Australian
Motorcycles - Notes
Component Manufacturers
-
JAP (J.A.Prestwich of London) manufactured engines
from 123cc to 1098cc which were incorporated into many makes of motorcycles.
JAP built their own motorcycles from 1904 to 1908. From then to 1945 they
built engines.
-
MAG was the name by which proprietrary engines
manufactured by the Swiss company Motosacoche were also known. Motosacoche
built motorcycles and proprietary engines over the period from 1899 to
1957. Quite a range of engines were made but particularly singles and V-twins.
-
Precision manufactured proprietry engines.
England. 1912-1919. Also manufactured, mainly 500cc, motorcycles which
were exclusively sold in Australia.
-
Villiers manufactured proprietry engines.
England. Mainly (solely?) 2-strokes.
Publications
-
A-Z of Australian-Made Motorcycles is the
definitive work on the topic of Aussie bikes.
-
OBM is Old Bike Mart, a monthly newspaper published
in the UK. There Web site is http://www.oldbikemart.co.uk
-
Tragatsch is the old bike bible. It is excellent
on European, American and Japanese machines but leaves a fair amount to
be desired on Australian bikes. The details are:
The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles
Edited by Erwin Tragatsch
Revised by Brian Woolley
Grange Books, 1993
ISBN 1-85627-004-1
Places
The National
Motorcycle Museum is at
26 Kemble Court,
MITCHELL,
Canberra,
ACT 2911,
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 61 6 2418107
Fax: 61 6 2418106
The National
Motor Museum is at
Birdwood,
South Australia,
SA 5234
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 61 8 8568 5006
Fax: 61 8 8568 5195
The Motor Cycle and Heritage Musem is at
Building 21,
No: 1 Lenswood Road
Lobethal
South Australia
SA 5241
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 61 8 8389 5734
Acknowledgements
-
Various publications have provided some background information, particularly
A-Z
of Australian-Made Motorcycles
-
Wayne and Rod Gifford provided first hand information on Swastika, Lewis
and Tilbrook machines.