"organised into regional sections, most of which have at least one club night each month. The VMCC library holds original British motorcycle factory records for Triumph, BSA, Norton, Ariel, Scott, Levis and Royal Enfield being the largest collection of motorcycle-related paperwork in the world. It is also a DVLA recognised body for age related motorcycle registration numbers. The collection includes catalogues, handbooks, spare parts lists, runs of ""The Motor Cycle"" and ""Motor Cycling"" magazines, as well as other motorcycle magazines and books from the 1880s to the present day. The library also has a comprehensive collection of photographs of motorcycles,"
"Ariel Square Four The Square Four is a motorcycle produced by Ariel between 1931 and 1959, designed by Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufacturers. The early engine with ""two transverse crankshafts"" was essentially a pair of 'across frame' OHC parallel twins joined by their geared central flywheels, with a four-cylinder block (or ""Monobloc"") and single head. The idea for the engine was rejected by BSA, but adopted by Ariel. Thus it became the Ariel Square Four. In 1966 Phil"
"Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark and running Chepstow Motors, a Peckham Road motorcycle shop with a Velocette agency, Turner conceived the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufacturers. The engine was essentially a pair of 'across frame' OHC parallel twins joined by their geared central flywheels, with a one-piece four-cylinder block (or Monobloc) and single head. The idea for the engine was rejected by BSA, but adopted by Ariel. Thus it became the Ariel Square Four, and not the BSA Square Four. Turner"
"Quadrant Cycle Company The Quadrant Cycle Company was a company in Birmingham, England that was established in 1890 as a bicycle manufacturer. They advanced to make motorcycles from 1899 until their demise in 1928. They also made a tricar called Carette in 1899 and a small number of cars for about two years around 1906. The company exhibited a car chassis with a four-speed Lloyd gearbox of the style known as ""crossed rollers""; this allowed direct drive at all speeds. The used 14/16 or 20/22 hp engines made by White and Poppe. David Burgess Wise, ""The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of"
"new factory was set up at Selly Oak in Birmingham. One of their first bikes was the Ariel Square Four, designed by Edward Turner, followed by the Ariel Red Hunter. The Red Hunter was a success, and enabled Ariel to purchase Triumph. The Ariel Square Four with a 500 cc engine designed by Edward Turner first appeared for the 1931 season. Around this time the company went into receivership and then a new company was formed. The Square Four displacement was increased to 600cc. Throughout their history, the Square Fours had overheating problems with the rear cylinders which resulted in"
"Brough Superior Austin Four The Brough Superior Austin Four was a limited-production motorcycle designed and manufactured by Brough Superior of Nottingham, UK in 1932. It was listed in the 1932 Brough Superior catalogue as the 'Straight Four' but it was commonly known as the Brough Superior Austin Four, or BS4, or '3-wheeled Brough'. The machine is unique in its design, being powered by a modified Austin 7 automobile engine and gearbox unit, from which a driveshaft emerges on the centre-line of the motor. Rather than design a new gearbox, George Brough had the inspiration to keep the central driveshaft, and"
"Automobiles"". Made in Birmingham, The Birmingham Motorcycle Industry Quadrant Cycle Company The Quadrant Cycle Company was a company in Birmingham, England that was established in 1890 as a bicycle manufacturer. They advanced to make motorcycles from 1899 until their demise in 1928. They also made a tricar called Carette in 1899 and a small number of cars for about two years around 1906. The company exhibited a car chassis with a four-speed Lloyd gearbox of the style known as ""crossed rollers""; this allowed direct drive at all speeds. The used 14/16 or 20/22 hp engines made by White and Poppe."
