Royal Enfield Bullet

The Royal Enfield Bullet was originally an overhead-valve single-cylinder four-stroke motorcycle made by Royal Enfield in Redditch, Worcestershire, now produced by Royal Enfield (India) at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, a company originally founded by Madras Motors to build Royal Enfield motorcycles under licence in India. The Royal Enfield Bullet has the longest unchanged production run of any motorcycle having remained continuously in production since 1948. The Bullet marque is even older, and has passed 75 years of continuous production. The Royal Enfield and Bullet names derive from the British company which had been a subcontractor to Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, London.
Evolution.
The Bullet has evolved from a four-stroke engine with exposed valve-gear to the latest all-alloy unit construction engine with electronic fuel-injection.
1931–1939.
Introduced in 1931 as a four-stroke single-cylinder motorcycle, this model was the first to feature the Bullet name. It was different in a number of ways from its successors (which are now familiar): it had an inclined engine with exposed valve gear featuring four valves per cylinder with 350 cc and 500 cc options. In 1933, a 250 cc option was also added to the range. Its frame was also considerably different, having centre-spring girder front forks, being among a new range of models from Royal Enfield that featured them, along with a saddle-type fuel tank. However, common to motorcycles of this period, it had a rigid rear-end, necessitating a 'sprung' seat for the rider, which resulted in the iconic look of the motorcycle that is much replicated today, even though the sprung seat is unnecessary in modern models.
After competition success the 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet was bought by the British Army for dispatch riders and 3,000 were also supplied to the RAF during the Second World War.
1939–1949.
This model refreshed Royal Enfield's model line-up for 1939. It differed in cosmetic details, as well as in having two rocker boxes, which resulted in higher volumetric efficiency for the engine. The basic design with front girder forks was retained.
1949–1956.
A number of changes were implemented in order to bring the bike up to date. This model featured a vertical engine with an alloy head and higher compression. The frame was changed to a fully sprung design using a swing-arm with non-adjustable hydraulic shockers at the rear, while the front used a brand-new telescopic fork of Royal Enfield's own design. This enabled the introduction of a bench seat made of simple foam and with no large springs. Power transmission was via the same four-speed Albion gearbox as the previous model, with a unique 'neutral-finder' lever the rider could press from any gear other than first to shift to neutral. The crankshaft continued to have a fully floating big-end bearing. The headlight assembly was enclosed with the speedometer and ammeter into a nacelle, which also served as the attachment of the front suspension as well as the handlebars. An otherwise similar model, but with an engine displacement of 499 cc, made its debut in 1953.
The prototype had done well in a performance trial and went on to win the trophy at the 1948 International Six Days Trial and two Bullet riders won gold medals. In 1952 Johnny Brittain won the Scottish Six Days Trial on a Royal Enfield Bullet and in 1953 he also won the International Six Days Trial without losing a single point.
In 1949, the Indian Army ordered Royal Enfield Bullets for border patrol use and the company decided to open a factory in Madras. In 1955, the 350 cc Bullets were sent from the Redditch factory in kit form for assembly in India, but Enfield India Ltd. soon developed the factory and produced complete motorcycles independently under licence. The 1955 model remained almost unchanged for years and Madras produced over 20,000 Bullets annually.
1956–1969.
In 1955, Royal Enfield carried out some retooling and redesign at their Redditch plant, in the UK, to modernise the Bullet, and in 1959 some changes were made to the gear ratios. These changes, however, were not incorporated by the Indian arm due to its commitment to supply the Indian Army. Thus the British and Indian lines diverged, never to meet again.
Between 1956 and 1960, the British Bullet was released in several models, including a 350 cc Trials "works replica" version, a 350 cc "Clipper" model and in 1958 the "Airflow" version. This model had full weather protection from a large fibreglass fairing and included panniers for touring. The design was developed in partnership with British Plastics and featured as a series in "The Motor Cycle" magazine. The engines were the same and the only differences were in exhaust, seating, instrumentation, handlebars and fuel tank. Numerous technical improvements were also made, including moving to alternator charging (1956) and coil ignition (1960). The 350 cc model continued in production, but the 500 cc model was discontinued in 1961. In 1962, the UK company was sold and the Bullet discontinued and in 1967, the Redditch factory closed. Finally, in 1970, Royal Enfield closed down completely.
Additional to the 'separate gearbox' Bullet the Royal Enfield Redditch factory produced approximately 250 'unit construction' (integral gearbox) Bullets bikes known as 'New Bullets'. Produced in five batches of fifty between 1963 and 1965 these models were essentially a 350 Crusader. However, unlike their 'one-piece cranked' smaller sibling the New Bullet had a built-up crank and the traditional Bullet bore and stroke dimensions under a Crusader cylinder head. These bikes are difficult to identify as being different from the Crusader. Look for a ten finned barrel on a Crusader and you will have found a New Bullet. By necessity, the toolbox air intake slot is also a little higher. Other variations from the unit 250 include a 46 tooth rear sprocket, an outrigger bearing on the primary side crankcase a four plate clutch, and wider gear cogs. The petrol tank is similar to the earlier unit range item (not the Clipper tank) but has a larger cut out on the underside to clear the taller motor making it 1/4 gallon light on capacity. A New Bullet was modelled for sale to the army and carried panniers and a 'speedo-only' style of the casket. According to RE data, 232 of these bikes were produced, making them a scarce and desirable machine today.
1955–1995.
Enfield India Ltd. continued production of the 1955 Bullet design almost unchanged, re-introducing it to the British market in 1977 under the name 'Enfield'. This was a period of stagnation for the Bullet.
Due to the protectionist nature of the Indian economy, no need for improvement was apparent, and the brand survived into the 1990s essentially as a domestic Indian commuter bike. Equivalent bikes in the market were the Yamaha RD350 and the Yezdi. Both bikes enjoy a cult following in India but have been out of production for decades. However, this could not prevent the erosion of the bike's market once the economy was sufficiently opened up to allow the Japanese motorbikes. The bike's high fuel consumption (its main competition was from bikes with superior and more economical 100 cc engines) caused a descending spiral of sales until the company, near bankruptcy, was bought out by Eicher Motors, a tractor and commercial vehicle manufacturer.
1995–1997.
Under the newly appointed CEO of Enfield India, Siddhartha Lal, Eicher undertook major investment in the ailing firm. This was started with a lawsuit to secure the trademark and intellectual property rights of the defunct British Royal Enfield, in the hands of the Holder family since the British Royal Enfield's bankruptcy proceedings in 1970. After winning a trademark lawsuit, the company name was changed to Royal Enfield Motors. Many management and production changes were made, with the production process being streamlined and excess capacity redistributed. Without the large-scale Army/Law Enforcement orders to bail the company out, there was only the individual sales route in which the company had to perform if it were to survive at all. The company also faced the difficult task of catering to a very diverse market. To preserve the Bullet's nature and reputation as a classic British bike, as the Raja Gaadi, and to attract youngsters away from the newly appeared performance motorcycle market, the Bullet marque was split up into two. The Bullet Standard 350 featured all the increased manufacturing quality and reliability but was maintained in the traditional 'Bullet' look, available only in black. A new model, available in more colours and chrome accents, CDI electronic ignition, and gas-charged shock absorbers - but with the same engine and gearbox as the Standard - was launched. This model was called the 'Bullet Electra'. The Electra 350 went on to become the best-selling Royal Enfield model, accounting for around half the company's sales.
Alongside these developments, Austrian engine firm AVL was contracted to produce an all-alloy engine suitable as a drop-in replacement for the cast-iron block original engine (with a design dating from 1955). The first bike with this engine was launched as the "Bullet Machismo 350". This engine did not sell well in the Indian market; many prospective buyers were surveyed as saying that it didn't sound the same as the old engine, lacking the 'thump' noise of its predecessor. The engine did succeed in the Thunderbird model, a chopper style cruiser from Royal Enfield Motors. Also seen was the introduction of a disc-brake on the front wheel as a factory option domestically in India and standard on all exported models.
1997–2009.
After ever-tighter European emission specifications forced the Bullet Standard 350 to end 2007 as its last model year in the European Union. The 500's had been fitted for some time with an induction pulsed pump to draw in fresh external air and expel it into the exhaust header to make it appear that the emissions were lower than in reality they were! When existing stocks of motorcycles were all sold the British-design engined Bullet became no longer available.
All new models exclusively featured the AVL 'lean-burn' engine. The introduction of a five-speed, left foot change gearbox meant that Royal Enfield could 'fix' one of the long-standing quirks of the Bullet design;the original foot-brake is on the left-side while the gearchange is on the right (as was the custom with British bikes). Accordingly, the Bullet Machismo 350 was equipped with this left foot change gearbox and a big hit in the foreign markets as it was rich in design and the first chrome model on an Enfield. However, the 'left-shift' gear change provoked a backlash from Indian Bullet customers, forcing the company to not only continue the Bullet Standard with the traditional system but even on the Electra, it was offered only as an option, leading to the Electra four-speed (traditional) and Electra five-speed (left-shift) variants. Sales figures indicated that Indian Bullet customers had shunned the new gearbox, foregoing even the attraction of five-speed transmission to keep the gearshift traditional. However, it became standard fitment on all exported models. New developments included the addition of electric start as an option on some models, while standard on others. In 2007 and 2008, a limited edition, heavily accessorised 500cc lean-burn Machismo 350 and 500 was produced where the motorcycle features 20.85 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm, unique 19 -inch wheels, 280 mm front disc brake & the same engine chassis configuration being exported to Europe, USA & Australia. The Machismo 350 and 500 were discontinued due to a lot of internal noise in the engine.
Since 2007.
As a result of work spanning several years, a new set of engines was introduced. These were the unit construction engines (UCE). The 350 cc UCE found use in the domestic model Thunderbird TwinSpark in a configuration with two sparkplugs per cylinder, with an integrated 5-speed left-shift gearbox. It has not been featured on any of the Bullet models, domestic or otherwise. By 2011, the old cast-iron engine had been completely phased out, including in the Standard 350 model. Now all Royal Enfield bikes are only available with the all-aluminium UC engine.
The 500 cc UCE features fuel injection system, and has greater power than any Royal Enfield 500 cc motor. The 500 cc UCE, with an integrated five-speed gearbox, powers the current Bullet Classic model. Starting in 2009, this engine was available only in the EU to satisfy emissions regulations, but it is available in the United States under two frame models, the Bullet Classic C5, or the Bullet G5, which looks similar and shares paneling with the earlier AVL Electra models. In 2011 a third export model, the B5, was introduced combining the newer 500 cc UCE engine with the traditional Indian domestic tank and frame.
In 2017 Royal Enfield equipped Bullet 500 models with Euro 4 compliance which included ABS brakes for front and rear and a better emission control system.
Since 2020.
Royal Enfield has officially confirmed that they will cease production of their 500cc engine. The majority of their sales comes from the 350cc models and the demand for the 500cc models started to decline in the Indian markets especially after the introduction of the 650 twins. It is to be discontinued in India from March 31 since the Bharat Stage VI emission norms will make them unviable. The company will upgrade its line up of 350cc motorcycles instead for Indian markets and promote its 650cc motorcycles as its primary export drivers.
Custom models.
Swiss motorcycle tuner and Royal Enfield distributor Fritz W. Egli made a custom Bullet using Egli's central tube frame constructed from nickel-plated chromium-molybdenum steel, and a longer stroke crankshaft (105 mm) engine with special main bearings, dry clutch, timing belt primary drive, and 36 mm Keihin flat-slide carburettors.
Other custom versions of the Bullet are the Musket, made in Ohio, and the Australian designed Carberry.


