Beardmore Precision Motorcycles
Encyclopedia
Beardmore Precision Motorcycles was a British
motorcycle
manufacturer. The original Precision company was set up by Frank E.Baker in Birmingham
. Frank Baker quickly established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines and supplied Haden
, and Sun Motorcycles
. He began to build complete motorcycles using frames supplied by Sun, who were based at the nearby the Aston Brook Street factory. At the 1911 Olympia
Motorcycle Show in London
there were 96 motorcycles with Precision engines and by 1918 the company had over 800 employees. Tom Biggs was appointed as chief designer in 1913. Frank Baker stopped motorcycle & engine production during the First World War
.
In 1919 Baker's company was merged with William Beardmore and Company
, a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding company based in Glasgow
and between 1921 and 1924 Beardmore produced motorcycles under the name "Beardmore Precision". The first motorcycle produced was a 350cc two-stroke featuring leaf-spring suspension front and rear and was followed by a range of motorcycles from 250cc to 600cc.
After 1924 Baker regained the rights and started his set up his own company to continue production with Villiers
engines of between 147 and 342cc in Alvechurch Road, Birmingham
The company was eventually sold to the James Cycle Co
in 1930. Frank Baker became a James employee and they used his designs well into the 1930s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
manufacturer. The original Precision company was set up by Frank E.Baker in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Frank Baker quickly established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines and supplied Haden
Haden (motorcycle)
A.H. Haden Motorcycles was a British motorcycle marque from Birmingham.Haden was originally a bicycle-making business in Hockley, Birmingham, begun in the late 1880s, after the safety bicycle was introduced. The business passed from George Joseph Haden to his son Alfred Hamlet Haden, who continued...
, and Sun Motorcycles
Sun (motorcycle)
The Sun Cycle & Fittings Co. Ltd. was an English manufacturer of motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. The company was based in Aston, Birmingham.The company was founded as James Parkes & Son, a brass foundry producing lamp fittings and various other products...
. He began to build complete motorcycles using frames supplied by Sun, who were based at the nearby the Aston Brook Street factory. At the 1911 Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
Motorcycle Show in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
there were 96 motorcycles with Precision engines and by 1918 the company had over 800 employees. Tom Biggs was appointed as chief designer in 1913. Frank Baker stopped motorcycle & engine production during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
William Beardmore and Company
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people...
, a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding company based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and between 1921 and 1924 Beardmore produced motorcycles under the name "Beardmore Precision". The first motorcycle produced was a 350cc two-stroke featuring leaf-spring suspension front and rear and was followed by a range of motorcycles from 250cc to 600cc.
After 1924 Baker regained the rights and started his set up his own company to continue production with Villiers
Villiers
-Places:In Canada* Villiers, Ontario, a small settlement near PeterboroughIn France* Villiers, Indre, in the Indre département* Villiers, Vienne, in the Vienne département* Villiers-Adam, in the Val-d'Oise département...
engines of between 147 and 342cc in Alvechurch Road, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
The company was eventually sold to the James Cycle Co
James Cycle Co
The James Cycle Co Ltd., Greet, Birmingham, England, was one of many famous British cycle and motorcycle makers centred around the English Midlands, particularly Birmingham...
in 1930. Frank Baker became a James employee and they used his designs well into the 1930s.
Models
| Model | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beardmore Precision 350cc | 1921 | Two-stroke |
| Beardmore Precision 250cc | 1924 | |
| Beardmore Precision 500cc | 1925 | Unit construction Unit construction Unit construction is a term used to describe the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. The term is sometimes applied to the design of automobile engines and was often loosely applied to motorcycles with rather different internal layouts such as... engine with leaf sprung suspension and a fuel tank integral to the frame. |
External links
- Beardmore Precision advert
- 1923 Beardmore Precision 250cc
- Beardmore Precision gallery