"of the two-stroke GP500 era were fours, first squares then Vs, by Honda, Kawasaki, Cagiva, Suzuki, Yamaha. Kawasaki also experimented with a trapezoidal four the 602S. Yamaha made the V4 RD500LC, and Suzuki the RG400 and RG500 square four road bikes. A square four is a U engine with two cylinders on each side. This configuration was used on the Ariel Square Four motorcycle from 1931 to 1959. This design was revived as a two-stroke version on some racing Suzuki models, and their subsequent road-going version the RG500. Although some racing success was achieved, the road bikes didn't sell in"
"Healey 1000/4 The Healey 1000/4 is a British motorcycle made by the Healey brothers between 1971 and 1977. Fitted with an improved Ariel Square Four 1000 cc engine the Healey was cheaper than a Honda Gold Wing, but only 28 Healey motorcycles were ever built. Originally designed by Edward Turner in 1928, the dry-sump Ariel Square Four was the only British motorcycle engine with four cylinders arranged to form a square. The front two cylinders powered one crankshaft while the rear two drove a second. Unlike contemporary British parallel twins, each crankshaft had a 180° configuration, the two crankshafts being"
"the Ariel Square Four and was persuaded by its designer Edward Turner to take over Triumph. In 1935, Sangster appointed Turner to run the Triumph motorcycle division. Turner designed a new range of lightweight singles which were marketed as the Tiger 70, 80, and 90, with the model number representing the top speed and they sold well, enabling the company to break even in the first year and making a good profit the next, re-establishing Triumph. The company went on to become one of Britain's most successful motorcycle firms. The pre-war Tigers had distinctive chrome tanks and silver side panels."
"Honda CB400SF The Honda CB400 Super Four is a motorcycle produced by Honda at the Kumamoto plant from 1992 to the present. The CB400 embodies the typical Universal Japanese Motorcycle produced through the 1970s, updated with modern technology. To this end, the bike has a naked retro design, paired with a smooth inline-four engine. Originally a Japan-only bike, it was later also available in SE Asia, and from 2008 in Australia. Unveiled in 1991 at the 29th Tokyo Motor Show as a 400 cc version of the popular CB1000 Super Four, the motorcycle was introduced in Japan for the 1992"
"Brown quadricycle The Brown Quadricycle was first sold in 1899 by the bicycle and motor factory, Brown Brothers of Great Eastern Street, London, UK. The quadricycle could be bought fully assembled or all the components could be purchased separately to be built by the owner. Also available was a tricycle version and a 'convertible' model that could use either a single front wheel or have an optional twin front wheel assembly that allowed a front passenger to be carried. The only known surviving Brown Quadricycle uses a Perfecta quadricycle frame and a Starley rear axle. The engine is a 2.25"
"Quadrant (motorcycles) Quadrant was one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901. Famous for their big singles, Quadrant pioneered many innovations that proved important for motorcycle development but struggled after the First World War and the company was wound up in 1928. Founded by Walter and William Lloyd in 1883 as a company to make bicycles and tricycles, Quadrant developed some of the first motorcycles in 1901. The first Quadrant motorcycle was fitted with the then very popular Minerva ""clip-on"" engine. They also made powered tricycles in 1902. Walter took out a patent in 1902 for"
"1986 engine was said to produce about in qualifying. Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal, which had been making motorcycles since 1901, began producing the first motorcycles with inline-fours in 1905. The FN Four had its engine mounted upright with the crankshaft longitudinal. Other manufacturers that used this layout included Pierce, Henderson, Ace, Cleveland, and Indian in the United States, Nimbus in Denmark, Windhoff in Germany, and Wilkinson in the United Kingdom. The first across-the-frame 4-cylinder motorcycle was the 1939 racer Gilera 500 Rondine, it also had double-over-head camshafts, forced-inducting supercharger and was liquid-cooled. Modern inline-four motorcycle engines first became popular"
"Pierce Four The Pierce Four was the first four-cylinder motorcycle produced in the United States. The model is included in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Classic Bikes and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Touting its inline-four engine as ""vibrationless"", Pierce sold the motorcycle for $325, rising to $400 by 1913, which was expensive at the time, making it popular with ""more prosperous sportsmen"". George N. Pierce, owner of the GN Pierce Company, built refrigerators and bird cages in the 1890s, and expanded into bicycle manufacture by 1892, with the famous 'arrow' logo. Many of their bicycles used a shaft drive"