Speedex

Speedex Castings and Accessories Ltd. was a company manufacturing sports car bodies between 1958 and 1962 in Luton, Bedfordshire.
It was set up by Jem Marsh who left Firestone Tyres in 1958 to manage the Luton-based "Sporting Motorists Agency" which sold Dante tuning parts for Austin 7-based cars. He left in April 1958 to set up a similar company, SPEEDEX Castings and Accessories Ltd, in a former hat factory at 33 Jubilee Street.
The company moved on to larger premises in Windsor Street and produced the aluminium Speedex 750 body, followed by the glassfibre Silverstone and Sirocco GT Coupe.
Marsh went on to set up the Marcos Car Company with Frank Costin in 1962. The remaining Speedex bodies were purchased by Kew-based Cambridge Engineering who marketed the cars during 1962–3.


BSA Thunderbolt

The BSA Thunderbolt was a British motorcycle made by BSA at their factory in Armoury Road in Small Heath, Birmingham between 1962 and 1972. Fitted with a single carburettor it was capable of over .
Development.
The BSA Thunderbolt was designed as a touring motorcycle. A traditional air cooled 650 cc twin cylinder with a single large bore Amal Monobloc carburettor, it did not suffer from the same level of vibration as earlier BSA twins and could comfortably cruise at . and reached over . in road tests.
The BSA development team decided to keep costs down by re-using the well proven single sided front brake from the BSA Gold Star and the same full race camshaft as the BSA Lightning. Fitted with 12 volt electrics, a Zener diode voltage regulator and twin coil ignition, the Thunderbolt sold well in the important US import market and with the fuel tank gave a range of .
From 1968 the Thunderbolt benefited from a number of minor improvements including a longer kick start to make starting easier and metal tank badges to replace the earlier plastic ones, which had a tendency to crack. An Amal Concentric carburettor dealt with the problems of fuel flooding experienced with the earlier monobloc carburettor, by having the float bowl arranged centrally around (concentric with, hence the name) the main jet to remove the sensitivity to fuel surge inherent in all the earlier designs. Stiffer suspension improved cornering but poor quality control and production problems on the BSA assembly line with later models led to oil leaks and rusting parts which damaged the reputation of the Thunderbolt, which was already struggling to compete against the emerging Japanese motorcycles of the early 1970s (such as the Honda CB750) and production ended in 1972.
T65 Thunderbolt.
In order to fulfil existing export orders after production of the BSA twins had stopped, between 200 and 300 Triumph TR6 Trophys were rebadged as BSA T65 Thunderbolt and exported to Spain and Australia.


Bricklayers Arms

Bricklayers Arms is the road intersection of the A2 and the London Inner Ring Road where Bermondsey meets Walworth and Southwark in south London. It is the junction of Tower Bridge Road, Old Kent Road, New Kent Road and Great Dover Street. It comprises a four-way green roundabout plus one-way flyover and one-way bypass lane.
The latter help traffic using any of the six road bridges west of London Bridge to access the arterial road to and from the south-east quadrant of the orbital motorway, Old Kent Road. Specifically, eastbound traffic from New Kent Road to Old Kent Road can use the flyover; the reverse flow can use the ground-level bypass lane.
The junction is named after a coaching inn that stood here, in turn related to the prowess of Kent in brickmaking. It is centred 500 metres north-west of Mandela Way which was at the heart of the main goods and locomotive sheds named the Bricklayers Arm depots and similar.
Coaching inn and brick carts.
A succession of inns, the original name which may have been the documented Bricklayers Arms, served this junction for more than six hundred years. Excavations during the rebuilding of the inn in the 1890s came across very old foundations and a hidden hoard of ancient coins.
After the mid-18th century building of Westminster Bridge (and associated New Kent Road) this was where the many mid- and east-Kent, such as Dover, Maidstone and Canterbury coaches using the Old Kent Road to or from the City of London set down or picked up passengers travelling to or from the West End. The inn's landlord was always the City of London Corporation. Its sign was the coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers. The road – and nearby yards – were busy with the supply of bricks to London. Major brickearth deposits, regionally, are in Kent, particularly on the North Downs dip slope and on the Hoo peninsula, sections of the Medway and Stour valleys. Its mineral content is critical to its applicability in brickmaking and requires precise proportions of chalk, clay, and iron.
Roundabout with flyover.
Approval of plans for construction of the roundabout and flyover to replace the junction of, and some buildings at, the Old Kent Road (A2), New Kent Road (A201) and Tower Bridge Road (A100) was given by the London County Council in December 1962 with an initial budget cost of £3,510,000 (). Works were scheduled for 1967. Such construction involved demolition of buildings in all three roads and surrounds as part of a larger regeneration programme. The north end of the Old Kent Road has since the 1750s been bifurcated into Great Dover Street and Tabard Street. These briefly re-combine north of this junction and have taken the greater street's name since the roundabout was built.
In the 1970s a plan of Greater London Council envisaged a road to link the roundabout and the north approach to the Blackwall Tunnel, crossing the Thames in two tunnels (one adjacent to Tower Bridge) and providing a link to London Docklands.
Filling-in of subways.
The work done made pedestrian underpasses from adjacent roads into the roundabout heart, as London Underground safeguarded a possible extension route of the Bakerloo line from its terminus at Elephant & Castle tube station. This could run along and under the main road under the route of tracks of the demolished station and branch, to join surface services at South Bermondsey station. The roundabout could host a station, akin to Old Street station. Neither remains in the budgeted Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham. The circuitous subways became ugly. In 2013 these were filled in and levelled, becoming wider pavements.
Crossings.
Since 2009, pelican crossings exist across New Kent and Old Kent Roads, as pedestrians preferring to cross at-grade were causing accidents.


Ogle Design

Ogle Design is a British design consultancy company founded in 1954 by David Ogle and based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Car production.
Between 1959 and 1962 they built a series of complete cars.
The first was the 1.5 based on an extended Riley 1.5 chassis with BMC B series 1500 cc engine. The two-door, four-seater coupé-styled body was built of glass fibre. It was capable of nearly and eight were made with a price tag of £1574.
Made in greater numbers was the 1962 SX1000 based on the Mini. The first cars were built by grafting the Ogle glass fibre body to a customer supplied Mini. The conversion cost £550 plus the customer supplied base car. Later in 1962, complete cars became available with the 997 cc Cooper version costing £1176. Any of the Mini engines could be specified up to the Mini Cooper S unit which topped out at . The cars were fully equipped and featured a padded dashboard for increased safety. It is thought that 66 were made, with Jack Brabham buying one for his wife Betty for their first anniversary. Following David Ogle's death, it was decided to cease car production with the remaining parts being used up. A batch intended for the United States was converted to right-hand drive and sold onto the home market. It is thought the last one left the factory as late as 1964. The moulds were sold in 1966 to Norman Fletcher, a boat builder in West Bromwich, West Midlands, who exhibited a Fletcher GT at the 1967 Racing Car Show.
The final car was the SX250, an updated Daimler SP250 built in 1962. Two were made, but Daimler was not interested and the design was sold to Reliant where it became the basis of the Scimitar GT which was launched in 1964.
In 2012 a replica Ogle SX1000 was available from Nostalgia Cars.


