During the war Douglas was one of the main suppliers of motorcycles for the army - the troops received 25 thousand of these motorcycles. After the war, these cars with a kind of low landing and opposed two-cylinder engines continued to enjoy constant popularity, which was strengthened by three victories in the race "Tourist Trophy". The Levis bikes in the twenties were the best among the two-stroke engines, along with the Scott bikes, the only ones who were able to fight the four-tactics on an equal footing in the races of the highest rank. This is confirmed by the triumphant victory in the "Tourist Trophy" race in 1920, when the three first places were taken on the motorcycles "Levis", in the class of 250 cm3. In 1922, the company repeated its success, adding to the number of victories also winning the prestigious race at the Grand Prix of France.
Matchless produced a wide variety of models in the twenties - from 250 to 1000 cm3 - but was best known for its heavy motorcycles with two-cylinder V-shaped engines designed for use with a pram. The most remarkable of these was the "H" model, which had both the rear wheel of the motorcycle and the wheel of the pram suspended in pendulum suspension with twisted springs.
Norton added to its single-cylinder lower-valve engine models in 1922 also motorcycles with top-valve engines via rods and rods. Victories in the Trophy Tourist race in 1924 and 1926 brought these bikes fame as the fastest single-cylinder British cars.
In 1926, some models of the company received as standard equipment gas tanks mounted on the frame from the top, four-speed gearboxes and drum brakes with sliding pads. But the most famous motorcycle of the company was created by Walter Moore in 1927, "Norton CS7" with the upper camshaft, driven through bevel gears and vertical shaft. On the same year, Alec Bennett led UGOT to win the Trophy Tourist race.
"Phelon and Moore continued to produce the same model after the war that they supplied during the war years to the Royal Air Force. In 1924, this motorcycle was equipped with a new engine, designed by Graville Bradshaw, - overhead valve, but in the spirit of tradition, preserving the functions of the front tube frame. This engine was destined for an amazingly long life - up to the departure of the company from the motorcycle business in the mid-sixties. In the same years, motorcycles received the trademark "Panther".
In 1927, the company's program included another motorcycle, created by Bradshaw, - 250-cubicks "Pantette" with a two-cylinder V-shaped engine, combined in a block with a gearbox and installed in the frame longitudinally. Unfortunately, the design turned out to be too advanced for its time and commercial success was not.
Rooge-Vitworth changed its Multi system in 1924 when it introduced a new formula: four gears and four valves. Its new motorcycles had single-cylinder engines with four-valve cylinder heads (all valves were in parallel) and four-speed gearboxes. And this company considered such sports successes as the best kind of advertising.
Royal Enfild" motorcycles operated in two very different sectors of the market in the early twenties: light motorcycles with single-cylinder two-stroke engines and heavy motorcycles with two-cylinder V-shaped four-stroke engines were produced under this brand. The decision to fill this gap was quite obvious, and in 1923 the production program included a motorcycle with a single-cylinder four-stroke 350-cubic engine. At first, the engines were supplied by JAP, later the production of these engines was mastered by Enfild. The company also paid considerable attention to sports - but, unlike most other British companies, not road-ring racing, and triads on rough terrain.
In the post-war years, Scott tried to switch completely from motorcycle production to car production, but this attempt ended in total collapse: only 110 cars were sold in two years, although their cost did not exceed the price of a decent motorcycle with a wheelchair. So in 1922, the company resumed production of its famous motorcycle with a two-cylinder two-stroke engine with water cooling. The motorcycle was named Squirrell, and the improved model of 1926, with a three-speed gearbox and closed frame, was called Flying Squirrell. Unlike the unsuccessful car aimed at the poor, two-wheeled "Scotts" were considered to be very aristocratic cars and found excellent sales, despite the high price.
Continued in the next part...
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