From the forgotten Aberdale, of Llwynypia, Wales, to the ingeniously
eccentric Wooler, of north-west London, British Motorcycles 1945-1965
offers alphabetical coverage - in no less than 600 pages - of British
motorcycle makes of the period 1945-1965, among them great names such as
AJS, BSA, Matchless, Norton, Royal Enfield, Triumph and Vincent.
The two decades covered by this book represent the final flowering of
the motorcycle industry in Britain, a period when British bikes were
shipped all over the world, when America discovered high-performance
British twins and when ton-up boys vied with each other in feats of
horrific daring. In the meantime, rush-hour roads resounded to the buzz
and crackle of ride-to-work two-strokes, men hidden in cumbersome
waterproof coats slogged along on unwieldy sidecar outfits, wife on the
pillion, kids alongside, and courting couples, carefree, hugging tight,
enjoyed a sunlit ride to the seaside or into the hills.
In this intensely detailed study, author Rinsey Mills gives the
histories of the motorcycle manufacturers and then provides information
on the models they produced, year by year, using original material from
sales brochures for the illustrations, not only to identify the bikes
and to highlight model changes and revisions, but also to give the
flavour of the times when they were to be seen going about their
business.
Whether your taste is for the obscure and the might-have-beens, for
workaday two-strokes, nimble scramblers, thumping singles, ton-up twins
or fiery road racers, all are here, offering an unrivaled store of
knowledge and information as well as more than 1,500 illustrations that
provide a powerful evocation of motorcycling in these two decades. The
illustrations are accompanied by generous and informative captions which
help to convey the strengths, weaknesses and character of the machines,
as well as provide intriguing technical insights.