Clyno

Clyno Engineering Company, later Clyno Engineering Company (1922) Ltd, was a motorcycle and car manufacturer that operated in Thrapston from 1909 to 1910 and then in Wolverhampton from 1910 to 1929. During this time they produced over 15,000 motorcycles and between 36,000 and 40,000 cars, at one point becoming Britain's third largest car manufacturer.
History.
Foundation.
Clyno was founded in 1909 by the cousins Frank and Ailwyn Smith. The company took its name for the pulley designed for belt-driven machines which was known as the "inclined pully", becoming abbreviated to the "clined" and then Clyno. The cousins' original workshop was in their hometown of Thrapston, Northamptonshire.
In 1910 the opportunity arose for Clyno to purchase a factory in Wolverhampton. The factory belonged to the Stevens Brothers who had supplied engines to Clyno previously but had entered voluntary liquidation in 1910 leading them to seek a sale. The purchase by Clyno was completed on 15 October 1910 and the company transferred from Thrapston to Wolverhampton. The company exhibited for the first time at the 1910 motorcycle show at Olympia, displaying motorcycles, adjustable pulleys and telescopic stands.
Clyno continued to exhibit at every possible trials attracting attention by taking on hills previously thought unclimbable. This attention brought business to the company with orders in excess of manufacturing capacity in 1912. The same year the company took over the unoccupied Humber cycle factory which was on the other side of Pelham Street from their original factory.
The company's success proved to be something of a double-edged sword as the constant pressure to perform at trials required constant development, pushing the company beyond its financial means. It was decided that the company needed to produce an affordable motorcycle which they did in 1913, releasing a 250cc motorcycle, one of the first to be sold fully ready for the road. Exhibited at the 1913 motor cycle show the model was a major success.
The First World War.
As with many manufacturers, the First World War was a time of prosperity for Clyno. Together with Vickers they created a motorcycle with machine gun attachment, which was produced in large numbers. The choice of Clyno over its competitors as supplier of the standard motorcycle combination outfit for the Motor Machine Gun Service was made in 1915, and is said to have been a decision taken by Winston Churchill. At the Armistice in 1918, there were 1,792 Clyno motorcycles in the possession of the British armed forces: 1,150 at home, and 642 overseas, including 478 in France. Clyno also signed an agreement with the Russian war commission to supply their army on top of their business with the British forces.
In 1916 the relationship between Frank and Ailwyn became strained, and Ailwyn departed the company in June. Clyno continued to supply the war effort providing mobile machine gun units, ammunition carriers and building dragonfly aircraft engines. The company also designed a new motorcycle, the "Spring 8", which had a top speed of 50 mph, although it was two years before it went into production.
After the war, the motorcycle industry collapsed and Clyno's Works Manager Henry Meadows departed the company to found his own. A large number of cheap motor cycles no longer needed by the army were sold, undercutting the prices of Clyno's machines. There was also a shortage of materials with which to produce new models and to compound Clyno's problems the Russians failed to pay for the motorcycles they received during the war which led to the withdrawal of financial backing. In 1920 the Clyno Engineering Company went into liquidation.
Rebirth and Car Business.
In 1922 Frank Smith decided to resurrect the company under the name Clyno Engineering Company (1922) Ltd. Frank became managing director while his father William was chairman. Frank decided to focus more on car production and although motorcycle production did continue alongside car production by 1923 it had ended. The company continued its trials policy, winning two gold medals in the 1923 London to Edinburgh Trial.
Clyno debuted its first car at the 1922 motor show. The mainstay throughout their existence, the 10.8, designed by AG Booth had a 1368 cc 4-cylinder side-valve Coventry Climax model F engine fitted a Cox Atmos carburettor a 3-speed gearbox and sold for £250. Initially no differential was fitted but this was soon added. From 1926 four-wheel brakes were standardised. It was renowned for its reliability and economy. About 35,000 are thought to have been made including some sports versions and de luxe Royal models.
A slightly bigger model, the 13 (later 12/28), but still with the same 8 feet 9 inch wheelbase was introduced in 1924 using Clyno's own engine which had a 69 mm bore, 3 mm more than the 10.8 but the same 100 mm stroke. About 8,000 were made.
The company was determined to offer cheaper prices than its competitors and was rewarded by soaring sales. Between 1923 and 1924 sales increased 770% with the release of popular models such as the 'Weymann' saloon and the 'Royal 2' tourer. In October 1925 the company released their 13 hp. car which again proved to be a popular model. Clyno continued to slash prices and sales rose 260% between 1924 and 25 and by 210% between 25 and 26. At its peak in 1926 the company produced 350 cars a week, with workers operating day and night to meet demand.
At the end of 1926 Clyno launched the Cowley Saloon which sold for just £199.20. At this point Clyno were the third largest car manufacturer in the country, behind Austin and Morris, and they decided to expand their operation by opening a new plant in Bushbury and introducing two new models. The 12/35 had the engine bored out to 69.5 mm to increase the capacity to 1593 cc, presumably to cater for heavier coachwork, although most of these chassis seem to have carried fabric bodies.
Decline.
Despite the record sales and the new Bushbury plant, Clyno's financial situation in 1927 was precarious. The company was under capitalised and had survived this far on bank loans, such as the one taken out for the purchase of the land for the Bushbury plant. Clyno's product range needed updating to keep up with their competitors but the move to Bushbury had led to a decrease in production. Despite this Clyno continued to attempt to produce cheaper models releasing the small fabric bodied 'Nine' with a 951 cc engine in 1928 with a retail price of just £160.
In an attempt to minimise costs, Clyno ended their agreement with their long term partner Rootes and stopped using Coventry Climax engines in favour of concentrating on the Hillman design and this hastened the demise of Clyno. The repercussions of these moves were seen in the failure of Clyno's "Century" model which effectively sounded the death knell for the company.
The development of the "Century" seemed to be part of Clyno's ongoing price war with Morris as it was announced only a week after the Morris Minor. However it proved to be a step too far and only 300 of the "Century" model were ever produced. The car was intended to sell for £112.20, a price which annoyed Clyno's new dealers as the profit margin had been completely squeezed. Critically the "Century" was deemed to be cheap and shoddy, earning the unflattering nickname, the "cemetery". The combination of the depression of the late 1920s and severe competition coming from the Austin 7 and Morris Minor led to a severe sales slump.
Clyno had lost the price war with Morris, unable to offer both the value and performance that Morris could. Production costs had been pared back to the bare minimum meaning there was nowhere left to go price-wise. The failure of the "Century" destroyed Clyno's reputation which they had relied upon to get loans on order to fund their business. Without this there was little scope for improvement to Clyno's models and funds quickly began to dry up. On 11 February 1929 a receiver was appointed and in September the company was wound up. The company's assets were eventually acquired by Birmingham company R.H. Collier while the 'Nine' design was taken to fellow Wolverhampton manufacturer AJS by A.G. Booth.
However, their Wolverhampton factory remains in existence more than 80 years, now used by an engineering firm who have extended the building substantially.
Unfortunately, while the front of the old Stephens factory known as the "Fort Works" still exists the other side of the works known as the "Ashes" or "Tower Works" has been demolished. The plant in Bushbury has long since ceased to exist.


BSA A7

The BSA A7 was a 500cc motorcycle model range made by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. The range was launched in 1946 using a long stroke engine. An improved version based on the BSA A10 engine was launched in 1950. The various A7 models continued in production with minor modifications until 1961/2 when they were superseded by the unit-construction A50 model.
Development.
After the 1938 launch of the Edward Turner designed Triumph Speed Twin, BSA needed a 500cc twin to compete with the Speed Twin. Designed by Herbert Parker, David Munro and BSA's chief designer, Val Page, the BSA A7 was the first of the BSA twin-cylinder motorcycles. The outbreak of World War II delayed the launch and several prototypes were built during the war years. The model was finally launched in September 1946 when hostilities had ended.
The very first A7 off the production line was flown to Paris for the first motorcycle show after the end of the war. There was huge demand for affordable transport after the war and the simplicity of the A7 twin was helped along by the slogan 'It's time YOU had a BSA!'.
Engine.
The twin cylinder engine produced and was capable of . The engine had a long stroke with a bore and stroke of . A single camshaft behind the cylinders operated the valves via long pushrods passing through a tunnel in the cast iron block. This system needed a considerable number of studs and nuts to fasten down the cast iron cylinder head and rockerboxes, many of them deeply recessed and requiring well-made box spanners or the then uncommon sockets. As with other British motorcycles of the period, this kind of set-up regularly led to oil leaks.
In October 1949 BSA launched the Bert Hopwood designed 650 cc twin cylinder A10. The engine in the A10 was a redesigned and improved version of the A7 engine. A 497 version of the redesigned engine was produced for the A7. Initially fitted in the new A7S Star Twin, it was also fitted to the base A7 model in 1951. The new engine had a shorter stroke with bore and stroke dimensions of .
Most motorcycles of this period tensioned the primary chain by drawing or rotating the gearbox backwards on a hinge with threaded rods, this was known as pre-unit construction. The first A7 had a fixed gearbox, bolted to the back of the crankcase, and an internal tensioner for the duplex primary chain. However, in 1954 when the swinging arm was introduced, the re-design reverted to the older system of a separate gearbox. The electrics (as was universal for larger British motorcycles of the period) consisted of two independent systems, the very reliable and self-contained Lucas magneto, with a dynamo generator to charge the battery and provide lights. Carburation was initially a single Amal remote float Type 6. Later Amal TT and then 376 Monobloc carbs were used.
Cycle Parts.
The A7 was launched with a rigid frame and telescopic front forks. One useful feature was a hinged rear mudguard that lifted up to allow the rear wheel to be removed more easily.
Plunger rear suspension was offered as an option to the rigid frame from 1949. Concerned about the high wear rate of the plunger suspension that lead to poor handling a swinging arm frame was introduced in 1954 and the rigid and plunger frames discontinued.
Model Range.
Overview of models.
All models are swinging arm frame unless otherwise indicated.
Notes
A7.
The A7 was launched in 1947 with a rigid frame and the "long stroke" engine with iron barrels and cylinder head. Plunger suspension was offered as an alternative from 1949. The engine was changed to the shorter stroke A10 based design in 1951. The rigid frame was discontinued in 1953 and the plunger in 1954. From 1954 the swinging arm frame was produced, and the name "Flash" given to the model in the US market. An alternator was offer as an alternative to the dynamo from 1961. Production ceased in 1962 when the unit construction A50 was introduced.
A7S Star Twin.
In response to competition from the Triumph Tiger 100BSA launched the A7SS Star Twin. The new model had increased compression ratio. It had the later A10 based engine and the latest design of cylinder head with austenitic steel inlet and exhaust valves. The inlet manifold was separate from the cylinder head so twin carburettors could optionally be fitted. The uprated engine was fitted to a plunger frame and finished extra chrome. The model was produced with an option of rigid or plunger frames. In 1953 a new alloy head was fitted together with an Amal Monoblock carburettor. The model was discontinued in 1954 in favour of the "Shooting Star" model.
A7SS Shooting Star.
The Shooting Star was introduced in 1954 with a new swinging arm frame. The engine had a hotter cam, and compression was upgraded from 6.6:1 to 7:1. Power was up to at 5800 rpm, with a top speed of just under . The earlier models had a dark green frame and a separate carburetor manifold fitted to the alloy cylinder head. By the end of production in 1962 the BSA Shooting Star was the culmination of the development of the BSA A7, with a black frame with light green tank, mudguards and side panels, it had an alloy cylinder head, a duplex cradle frame with swinging arm rear suspension, full-width cast iron hubs and 8-inch drum brake at the front with a 7-inch at the rear.
Sporting Success.
1952 Maudes Trophy.
In 1952 three BSA A7s were entered for the Maudes Trophy and the International Six Days Trial, achieving without problems and confirming the reliability of the design. All three bikes were randomly selected from the production line, picked up Gold medals and earned BSA the Team award as well as the Trophy. The three bikes were ridden by Brian Martin, Fred Rist and Norman Vanhouse. From Birmingham the team rode to Vienna then on through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway before returning safely and with a clean sheet to Birmingham.
American speed record.
Also in 1952 American BSA dealer Hap Alzina prepared a BSA Star Twin for an attempt on the American Class C speed record for standard catalogue motorcycles. The rules prevented major modification but Alzina was allowed to use 80 octane fuel, which together with a compression ratio of 8 to 1 enabled rider Gene Thiessen to achieve a two way record speed of .
1954 Daytona 200.
In 1954 Bobby Hill won the Daytona 200 riding a rigid framed Shooting Star. (The rigid frame version was a special order from the factory). The race had one straight asphalt and the other on the beach during the 1950s. Of the 107 starters only 44 finished. Shooting Stars finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th. A BSA Gold Star finished in 3rd.
Related Models.
In 1960 the Akashi-based Kawasaki Aircraft Company acquired an interest in the Meguro motorcycle company, which had obtained a license to produce a copy of the 500 cc BSA A7. Meguro had been Japan's largest motorcycle manufacturer but in the late 1950s its models had become less competitive and it was short of money. Kawasaki's investment enabled Meguro to launch its A7 copy as the Meguro K.
In 1963 Meguro was taken over one hundred percent by the new Kawasaki Motorcycle Corporation, which maintained the licensing agreement with BSA and continued to build the K model, but due to lubrication problems Kawasaki made engine modifications and the Kawasaki K2 entered production in 1965 with improved crankshaft bearings and a larger oil pump. Since the introduction of the K2, the Meguro K model has tended to become known retrospectively as the K1.
In 1965 the K2 was enlarged to 624 cc to become the Meguro X-650 prototype, which was displayed at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show. The X-650 then became in turn the prototype for the Kawasaki W1. For the new Kawasaki big bike, the traditional look of Meguro motorcycles was replaced with a sleeker fuel tank, sportier mudguards (fenders) and other details intended to appeal to export markets, especially North America.