"continued producing the 'Bullet', and began branding its motorcycles 'Royal Enfield' in 1999. A lawsuit over the use of 'Royal', brought by trademark owner David Holder, was judged in favour of Enfield of India, who now produce motorcycles under the Royal Enfield name. The models produced and marketed in India include Cafe Racers, Cruisers, Retros and Adventure Tourers. By 1899, Royal Enfield were producing a ""quadricycle"" – a bicycle modified by adding a wrap-around four-wheeled frame, retaining a rear rider-saddle with handlebars – having a front-mounted passenger seat, driven by a rear-mounted De Dion engine. After experimenting with a heavy"
"& M as motorcycle manufacturers. In 1962 the receiver was called in, and production staggered on until 1966. Phelon & Rayner Humber Phelon & Moore Phelon & Moore Race Bikes Panther Phelon & Moore Phelon & Moore manufactured motorcycles in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, England from 1904 to 1967 particularly those under the Panther marque. They became identified with one particular design of motorcycle which had a large sloping 40-degree single-cylinder engine as a stressed member of the frame. This design spanned the entire history of the company, starting with a 500 cc model and ending with a 645 cc model. The"
"Triumph Quadrant The so-called Triumph Quadrant (aka ""Quadrent"") was a ""bitsa"" designed and built in secret by Doug Hele in 1973. It was a 1,000 cc four-cylinder motorcycle made up from Trident parts (although the camshaft was sourced from outside the factory). Essentially, the fourth cylinder came from grafting on an extra middle crankcase unit; but since the primary chaincase and final drive sprocket could not be relocated, the fourth cylinder protruded on the right hand side of the bike. The top speed was reputedly 125 mph. Quite why Hele developed this motorcycle is something of a mystery, as the"
"Indian Four The Indian Four was a motorcycle built by the Indian Company from 1928 to 1942. It was based on the Ace motorcycle, which Indian bought as part of the assets of the Ace Motor Corporation in 1927. For 1940, the Four frame was modified to include plunger rear suspension. In the same year, all Indian models were restyled with large, decorative fenders. The Four was discontinued with the rest of civilian production in 1942 and was not returned to production after World War II ended. Indian purchased the ownership of the name, rights, and production facilities of the"
"but was bought by Sangster, who promoted Turner to chief designer. In 1936 Triumph decided to create separate motorcycle and car companies, and sell the motorcycle company. Ariel owner Jack Sangster bought it and changed the name to ""Triumph Engineering Company"". The Ariel Square Four changed from the 4F 600 cc OHC version to the 4G OHV 995 cc version that year. Sangster made Turner, now 35, General Manager and Chief Designer. (In this new position Turner received a 5% commission on the company's net profits, and became a shareholder with 4.9% of the equity). The first thing he did"
"class. Introduced in 1922 was a side valve 490cc single (bore 70mm, stroke 100mm), earlier models having a side exhaust, and rear inlet valve. In 1924 two models were offered, the 490 cc side-valve and a hefty 624 cc side-valve with bore and stroke of 85x110. The Quadrant range included outdated side-valve motorcycles, updated in 1927 with the launch of a 490 cc overhead-valve model, but it did not sell well and the company was wound up in 1928. Quadrant (motorcycles) Quadrant was one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901. Famous for their big singles,"
"Matchless Silver Hawk Matchless Silver Hawk is a Bert Collier designed motorcycle produced by Matchless for 1931 and introduced at the 1930 Motorcycle Show at Olympia, London as their range-leading luxury model. It was one of two up-market four-cylinder machines introduced during the 1930 Show season from two manufacturers; the Silver Hawk whose production would last less than four years and the Ariel Square Four, whose production lasted until 1959. Other British manufacturers produced 4-cylinder machines in small quantities in the 1930s, including Brough Superior's Austin-engined BS4 (11 built 1932-34) and the prototype Golden Dream (2 built in 1938). The"
"two cylinders on each side. This configuration was used on the Ariel Square Four motorcycle from 1931 to 1959. Although the engine was compact and had as narrow a frontal area as a 500 cc, parallel twin, the rear pair of cylinders on this air-cooled engine were prone to overheating. This design was revived as a liquid-cooled two-stroke version on some racing Suzukis, and their subsequent road-going version the Suzuki RG500. Although some racing success was achieved, the road bikes did not sell well and the design was phased out in favour of inline four-stroke designs, as engineering and marketing"
"FN Four The FN Four was the world's first production inline-4 motorcycle, manufactured in Liége by Fabrique Nationale from 1905 until 1923. It was also, at , the world's fastest production motorcycle from 1911 until 1912. The motorcycle was developed in 1904, tested late that year, and had its public debut at the 1905 Paris Motorcycle Show. It was a commercial success upon release, with production increasing over its twenty-year run. The motorcycle was originally single-speed. In 1909, a two-speed transmission was offered, then three-speed in 1914 with the 748 cc engine. It had a single speed shaft drive turned"
