Over one hundred years ago the Great War was behind us, the Great Depression not yet on the horizon. and another world war seemed a ridiculous notion. New motor cycles were being developed, moving inexorably onward from their bicycle-framed roots, and it was the opening day of the 1922 show at Olympia in London.
Many of the names on show are now consigned to museums and provate collections - Sunbeam, Excelsior, Matchless and many more, but not all. Triumph, for one, could be found on stand 128. They had their new 2¾ hp Model LS lightweight with its 346cc single cylinder, four-stroke to tempt the discerning gentleman rider.
The engine and gear box formed a unit with a capacious sump from which a plunger pump delivered oil under pressure to the crankshaft, timing gears, and layshaft of the gear box. No more hand pumping! The front wheel was a first for Triumph with its an ‘expanding brake’, the drum of which carried the speedometer drive.
Harley Davidson brought their 989cc v-twin ‘Model J’, complete with gas lighting.
Norton, with its reputation for speed and reliability displayed their overhead valve model. Yours for £98.