Lambretta Scooter Museum

The Lambretta Scooter Museum is in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. It houses a total of 61 Lambretta models – at least one from each year between October 1947 through to May 1971.
The private collection goes from three model 'A's first produced in 1947, to Lambro three-wheelers, Lambretta mopeds, and associated automobilia.
In 2006, the shop and museum were sold to Stuart Lanning. After a long period of closure, the museum and its exhibits were refurbished and re-opened on 9 August 2008. The museum was offered for sale again in 2013.


Matchless Silver Arrow

The Matchless Silver Arrow was a motorcycle made by Matchless from late 1929 to 1933. It had a cast iron head monoblock side-valve, 400 cc, transverse 18° V-twin with chain drive, designed by racer Charlie Collier.
Description.
The narrow angle of the cylinder bank's V allowed the use of a one piece head, a practice used by Lancia in its early V4 automobile engines. The rear suspension was a cantilever design using two springs and friction dampers beneath the saddle, very similar to the 1928 Vincent HRD design. Linked brakes were used, as had appeared on the 1925 Rudge Four. The carburettor was an Amal type 4/014 (bottom petrol feed).
The bike did not sell well and within the year led to the Bert Collier designed Matchless Silver Hawk.
Models.
Two models were produced, the 'Standard model' which had acetylene lighting and bulb horn, priced in 1930 at £57/10/6 and the 'De Luxe model' which had electric lighting and instrument panel, priced in 1930 at £63/2/6. In 1931 both were designated A/2 and minor changes included a four speed gearbox with improved gear ratios with lower 1st and higher top gear and a more rounded petrol tank, the Amal carburettor jet was changed from 70 to 55 and the diameter of the exhaust pipe was increased with ports on the head spaced further apart (65/8" instead of 51/8").


MG Sports and Racing Europe

MG Sports and Racing Europe Limited was a British automotive company based in Eardiston, Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire. The company was founded by William Riley, who acquired assets of the MG Sport and Racing subsidiary of MG Rover Group after its demise, with the intention of restarting production of the MG XPower SV sportscar, renamed MG XPower WR. The company was registered on 29 January 2007.
In December 2009, it was reported in the press that no new cars had been manufactured by MG Sports and Racing Europe since its founding, and that employment tribunal proceedings had been initiated by two employees for non-payment of wages. Riley was also arrested by police in 2009 on suspicion of theft of an XPower WR car previously sold to a Canadian businessman who had been working on behalf of the company.
Riley's use of the "MG" trademark resulted in a legal dispute with Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation, which had also acquired assets of the defunct MG Rover Group. This case was won by Nanjing in February 2010. Consequently, the company name was changed to Sports and Racing Europe Ltd. in March 2010.
Models.
The company announced a revised version of the MG XPower SV, renamed the XPower WR, in April 2008. Later the same year a convertible variant with a Kevlar bodyshell, the MG XPower SV-S WRC, was announced.
 Neither model has reached the manufacturing stage as of November 2011.


Velocette Thruxton

The Velocette Thruxton was a sporting motorcycle produced by Velocette between 1965 and 1971. Revealed at the 1964 Earls Court Show, it was the final development of Velocette's antiquated pushrod single, the Venom.
Sometimes referred to as the "Venom Thruxton" or simply "Thruxton", some surviving examples could be 'upgraded' replicas based on the Venom or Viper, as many parts in the range were interchangeable. Due to the high values involved and possibility of fakes, a register was established by a member of the Velocette Owners Club, using production data of engine and frame numbers acquired after the factory closure, to enable owners and potential buyers to confirm provenance when selling and buying.
The Thruxton ceased production only when the company folded in 1971.
Development.
An optional cylinder head for the Venom became available for racers in 1964; a Venom equipped with this revised cylinder head took first in its class at that year's "Thruxton 500", a endurance road race. Veloce introduced the Venom Thruxton production model in 1965 with an advertised 41 horsepower at the crankshaft. Period tests clocked it at without race tuning.
The well-proven Venom was improved by Velocette designer (and owning-family member) Bertie Goodman with rearward placed footrests having brake pedal and remote gear-change linkage to suit, close-ratio four speed gearbox, alloy rims, twin-leading shoe front brake and 'clip-on' handle bars. The engine gained a race specification cylinder head to accommodate extra-large valves, a downdraught inlet port and an Amal 5GP2 13/8 bore carburettor with extended inlet tract which was so long it required a special cut out in the rear of the fuel tank. The upgraded engine delivered , 5 bhp more than the Venom.
It was important for eligibility in endurance races such as the Thruxton 500 that competing motorcycles were genuine production machines, but although the Velocette Thruxton was sold in a road-going version, it was really targeted at the racing fraternity.
No more than 1,108 Thruxtons were manufactured before the company collapsed in 1971.
Racing success.
Although named after the Thruxton 500 endurance race, for 1965 the race was actually held at another disused airfield, Castle Combe, and was dubbed "The Motor Cycle 500-miler". The early-version Velocette Thruxton, ridden by "Motor Cycle" journalist David Dixon and racer Joe Dunphy, won the 500cc category.
In 1967 two Thruxtons, ridden by Neil Kelly and Keith Heckles gained first and second places in the 500cc Production TT, the first time a production-machine event had been staged at the Isle of Man with Kelly also recording the fastest lap at 91 mph.
Further development.
Geoff Dodkin and L.Stevens were two well-known specialist motorcycle retailers in the London area offering mechanical upgrades and cycle customising parts backed by their own race experiences. These included nimonic valves, larger lightweight aluminium oil and fuel tanks, seats, smaller megaphone silencers and an alloy top yoke.
The Avon race fairing (made by Mitchenall Brothers) was introduced in 1964 in time for the June Isle of Man TT Races but the transparent, aerodynamic 'nose-cone' extending over the front race number plate area was soon 'outlawed' by the ACU, the UK motorcycle race-organisation governing body.
This led to the fairing being modified for a headlamp and offered for road use, complete with transparent nose cone.
The Velocette Thruxton Veeline version was one of the first to be available to the public, coming from the factory finished to match the standard Thruxton colour scheme in blue and silver or the optional black and silver.
Last development.
During the last years of Velocette production, in 1968 American entrepreneur Floyd Clymer conceived the "Indian Velo 500", a limited-production run of updated machines using mainly Italian cycle parts. Clymer had negotiated supply of separate Velocette engines and gearboxes, including some Thruxton engines.


