Posts Tagged ‘motor cycle’

The National Motor Museum At Beaulieu

Friday, October 9th, 2009

From a simple beginning…

The National Motor Museum evolved from The Montagu Motor Museum which was founded by Lord Montagu in 1952 as a tribute to British motoring achievement and particularly in memory of his father, one of the pioneers of monitoring in Great Britain and the first Parliamentary champion of the motorist’s cause. Within 10 years the collection numbered more than 100 vehicles. To cater for the ever increasing demand for information of motoring history, Lord Montagu created, in 1960, a Motoring Library for books, manuscripts and photographs.

The decision to found a charitable Trust was taken in 1968 in order to safeguard The Museum and the Library collections for the long-term benefit or the nation. The National Motor Museum Trust came into being on the 17th November, 1970. (more…)

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FJR1300 – Yamaha’s Missing Link?

Friday, August 14th, 2009

So the FZ-1 Super-Standard Packs A Real Punch. If you’re Yamaha, why not make it a 1-2 combo, with the knockout blow coming by way of the FJR 1300 sport-tourer, so far a Euro-only device? “We’ve had tremendous response to the FJR 1300,” admitted a Yamaha U.S. spokesman. “We would love to bring the bike here, but it has to have legs-it needs to stay in the line-up year after year. If it doesn’t, it will disappoint our customers. Also, the sport-touring category is very price-sensitive. The price has to be right.”

Jim Yeardly, a staffer for England’s Motor Cycle News, recently rode the FJR in Spain. A sportbike nut to the core, he came away impressed. “The large, pullback handlebars are perfectly postioned for leisurely riding,” Yeardly reported. “The dash, wich offers a segmented LCD gas gauge, a clock, two tripmeters and a range of other gizmos alongside the usual speedo and rev-counter arrangement, is reminiscent of the FJR’s discontinued older brother, the user friendly FJI200. That makes me feel very much at home, as I have very fond memories of that bike.”
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Motorcycles: The Pioneering Years, 1898-1918

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Both motor cycle and light car have a common ancestor in the de Dion-type tricycle with single-cylinder engine geared direct to the back axle: the 1898 Ariel was a successful British version, Two wheelers came later, their early form consisting of a simple bicycle frame into which were inserted a single-cylinder power unit, a fuel tank, primitive controls, and a plain belt drive with no gears or clutch. Components could be bought out – engines mainly from de Dion, Minerva, or M.M.C.

The 1903 Madison was a bicycle built by a small shop in Gillingham, dorset, fitted with a 200c.c. clip-on engine made in Derby. The Leicester-built 1903 Clyde was a similar machine sold on a regional basis. Many famous names started with bicycle-based types: in France the pioneers were Werner (a 1903 2 h.p. was ridden from John o’Groats to Land’s End in 653/4 hours), while in England there were the 1902 Matchless, 1903 Rover, and 1903 Triumph, this last using one of the first proprietary engines built by J.A.P., long a general provider to Europe’s motor cycle industry.
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