notice at top speed to deal with parachute or plane landings, all been trained by Western command so this was a hidden pool were motorbikes went to as well as the ARP Despatch Rides, The Birmingham Motorbike Museum has a few books on the subject of the Norton as well as the restored bikes on show
 
Dudley Zoo during the war???

Hi,

In my previous postings, I have been asking for information on the Royal Enfield WD/CO motorcycles equipped with a Burman gearbox. I have reason to believe that they have been used by the National Fire Service. Now I have found that many of these WD/CO/B models (that's their official name) have been despatched from the factory to "Dudley Zoo" during the war! All the other WD/CO motorcycles were despatched to war offices all over the country, but not to a Zoo... Would anybody of you know what these motorcycles could have been used for? ??? ??? ???

REgards,
Jan
 
Hi Jan: If someone of the forum doesn't come up with the info you are seeking perhaps you can e-mail the Motorcycle Museum in Bickinhill. Here is the website with contact details. If they don't have the information they will know to whom to direct your query. Good Luck https://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/
 
rewdco, motorbikes where sent to various strategic places all over the country so they could be used by rapid response teams to counter enemy parachute landings.
 
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My first (and last) motorcycle was a James 98cc...........which I recall pushing further than I rode it!!
 
Motorcycles

My First Bike Was A Raliegh Ultramatic From Halfords In Bearwood, I Was 16. Since Then (some 43 Years)i Have Had Bikes Ranging From Suzuki 80, Triumph Cub, Zundapp Bella, Many Honda 90's, Honda 250, Yamaha600s To By Now Bike Which Is A Yamaha 900xjs.
As A Youngster I Used To Go To Darley Moor Racing And Now Some 40 Years Later I Am Still There But With My Son And My Grandsons.
 
re first bike

My first ride on a motor bike.was on a little tny thing with high handle bars and high seat,it was called a corgy,some one brought it to school one day.the sience teacher took us all in the play ground ,to teach us how
to ride it.he said paratrupers.had them,becouse they folded up.any one remember them? Or better still a piccie pete
 
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re motor bikes

Hello,This a story of a friend of mine back in 1970,he was like doc brown from the film back to the future,and just as daft.he was mad on motor bikes and all kinds of thee weelers,We one day he turned up with a ac disabled cars,them blue things,i looked,and when i stopped laghingi said what are you gong to do with them?,He had a bantom with a scrap engine,so all night we worked to dismanteled them,and we put one of the engines into the bantom frame.when we finished the bogup,we put petrol in, PROBLEMS there
was no kick starter or fittings,only loads of wirers,well we got a car battery tied on the back,and a so with a few sparks and flashes.the engine fired.doc jump on and pulled the cluch in reved it up put it in gear and let go of the clutch,the bike shot backwards and poor doc went over the handle bars,lying on the floor,he said fantastic.We spent some more time sorting
all the wirers out,and found 2 sets of points one for forward and one for rev,the control box done this autamomaticl.by the key,left rev right forward.after holding his wedding gear for a while we sorted the starter out,great fun we had on that bike,doc called it a b****CK mobil
 
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jennann,ta very much for piccie. added now to thread pete
 
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