History of Megabus routes in the United Kingdom

This article contains detailed information about the history of Megabus coach routes in the United Kingdom.
2003 to 2005.
Services from London to Oxford commenced on 4 August 2003, and routes from Edinburgh-Glasgow, Edinburgh-Perth and Glasgow-Dundee were added one month later. During November 2003 routes between Manchester-Liverpool and Manchester-Leeds were added, these ceased on 27 June 2004 and 3 October 2004 respectively. The most significant development of the Megabus network came on 1 March 2004 when a whole network of routes from Green Line Coach Station (Bulleid Way), a short distance from Victoria Coach Station, in London were added. Services have since moved to Victoria Coach Station in a deal with Transport for London These new services served Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Cardiff, Swansea and Birmingham.
On 28 June 2004 routes from London to Milton Keynes, Leicester, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow were added and within two months these were followed by the expansion of the Scottish routes to include Aberdeen and Inverness.
Stagecoach lost the contract to run the National Express route between Gloucester, Cheltenham and London, prompting Stagecoach to introduce Megabus between Cheltenham, Gloucester and London from 5 September 2004. The next day, Stagecoach took over the Motorvator coach service between Edinburgh and Glasgow, selling a number of seats per journey through the Megabus site (the remainder being available without booking in advance, at regular fares). This enabled Stagecoach to cancel the dedicated Megabus service between the two cities.
Routes between London and Liverpool, and London and Newcastle started on 10 October 2004. On 15 November 2004, the Oxford to London service was replaced by seats on the Oxford Tube. From 6 December 2004, the Megabus service between Cheltenham, Gloucester and London also called at Swindon.
On 31 January 2005, the Stagecoach Express service X5 between Oxford and Cambridge became part of the Megabus network, selling a number of seats per journey in the same way as the Oxford Tube and Motorvator. From 18 April 2005, Nottingham, Worthing and Winchester were added to the network (by slight extensions/modifications to existing routes), however rationalisation of the rest of the network also took place. In particular, some early morning and late evening services were withdrawn. From 13 June 2005, the Liverpool to London service called additionally at Stoke-on-Trent and a new service was introduced between Coventry and London. However, the London-Cardiff-Swansea service was withdrawn between Cardiff and Swansea.
The joint venture between Citylink and Megabus led to a co-ordination of services in Scotland. On 21 November 2005, the 900 Motorvator service was replaced by an enhanced Citylink service. However, the facility to buy seats through the Megabus website was retained. The next week, most of the faster Citylink services between Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and Glasgow, and Inverness, Perth and Edinburgh were replaced by a more frequent, combined Megabus/Citylink service. As a consequence, passengers who previously used parallel Citylink services from the bus station in Perth town centre were required to use Broxden Park and Ride on the outskirts of the town, with little to no onward connections to the town centre. Tickets for the combined Megabus/Citylink services are available through both companies' websites, though often at conflicting prices. From 16 February 2006, the slower Citylink service between Dundee, Perth and Glasgow became available to book through the Megabus website, restoring Perth bus station to the Megabus network. The same day of the Citylink service modifications, the London to Manchester route was extended to Preston, with certain journeys extended further to Blackpool or Lancaster. This coincided with the loss of National Express work at Preston depot. The extensions to Blackpool and Lancaster were short lived, and were withdrawn in February 2006, citing low passenger numbers.
Again, following the loss of National Express contracts (this time at Rugby depot), on 5 December 2005, the London to Birmingham service was increased in frequency to every two hours. However, an additional stop was introduced at the outskirts of Coventry, with the withdrawal of the direct once a day Megabus service to Coventry city centre. One journey a day in each direction was extended to Wolverhampton. The stops in the south of Birmingham were no longer served. Further changes on this day were the doubling of the London to Nottingham service to twice a day with one journey extended to Chesterfield (which regained its Megabus service lost in April 2005) and the introduction of a new once a day service from London to Norwich.
2006 to present.
A number of changes to routes were made on 27 March 2006. A new direct service was introduced between Ferrytoll Park & Ride in Fife, Edinburgh and London via Newcastle and Sheffield. Together with changes to the Leeds to London services meant that changes at Tibshelf services were no longer needed. In addition, many routes had timetable changes. In particular, the London to Southampton and London to Portsmouth routes became feeders to the London to Bournemouth service, meaning that passengers were required to change at Winchester. Some London to Bristol journeys were extended to Cwmbran.
On 1 October 2007, the London hub moved from Bulleid Way to Victoria Coach Station.
From October 2009 Megabus started a "cross-country" Cardiff - Newcastle service, the M35.
From October 2012, Megabus extended the M92 Edinburgh to Dundee service to terminate at Aberdeen giving Dundee and Perth an every 30 minute frequency during the day to Aberdeen which interworks with service M9, and giving Aberdeen a direct service to Edinburgh which had previously been missing.
Routes.
UK Megabus routes.
All services are operated by Megabus unless otherwise noted. Services for special events (such as the British Grand Prix) are not included. Some stops are bypassed at certain times of the day. For further information, see timetables.
Megabusplus routes.
The following are Megabusplus coach and train route, which operate from the Hull Interchange, operating via different routes before arriving at East Midlands Parkway where passengers change for the train to London.
MP1 Hull-London
MP2X Hull Interchange - St Pancras
MP3 Hull–London


Penmaenbach and Pen-y-clip tunnels


BSA Lightning Rocket

The BSA Lightning Rocket was a Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) motorcycle made in Birmingham. A highly tuned version of the BSA A65R Rocket this was BSA's bid to capture the potentially lucrative USA export market in the mid-1960s. Twin Amal 389/206 carburettors and high compression pistons combined with an optional close ratio gear box to give lively acceleration.
Sharing many A65 cycle parts, the Lightning Rocket had a slimmer fuel tank and mudguards - with extra chrome. From 1965 the A65 was discontinued in the UK and the BSA A65L Lightning became the main BSA production twin.


Megabus (Europe)