"was the first British bike with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts (although commonplace in Japanese machines). After two years of development, the project was announced to the press and partners were sought for the manufacturing. However, none were forthcoming and so Lord Hesketh formed Hesketh Motorcycles plc. In 1982 a modern purpose-built factory was set up to manufacture the Hesketh V1000 motorcycles in Daventry. However, there were numerous problems. The bikes were heavy, made worse by a high riding style; and unreliable, with numerous manufacturing problems adding to an overheating rear cylinder due to lack of air"
"for the rear wheel. Three members of the GN Pierce board of directors traveled to Europe in 1900 to acquire new technology, and they purchased a DeDion engine to power a new automobile. Pierce's son Percy was a competition driver of Pierce automobiles. By 1907, he was appointed head of the new Pierce Cycle Company, with the intention of producing motorcycles. Following factory tradition, he traveled to Europe for technical inspiration and acquired a Belgian FN Four in 1908, which was shipped back to the Pierce factory for study. As the world's first production four-cylinder motorcycle, the FN was the"
"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. 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"
"Mk IV). Press reports praised the economy, smooth running, roominess and finish of the Fourteen. Luggage was relegated to an external folding bumper carrier, which at the time was not unusual. Standard Fourteen The Standard Fourteen is an automobile which was produced by the British Standard Motor Company from 1945 to 1948. The Fourteen was offered as a four-door saloon on a 100-inch wheelbase with a side valve four-cylinder engine. Drophead coupe and estate car variants were also offered. The post-war model could be distinguished from its predecessor by a lack of bonnet louvres. This Standard Fourteen is a modified"
"to 410 cc in 1906, later to 498 cc for the US market, and a 748 cc variant was produced in 1914. The engine had to be periodically oiled during riding, with hand pump. The intake valves were atmospheric, pushed open by ambient air pressure against light springs during the piston's intake stroke, up to the 1914 748 cc model, which replaced the automatic inlet valves with mechanically actuated side valves. The FN Four was the first production inline-four, but not the first motorcycle with a four-cylinder engine. It was preceded by a boxer 4 manufactured in 1897 by Henry"
"and Carbodies (the manufacturer of London Taxicabs). In 1953, the Mark 2 Square Four had a redesigned cylinder head, and was capable of 100 mph. The Red Hunter formed the basis for Sammy Miller's 1955 trials motorcycle which proved very successful in competition. In 1959, Ariel dropped its four-stroke engines and produced the Ariel Leader, a fully enclosed 250 cc two-stroke with a fully faired body from the headlamp aft. The Leader aimed to combine the benefits of the motorcycle with the advantages of a scooter. Ariel also made the Arrow, a more open version of the Leader which kept"
"1953, the ‘four pipe’ 997 cc Ariel Square Four Mk II was released, with separate barrels, a re-designed cylinder head with four separate exhaust pipes from two cast-aluminium manifolds and a rocker-box combined with the inlet manifold. A redesigned frame provided clearance for the high-mounted, tall, car-type, SU carburettor. This Square Four was capable of . It weighed and cost £336.16.6. In 1954, Ariel built prototypes of a Mk3 with Earles forks, but the model was never put into production. In 1959, Square Four production, along with that of all other Ariel four-stroke models, ceased. Ariel Square Four The Square"
"Triumph Ricardo The Triumph Ricardo was a British single-cylinder motorcycle manufactured by the Triumph Engineering Co Ltd between 1921 and 1928. Named after engine designer Sir Harry Ricardo it featured an innovative four valve head design and was capable of over 70 mph, set three world speed records and won a gold medal in the 1923 International Six Day Trial. Developed around a 499cc single-cylinder four overhead valve four-stroke commissioned by Triumph from engine expert Ricardo, the Triumph Ricardo was a replacement for the aging Triumph side-valves. Ricardo produced a number of prototypes aimed at reducing thermal stress on the"
"linked by a helical gear so that diagonally opposed pistons moved in unison. The engine had even ignition intervals, and was said to be smooth, with little vibration. Brothers George and Tim Healey were Ariel Square Four enthusiasts who upgraded the big 1000 cc engines for racing throughout the 1960s, tuning the performance and building a supercharged sprint motorcycle which doubled the power output. When Ariel ended production of the Square Four the Healey brothers obtained a large assortment of spare parts, and in 1971 began production of the Healey 1000/4 at a small workshop in Bartlett Road, Redditch, close"