Megabus is a long distance coach (Intercity bus service) operator operated by the Stagecoach Group. It commenced operating in August 2003, initially in the United Kingdom, and later expanding into continental Europe. Some services link with Megatrain services, also operated by Stagecoach. Fares use a yield management model, formerly starting at £1. In June 2016, Stagecoach Group sold all operations in the European mainland, as well as those services linking London with Europe, to German competitor Flixbus. Megabus serves as a contractor, so the sale resulted in no route changes for passengers. Domestic UK operations remain under the control of Stagecoach.
History.
2003 to 2005.
Services from London to Oxford commenced on 4 August 2003, and from Edinburgh to Glasgow and Perth and Glasgow to Dundee were added one month later. During November 2003 routes from Manchester to Liverpool and Leeds were added, but these ceased on 27 June 2004 and 3 October 2004 respectively.
On 1 March 2004 a network of routes from London's Green Line Coach Station to Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Cardiff, Swansea and Birmingham were added.
On 28 June 2004 routes from London to Milton Keynes, Leicester, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow were added and within two months these were followed by the expansion of the Scottish routes to include Aberdeen and Inverness. Stagecoach West lost the contract to run the National Express route between London, Cheltenham and Gloucester, prompting it to introduce competing Megabus services from 5 September 2004.
On 6 September 2004 Stagecoach took over the Motorvator service between Edinburgh and Glasgow, selling a number of seats per journey through the Megabus site, the remainder being available without booking in advance, at regular fares. This enabled Stagecoach to cancel the dedicated Megabus service between the two cities. On 15 November 2004, the London to Oxford service was replaced by seats on the Oxford Tube.
On 31 January 2005, Stagecoach bus route X5 between Oxford and Cambridge became part of the Megabus network, selling a number of seats per journey in the same way as the Oxford Tube and Motorvator. From 18 April 2005, Nottingham, Worthing and Winchester were added to the network by slight extensions/modifications to existing routes, but rationalisation of the rest of the network took place, with some early morning and late evening services were withdrawn. On 13 June 2005 a new service was introduced between London and Coventry. However, the London to Swansea service was withdrawn between Cardiff and Swansea.
A joint venture between Scottish Citylink and Megabus led to co-ordination of services in Scotland. On 21 November 2005, the 900 Motorvator service was replaced by an enhanced Citylink service, with the facility to buy seats through the Megabus website was retained. The next week, most of the faster Citylink services between Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and Glasgow, and Inverness, Perth and Edinburgh were replaced by a more frequent, combined Megabus/Citylink service. As a consequence, passengers who previously used parallel Citylink services from the bus station in Perth town centre were required to use Broxden Park & Ride on the outskirts of the town, with little to no onward connections to the town centre. Tickets for the combined Megabus/Citylink services are available through both companies' websites, though often at different prices.
From 16 February 2006, the slower Citylink service between Dundee, Perth and Glasgow became available to book through the Megabus website, restoring Perth bus station to the Megabus network. The same day of the Citylink service modifications, the London to Manchester route was extended to Preston, with some journeys extended to Blackpool or Lancaster. This coincided with the loss of National Express work at Preston depot. The extensions to Blackpool and Lancaster were short lived, and were withdrawn in February 2006, citing low passenger numbers.
Again following the loss of National Express contracts (this time at Stagecoach Warwickshire's Rugby depot), on 5 December 2005, the London to Birmingham service was increased in frequency to every two hours with an additional stop on the outskirts of Coventry, and the withdrawal of the direct once-a-day service to Coventry city centre. One journey a day in each direction was extended to Wolverhampton. The stops in the south of Birmingham were no longer served. Further changes on this day were the doubling of the London to Nottingham service to twice a day with one journey extended to Chesterfield (which regained the service lost in April 2005) and the introduction of a new once-daily service from London to Norwich.
2006 to 2009.
A number of changes to routes were made on 27 March 2006. A direct service was introduced between Ferrytoll Park & Ride in Fife, Edinburgh and London via Newcastle and Sheffield. Together with changes to the Leeds to London services, this meant that changes at Tibshelf services were no longer needed. In addition, many routes had timetable changes. In particular, the London to Southampton and London to Portsmouth routes became feeders to the London to Bournemouth service, with passengers required to change at Winchester. Some London to Bristol journeys were extended to Cwmbran.
On 1 October 2007, the London hub moved from Bulleid Way to Victoria Coach Station.
From October 2009 M35 Cardiff to Newcastle began.
2010 to present.
In May 2011, services were introduced between London and Norwich, Leeds and Edinburgh, and London and Swansea and Pembroke Dock with through ferry fares to Rosslare Europort in Ireland. Additional journeys were added to several existing routes.
From April 2012, Megabus began cross-nation services linking the UK to continental Europe, from Birmingham and London to Paris and from Leicester and London to Brussels and Amsterdam. This was announced a month prior to the introduction of the services. A third route, which operates entirely outside the UK, links Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
In 2013, Megabus started a route between Cologne, Brussels, Gent and London.
In 2014 Megabus launched a route between London, Paris, Toulouse and Barcelona. In Germany, as megabus.com GmbH, they also launched a route between Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.
On 24 June 2015, Megabus launched first intercity bus services in Italy with 22 coaches out of a depot in Bergamo. The five main routes are:
On 8 July 2015, a service commenced from Milan to London.
On 29 June 2016, Stagecoach Group announced that all operations in the European mainland, as well as those services linking London with Europe, had been sold to German competitor Flixbus from 1 July 2016 with Megabus serving as a contractor so no route changes were made. This left only domestic UK operations under the control of Stagecoach.
On 1 May 2017, Megabus commenced operating five services from London, Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport to the West of England. These were operated by South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach. Stagecoach purchased the South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach business in September 2019 and integrated it into its Stagecoach West subsidiary.
As of October 2017, Megabus have created a new M39 service, running from Aberystwyth to Birmingham, via Welshpool and Shrewsbury. This service is operated by Mid Wales Travel.
In March 2018 the Advertising Standards Authority banned Megabus from using adverts promising £1 fares as few seats were available at this price. Megabus' response was to withdraw the £1 fares altogether, leading some passengers to note that the ASA's decision has worked to the detriment of Megabus customers.
Other services.
Megatrain.
Megatrain offers low-cost intercity train travel on some East Midlands Railway routes which are operated by Stagecoach. Services are available Monday to Saturday only, with no service on Sundays or public holidays.
Megabusplus.
Megabusplus services combine Megabus and Megatrain for through journeys. It was launched on 30 March 2009.
North of England.
As at August 2019, Megabusplus services use coaches to East Midlands Parkway station, then Megatrain (East Midlands Railway) services to London St Pancras. Even though Stagecoach ceased operating rail services in August 2019, when East Midlands Trains was superseded by East Midlands Railway, as at May 2021, services continue to operate.
As at August 2019, services operated were:
Services previously operated from York, but ceased in 2017 when Megabus entered a through ticketing agreement with Yorkshire Coastliner.
South West England.
Megabusplus services also used coaches to Southampton Airport Parkway station, then Megatrain (South West Trains) to Bournemouth.
In 2014, further Megabusplus services were launched using South West Trains services between London Waterloo and Honiton, then the following four coach routes from Honiton:
Sleeper and Gold services.
Overnight sleeper services were introduced on the London to Glasgow route in 2011 using Jonckheere Mistral articulated coaches with a flat bunk bed as well as a seat for each passenger.
Luxury "Megabus Gold" coaches were introduced from 8 July 2013 on selected sleeper services between London and Edinburgh/Aberdeen, as well as some day services. This sub-brand is in line with the upmarket Stagecoach Gold and Citylink Gold brands already used by Stagecoach subsidiaries. This service ended in May 2017, due to it being consistently loss-making, and the coaches are now only used on daytime services.
Megasightseeing.
On 23 April 2018, Megabus, along with Stagecoach London, started operating three non-stop open top bus sight seeing routes in London under the Megasightseeing brand. Each trip on the route is approximately two hours long, and uses a GPS activated pre-recorded 'guide'. The three circular routes, which run hourly on the hour start from Tower of London, The London Eye, and Park Lane. Tickets for the service must be pre-booked from the Megabus website, and cash is not accepted at the roadside, however, bookings can be made for a particular journey right up to the time of departure, subject to availability. Megasightseeing is the only non-stop sightseeing service in London.
Each sightseeing trip on the service carries up to 44 passengers. By reducing the number of bookings per trip, a top deck seat can be guaranteed, something other sightseeing operators in London are unable to offer at the present time.
Megasightseeing follows the same yield pricing model of traditional Megabus routes, where fares can start from as little as £1 plus booking fee.
The buses initially used on the service were former East London and Selkent 2005/06 Alexander ALX400 bodied Dennis Tridents. These vehicles were refurbished and converted to open and part open top by Alexander Dennis. They were housed at Bow bus garage. To comply with the London low emission zone, all were replaced by Alexander Dennis Enviro400s in 2019.
For the first time since Megabus was founded, 'Sid' the Megabus mascot, has been given a voice - which can be heard in the automatic commentary on the vehicles whilst they are in motion on the tour.
On 9 June 2018, a Megasightseeing bus strayed in to a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in support of far right leader Tommy Robinson. The bus was overtaken by protesters and a significant amount of damage occurred to the vehicle, resulting in it needing to be towed away.
Tickets and fares.
Advertised fares formerly started at £1 with a 50p booking fee (quietly raised to £1 without publicity during 2018), using a yield management model with the lowest fares offered for booking early and on less popular journeys. Typically, only the first six seats were sold at £1. As of 2018 however, the £1 fares have been withdrawn with references to them removed from the website and coach body advertising. Services often use out-of-town coachway interchanges to reduce delays caused by calling at interchanges in urban centres. Megatrain also follows the yield management model.
Tickets must be bought in advance via the Megabus website or by telephone, when passengers are given a reservation number that they show the driver when they board. The only services on which tickets can be bought on the vehicle are a small number of Scottish services.
Tickets for the London Sightseeing Tours can also be purchased from the Megabus Website.
Stop locations.
Megabus serves many towns and cities. For service efficiency it sometimes uses coachway interchanges rather than urban bus stations (e.g. Meadowhall Interchange rather than Sheffield Interchange).
Fleet.
The Megabus fleet is normally easily identifiable, with the megabus.com name on the front and sides in yellow on a blue base and the Megabus logo on the left side of the coach (facing forward) and rear of the bus.
Accessible coaches are operated on routes between England and Wales, the M9 and M90 in Scotland, and the M20.
Vehicles are owned and maintained by various Stagecoach subsidiaries. When branded vehicles are unavailable other Stagecoach vehicles can be used or coaches hired in. Substitute vehicles used have been Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo Olympian double deckers, and Dennis Dart and Volvo B10M single deckers. Stagecoach London double deckers from Leyton garage were often seconded to Megabus until the sale of that company to Macquarie Bank. When using substitute vehicles, there may not always be an onboard toilet, and in such cases rest stops are made.
Some journeys are contracted to other operators using non-Megabus liveried vehicles, including Turners Coachways of Bristol, Tetleys of Leeds, Hamiltons of Uxbridge and Compass Royston from Stockton-on-Tees.
Fleet history.
Initially, most routes used buses designed for short journeys that had neither toilet facilities nor luggage space, and each passenger was allowed only one bag.
To commence operations, 1990/91 built 3-axle 94 seat Alexander RH bodied Leyland Olympians were purchased from Hong Kong Citybus. Stagecoach had previously owned these buses when it owned Citybus from March 1999 until June 2003.
Three-axle Dennis Dragons were allocated to Manchester to Liverpool and Manchester to Leeds services, which ceased operations in 2004.
A number of mid-life Volvo B10M coaches temporarily operated various routes, mainly in the South of England, until sufficient Olympians had been prepared for service. Gradually, most of these coaches were taken off Megabus work and used by Stagecoach elsewhere. However, the type made a reappearance at the end of 2005, when they became the mainstays on the services from London to Birmingham and London to Nottingham/Chesterfield.
Newer 'high-frills' articulated coaches, with both toilets and reclining seats, were used for the longer journeys between London and Scotland, but these were replaced early in 2005. These coaches have since been refurbished and modified to include beds for an Overnight 'Sleeper' service between London and Glasgow started in late 2011, competing with the Caledonian Sleeper train.
In summer 2004, Stagecoach received a batch of Neoplan Skyliners for the Oxford Tube. This displaced 68-seat five-year-old double deck Jonckheere bodied MAN 24.350 HOCLNR-NL coaches, some of which were transferred to Megabus on cross-border services and on services within Scotland.
Stagecoach ordered another batch of Neoplan Skyliners, which entered service with Megabus in early 2005. These replaced the articulated coaches used between London and Scotland, and also Leyland Olympians on some other longer distance services.
In October 2006, Stagecoach ordered 45 Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12BT 15-metre 65 seat coaches. The three-axle coaches were the longest rigid vehicles in the UK on their introduction to service in February 2007, and the first of their kind to be built in Britain.
In September 2009, Megabus took delivery of four new Van Hool Astromega double-deck coaches, currently used between London and Scotland via Manchester
In October 2011, Megabus started an overnight sleeper service with 24 seats and bunks, between London and Glasgow. In November 2011 it started running daily and has proved to be very popular. The coaches used were modified Volvo B10M articulated coaches with Jonckheere bodywork. Despite its popularity, Megabus withdrew this service in 2017.
In early 2013, Megabus introduced new Plaxton Elite "i" coaches, built upon the Volvo B11RT chassis, into the fleet, running mainly on routes M9, M20 and the 900 (on behalf of Scottish Citylink).
In March and April 2018, nine former Selkent and East London Alexander ALX400 bodied Tridents were refurbished by Alexander Dennis in preparation for the new Megasightseeing Tours in London.


Vincent Black Knight

The Vincent Black Knight is a British motorcycle made between 1954 and 1955 by Vincent Motorcycles. A year before the factory closed in 1955, Vincent produced the enclosed range of "Black Knight" and "Black Prince". Known as the 'Series D', the Black Knight was an upgraded Vincent Rapide which was fully enclosed to keep the rain and dirt from the rider. As well as allowing Vincent to reduce production costs, the enclosure actually improved performance by directing more air to the rear cylinder. Phil Vincent described it as a 'two-wheeled Bentley' and the enclosed Vincents got a lot of attention at the 1955 Earls Court show. Problems with production of the glass fibre mouldings meant that many riders removed them, which eventually led to financial difficulties and the factory closed on 16 December 1955.
Development.
Falling sales of the Series C Vincent motorcycles during 1952 and 1953 was partly attributed to dated styling, so Phil Vincent sought to update the range and development began what were to become the Series D machines. The main change was innovative full enclosure and weather protection, with glass fibre panels that included leg shields and a handlebar fairing. This was not about streamlining for speed, as the Vincent was already powerful enough for riders of the day – it was instead about the idea that the rider could travel to work in a suit rather than full motorcycle kit. Care was taken to ensure that the engines were still easily accessible for general maintenance and the rear enclosure was hinged providing access to the rear wheel and drive chain.
Vincent also tried to make it easier for the rider to get the motorcycle on to its stand by adding a huge lever on the left of the machine that could be operated from the saddle and a single damper replaced the twin rear shocks.
The frame was also modified with the strong steel 'backbone' was replaced with a single tubular strut bolted to the steering head (which proved much weaker).
Launch.
The Black Knight was launched at the 1954 Earls Court motorcycle show, together with the 998cc Vincent Black Prince (an enclosed version of the Black Shadow ) and the 500cc Vincent Victor (which never went into production as only the prototype was ever built). There was a lot of interest but much of it was critical, and the Black Knight/Black Prince models were termed the motorcycle you either love or hate.
Production.
Production of the Black Knight began in the spring of 1955. Lucas components replaced the less reliable Miller electrical system and ignition was upgraded to coil and distributor. The rear enclosure, which incorporated the oil tank, was hinged allowing access to the rear wheel and final drive chain. Amal Monobloc carburettors improved starting. The centre stand was operated by a lever accessible from the saddle and the lower front mudguard stay served as an emergency front stand to facilitate the removal of the front wheel. Delay in delivery of the fibreglas components from subcontractors held back the availability of the first production bikes until spring 1955. Approximately 200 of the enclosed models were built.
Financial collapse.
Increasingly affluent customers may have encouraged Vincent to go for a 'high end' luxury touring model, but at the same time high volume and very affordable small cars were flooding the market. Vincent's accountants suddenly realised that they were losing money on every Black Knight sold, so the last example of both the model and the marque left the production line on Friday, 16 December 1955.
Difference from Black Prince.
The Black Knight is easily mistaken for the very similar Black Prince. For anyone other than a knowledgeable Vincent enthusiast, they would not notice the difference as externally, both models are nearly identical. The most readily noticeable difference is in the emblem on the front and rear fenders/wheel covers, and on the "dashboard". The emblem consists of a Vincent scroll, with the model name (Black Knight or Black Prince) below the scroll and a graphic just above the scroll. For the Black Knight, the graphic is an axe; for the Black Prince, the graphic is a helmet.


A340 road

The A340 is a major road in the south of England, portions of which are known as the Aldermaston Road, Tadley Hill, Basingstoke Road and Tidmarsh Road.
Route.
Starting in the south of Basingstoke, Hampshire, it runs west, forming the western side of the Basingstoke ringroad, before swinging north to Tadley and then enters Berkshire. It passes the gates of the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, before passing through the village of Aldermaston itself and then joining the A4 at Aldermaston Wharf. After approximately north-east, the A340 runs further north to Pangbourne, to the west of Reading. This section of the road is thought to follow the Roman road from Calleva Atrebatum (about to the south).


BSA unit twins

The BSA unit twins were a range of unit construction twin-cylinder motorcycles made by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) and aimed at the US market. A range of , and twins were produced between 1962 and 1972, but they were really developments of the older pre-unit A7/A10 model range with less weight. The engines had a reputation for vibration, but acceleration was good for the time, to a top speed of .
Models for the US generally had smaller petrol tanks and higher wider handlebars than the UK models, and prior to 1966 different model names were used for the two markets.
The 500cc models were discontinued in 1971 when the single cylinder B50 model was introduced.
The BSA Group faced worsening financial difficulties and in 1973 merged with Norton-Villiers. As part of a rationalisation by the newly formed Norton Villiers Triumph, production of BSA motorcycles ceased.
Design.
Background.
Precipitated by Lucas's intent to discontinue magnetos and dynamos in favour of alternators, BSA's managing director and general manager, Bob Fearon, took the opportunity to update the engines of BSA's twins and give them a new look. He hoped the new models would succeed in the potentially lucrative, but competitive, US market. Working with chief development engineer Bert Perrigo, he developed the unit construction twins using "The Power Egg" design concept.
Engines.
Pre-unit, known as "non-unit" before unit construction, engines had their roots in history when motorcycle manufacturers bought engines and gearboxes from separate specialists suppliers and mounted them in their own frames. By the late 1950s, most manufacturers made their own engines and gearboxes, and were therefore able to combine the engine and gearbox in an integrated casting, producing a more compact unit.
Perrigo's design team based the new engine on the old A7/A10 engines. To streamline production and keep costs down, as many parts as possible were common between the engine sizes. The 500 and 650 engines shared the same stroke () and cylinder spacing, so the bottom half of the engine could be common to both sizes. (The A7 and A10 models had used different strokes and cylinder spacing, so crankshaft and crankcases were not interchangeable between them). Among the improvements in the new engines were pushrod passages in the cylinder block casting, which reduced the risk of oil leaks, and pillars holding the rocker spindles cast into the head, leading to better valve clearance control. Primary drive was by a triplex chain rather than the single row chain of the previous models and rubber inserts were added to the clutch for a smoother transmission.
Although the older engines used a roller bearing on the drive side of the crankshaft, the new engine used a caged ball bearing. On the timing side a plain bearing was retained but increased in size. This arrangement proved troublesome and the ball bearing was replaced with a roller bearing in 1966.
Cycle parts.
A new frame was designed for the more compact unit construction engine. The frame followed the lines of the frame for the older models; a half-duplex cradle with a single spine. The new frame was all welded. The rear swinging arm was controlled by Girling 3 position adjustable shock absorbers. BSA's own forks were used, which had compression damping only. The front brake was 7" drum on the 500 model and 8" on the 650, although later 500s were fitted with the 8" brake.
The new model had a wheelbase of , 2" shorter than its predecessor.
Overview of models.
Notes
Timeline.
1962.
500 and 650cc models launched with common cycle parts except the front brake, which was 7" on the 500 and 8" on the 650. The 500cc model was designated "Star" and the 650 "Star" in the UK and "Royal Star" in the US.
1963.
The 500 model's name was changed to "Royal Star" in the US.
1964.
Two new 500 models were introduced in the US. Both with twin carburettors and were designated the "Cyclone Road" and the "Cyclone Competition". The road version was fitted with a sports cam and the competition version was devoid of lights and had a higher compression ratio and a race cam. Both had the 8" front brake from the 650.
A new, higher performance 650 model, the "Rocket" in the UK and "Thunderbird Rocket" in the US was introduced. A twin carb version, the "Lightning Rocket" was introduced in the US. These two models replaced the pre-unit "Golden Flash" and "Super Rocket" models that were discontinued this year.
A 650 version of the Cyclone Competition was also introduced in the US and called the "Spitfire Hornet". This was a replacement for the discontinued pre-unit "Spitfire Scrambler".
Police equipped versions of both the 500 and 650 were also introduced.
1965.
The Cyclone models were made available in the UK as was the Lightning Rocket, although called "Lightning" in the UK. The Lightning Rocket/Lightning has a higher compression ratio than the previous year's model.
A limited edition "Lightning Clubman" was introduced. This featured siamese exhaust, clubman handlebars, rearset footrests and a close-ratio gearbox. It was designed for production racing. A 500cc version was also produced, the "Cyclone Clubman".
Crankshaft main bearings had been unreliable, in an effort to resolve this problem roller bearing were introduced on the drive side and an improved bronze bush on the timing side.
1966.
1966 saw the rationalisation of the range and also the end to calling the same model different names in different countries:
The high performance Spitfire model, designated Mk II, featured 10.5:1 compression ratio, a pair of Amal 1-5/32” GP2 carbs on open bell-mouths and a close-ratio gearbox.
All models were upgraded to 12v electrics in this year.
1967.
The Wasp models were discontinued, leaving the Royal Star as the only 500 model.
The Spitfire evolved into the MK III model with the compression ratio reduced to 9:1 and the carbs changed to the new Amal Concentrics. These changes gave improved starting and tractability at low speeds.
New forks with 2-way damping were introduced.
1968.
The US only Hornet offroader was discontinued and a new model, the "Firebird Scrambler", was introduced in all sales areas.
All models were fitted with twin leading shoe front brakes and carburettors changed to Amal Concentrics. The Spitfire evolved into the Mk IV.
1969.
With the introduction of the flagship Rocket 3 750cc triple, BSA decided that there was no longer a need for the top of the range 650 twin and the Spitfire was discontinued.
1970.
Apart from minor cosmetic changes, the range remained the same for 1970.
1971.
With the introduction of the 500cc single cylinder B50 model, the Royal Star was discontinued.
The 650s were given new cycle parts, including the "oil-bearing frame". Apart from cosmetic items, the cycle parts were shared with the Triumph twins. (Triumph was a subsidiary of BSA).
To produce a 750cc machine for AMA Class C racing, BSA lengthened the stroke of Lightning's crankshaft by 11mm to give a displacement of 751cc. 202 A70 Lightning machines were produced to meet the minimum production requirements. All were exported to the US, most to the East Coast distributor in Baltimore.
1972.
By 1972 BSA were in serious financial trouble and the Firebird Scrambler was discontinued in an attempt to reduce costs.
1973.
With rival British motorcycle manufacturer, Norton-Villiers, also in financial trouble, the British government funded a rescue package that merged the two companies into a new company Norton Villiers Triumph (NVT). As part of the rationalisation of the products of the new company, NVT stopped production of BSA models.
Other models.
E35 Fury.
The 'BSA Fury was a prototype motorcycle made in 1970. Designed by Edward Turner but substantially redesigned by Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele, the Fury never went into commercial production due to the collapse of the BSA Group.
Launched in 1971, the double overhead cam twin BSA E35 was branded the "BSA Fury". It was essentially the same motorcycle as the Triumph Bandit and represented the BSA factory's last attempt to compete against Japanese imports. The frame used for the Fury was designed by Rob North, designer of the frames used on the racing BSA triples. A 'Street Scrambler' E35SS and road version the E35R were developed during 1971. Featuring upswept twin silencers, the SS had an optional electric starter and indicators and 26 mm Amal concentric carburettors. The Fury delivered and could reach .
T65 Thunderbolt.
In order to fulfil existing export orders after production of the BSA twins had stopped, between 200 and 300 Triumph TR6 Trophys were rebadged as BSA T65 Thunderbolt and exported to Spain and Australia.


Jock Porter

John Adam Porter (1894–1952), known as Jock, was the first Scotsman to win the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, and was a European Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion.
Career.
From 1922 to 1940 he also marketed his own brand of motorcycle, New Gerrard. Riding these bikes, he competed in the 1922 Junior TT, but retired early. In 1923, he won the 250cc TT at an average speed of , and in 1924, won the first Ultra-Lightweight TT (175cc), at an average speed of . During practices for the 1927 TT races, he suffered a badly cut face after a collision with a Norton motorcycle ridden by H. Mathews.
He also won the Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix at 250cc three times, in 1925, 1926 and 1929 and the same class in the German motorcycle Grand Prix of 1926. He was 250 cc motorcycle European champion for 1925 and 1926.
Legacy.
Porter died on 20 November 1952 and is buried at Comely Bank Cemetery, Edinburgh, along with his wife Margaret.
Glasgow Museums have Porter's New Gerrard Blackburne 248cc of 1923 in their collection, having acquired it in 1976. , it is in storage, and so not on public display.
In 2008, two albums of photographs and postcards of TT races, from 1921 onwards, which once belonged to Porter, were sold at auction by Bonhams for £3,220 (including premium). In 2012, his granddaughter showed some of his trophies and other memorabilia, on the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow.


Alker Tripp

Sir Herbert Alker Tripp CBE (23 August 1883 – 12 December 1954), usually known as Alker Tripp or H. Alker Tripp, was a senior English police official who served as an Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police from 1932 to 1947.
Tripp was born in London, the son of George Henry Tripp, a civil servant who later became Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District. Tripp's ambition was to become an artist, but family disapproval led to him joining the civil staff at Scotland Yard as a clerk in the Commissioner's Office on 22 December 1902. He held a number of posts before being appointed chairman of the Police Recruiting Board in 1920. In this post he conceived of the idea of a police college, which was later established by Lord Trenchard. By 1928, Tripp was assistant secretary in the Metropolitan Police Office.
On 15 January 1932, Tripp was appointed Assistant Commissioner "B", in charge of traffic. He was the first member of Scotland Yard's civilian staff to be appointed to this rank (at this time the Assistant Commissioners were not police officers, although they wore police uniform on formal occasions). He devoted the next fifteen years to the study of London's traffic problems, and also traffic problems of other cities throughout Europe and North America, becoming a recognised authority on the traffic control. In 1933, he was appointed to the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Board. In 1938 he published "Road Traffic and Its Control", which remained the only full-length study of the subject until after his death.
The outbreak of the Second World War brought its own problems for traffic, such as road safety during the blackout, the clearance of roads after bombing raids during the Blitz, and the necessity of giving priority to military and other essential traffic. In September 1942, Tripp published a second book, "Town Planning and Road Traffic", which looked ahead to postwar reconstruction. In this book he pioneered the idea of motorways in Britain. In 1942, the Royal Academy invited him to become a member of its Planning Committee established to set up a scheme for London's architectural reconstruction after the war. Tripp retired from the Metropolitan Police and the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee on 1 May 1947, but remained a member of the Royal Academy Planning Committee until 1949. He was also a member of the Ministry of Transport Committee on Road Safety from 1943 until 1947. He supported the registration of bicycles, a policy which was not eventually endorsed by the committee.
Tripp was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1935 New Year Honours and was knighted in the 1945 New Year Honours for his services during the war.
Tripp never lost his interest in art, and many of his paintings were shown in the Royal Academy. More than twenty of his works were turned into posters. He was also an enthusiastic yachtsman, both cruising and racing. He had a large number of articles published in the yachting press in both Britain and the United States, and also wrote four books on the subject: "Shoalwater and Fairway" (1924), "Suffolk Sea Borders" (1926), "Solent and the Southern Waters" (1928), and "Under the Cabin Lamp" (1950).
In 1910 he married Abigail Powell, a Dubliner. She died on 26 February 1951. They had a son and a daughter.


Norton Model 50

The Model 50 was a touring motorcycle built by Norton between 1933 and 1963. A further Model 50 was briefly produced by Norton parent-company AMC during 1965 and 1966 using a re-badged Matchless.
Designed by Edgar Franks in 1933, the first run was almost identical to the Norton Model 18 except for the bore and stroke. The single-cylinder engine was 348 cc with pushrod operated overhead valves.
Halted by World War II, production of the Model 50 single restarted in 1956. After 1959 the Model 50 gained the Featherbed frame, Lucas RM15 crank-mounted alternator (upgraded from magneto/dynamo used on 1957-58) coil ignition and improved lighting. In common with other large Nortons, the frame was updated to the 'slimline' version with revised styling in 1961.
When road testing a used example provided by a London dealer in 1964, UK monthly magazine "Motorcycle Mechanics" reported top speed with cruising.
Few survive in original condition as many were converted into 'Tritons' with Triumph engines. Production ended in 1963.


Luke Hinton

Luke Hinton is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer from Great Britain.


A3036 road

The A3036 is an A road in London, England.
It starts at the southern tip of the County Hall roundabout where the A302 Westminster Bridge, York Road and A23 Westminster Bridge Road all intersect.
This stretch of the route is called Lambeth Palace Road and heads southwest, past St Thomas' Hospital and the Palace itself, at the roundabout junction with the A3203 at Lambeth Bridge, where it runs along the south side of the Thames.
After this, the road is called Albert Embankment and continues to run alongside the river, until it passes the MI6 headquarters at the major junction known as Vauxhall Cross, where the A202 Vauxhall Bridge, Durham Street and Harleyford Road, the A203 South Lambeth Road, and the A3205 Nine Elms Lane all converge.
From Vauxhall, the route is then called Wandsworth Road until it crosses the A3216 Queenstown Road / Cedars Road junction in Battersea. At that point the street name changes to Lavender Hill, continuing until Clapham Junction.
The A3 follows roughly the same southwesterly course as this route and after St John's Hill, Clapham Junction, the two routes merge at the Wandsworth one-way system where the road continues as the A3.


Bat No. 2 Light Roadster

The Bat No. 2 was a British motorcycle made in 1913 by Bat Motor Manufacturing Co. Ltd in Penge, Surrey. Offered with a choice of Bat's own two-speed gearbox or with a conventional (for the time) belt drive, sales were good but production ended on the outbreak of the First World War one year later.
Development.
The Bat Motor Manufacturing Co. Ltd produced motorcycles between 1902 and 1926. The 'Bat' name is often wrongly written as "BAT" as people thought it came from the way the motorcycles were nicknamed "Best After Tests", but it actually came from the founder, Samuel Robert Batson. Despite some competition success, Batson decided to concentrate on office equipment and sold the company to Theodore Tessier in 1904. Tessier was innovative and developed one of the first motorcycle suspension systems, with a leading link front fork. Tessler's son continued riding Bat motorcycles in competition and it was from this that the nickname was developed into a marketing slogan. The Bat No. 2 used outdated engineering even for its time, however, with no front brake. The No. 2 model was available either with Bat's own two-speed countershaft gearbox and an unusual linked spring system for the saddle and footboards, or an alternative specification (without the springs ) that had a belt drive to an Armstrong three-speed rear hub.
Although it was also known as the "Light Roadster" the engine was a well-proven 770cc V-twin side-valve four-stroke from Tottenham engine specialists JAP; Bat also offered 650cc, 964cc and 980cc options. The Bat No 2 also featured a specially sprung saddle to improve rider comfort on the poor roads of the time. To raise awareness of the motorcycles, Tessier began serious competitive racing and achieved over 200 wins, setting numerous speed records. Bat also managed seventh place in the 1913 Senior TT. Production ended on the outbreak of the First World War. when the factory switched to producing munitions. Bat sold all their remaining stock of Bat No. 2 motorcycles to the Russian military but was never paid, so discontinued the No. 2 after the war.


Joe Irving

Joe Irving (born 8 June 1998) is a British motorcycle racer.


A952 road

The A952 road is a main road in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This roadway is a north–south connector that serves as an inland bypass to the more coastally aligned A90 road. It runs from Toll of Birness in the south to Cortes in the north, passing through the communities of Ardallie, Clola, Mintlaw and New Leeds. It has been noted that traffic accidents are most frequent at pronounced road bends along the A952.
History.
The local area is rich with prehistorical and historical features. Somewhat to the east of the A952 road are a number of prehistoric monuments including Catto Long Barrow, Silver Cairn and many tumuli. In that same vicinity of the Laeca Burn watershed is the point d'appui of historic battles between invading Danes and indigenous Picts.


A35 road

The A35 is a road in southern England, connecting Honiton in Devon and Southampton in Hampshire. It is a trunk road for some of its length. Most of its route passes through Dorset and the New Forest. It originally connected Exeter and Southampton, the original A35 ran along what is now the A3052 joining the present road at Charmouth.
Route.
Beginning in Honiton off the A30 road, the A35 travels in a roughly south-easterly direction past Axminster, Charmouth and Bridport. After Bridport, there is a section of dual carriageway, before it reaches its bypass around Dorchester. After Dorchester, there are approximately of dual carriageway, including the Puddletown bypass, until it reaches its roundabout with the A31 road at Bere Regis. Continuing roughly south-easterly still, it becomes dual carriageway again near Upton, before returning to a single carriageway through Poole and Bournemouth, apart from a small section of dual carriageway on Wessex Way. On reaching Christchurch, there is a dual-carriageway bypass. It then heads in a north-easterly direction through the New Forest, passing through Lyndhurst where it meets the A337 road (to Lymington). It continues through Ashurst and Totton, meeting the A36 road and M271 motorway at grade separated junctions. It then turns north-east, acting as the western part of Southampton's ring road, with the A27 road making up the eastern part. It terminates at Swaythling, on the northern outskirts of Southampton.
In Bournemouth, it has been diverted around the Sovereign Centre of Boscombe along Centenary Way; much of its former road is now pedestrianised. Its route through Poole and Bournemouth passes through suburbs.
Improvements.
The A35 is a main route along England's south coast, and is congested. To help solve the congestion, sections of the A35 were upgraded between Honiton and Bere Regis. Some improvements have involved the construction of new dual carriageway bypasses such as the Puddletown bypass which opened in 1999, and others include new sections of single carriageway road, such as its straightening between Slepe and the Upton bypass in 2004, and the extension of the limit west of Slepe by in 2007. The Puddletown dual carriageway (together with the A30 Honiton-Exeter dualling) were financed under a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract running from 1996 to 2026.
Incidents.
In May 2021 a sinkhole opened on the carriageway following emergency repairs to a pothole on the A35 Puddletown bypass near the junction for Troytown. The road was closed to allow remedial works to be carried out.