Ariel Tricycle and Quadricycle 1898

This brochure / manual is a copy of a copy but is rare enough that it warrants reproducing here.

The leaflet is labelled as 1898 and I believe that Ariel Tricycles and Quadricycles were current from 1898 to 1902. 

Morgan Family Model 'Runabout' three-wheeler

A rare period photo of a Morgan Family model three-wheeler. Budget motoring for the family man, none-the-less still a considerable luxury for the time.

It's rather difficult to date a two speeder Family Morgan as they really didn't change much from year to year. There was a re-style to the bonet in 1931 but asides from that very few changes happened in the production run from 1919 to 33. This particular one has acetylene headlights, most pictures you see they are fitted with electric, but electric was an option so that doesn't help in putting a year to it. Beaded edge tyres are fitted which should date it to 1925 or earlier. There is a slight up-kick in the bodywork at the tail, this changed through the years. Overall I'd put this car as c1924 but am happy to be corrected by Morgan experts.

For those not familiar with Morgans the two-speeders had a v-twin engine up front with a cone clutch behind it. This drove a shaft to a bevel box and gearbox that formed part of the swinging arm rear suspension; this ensured that chain tension remains a constant. There are two chains to the rear wheel with different sprocket sizes on each: this gives the two speeds. Which chain and sprocket is driven is controlled by sliding dogs in the gearbox with neutral in the middle. There is no reverse.

c1924 Morgan Family 'Runabout'.

Morgan Three Wheelers 1946

The Morgan 3 Wheeler brochure for 1946. Morgan had a production hiatus for the war and re-introduced their three and four wheelers in 1946. The Ford-engined F Type continued until 1952 by which time it was distincly old-fashioned and the company concentrated production on their four wheelers.

Morgan 3 wheeler brochure 1946
front cover.

Morgan 3 wheeler brochure 1946 centre spread
including fold down.

Morgan 3 wheeler brochure 1946
rear cover.

Morgan 3 wheeler brochure 1946 rear fold down.

Early Road Trial with Morgan and Combo

Another photo the context of which is lost in time. This just leaves us to make up our own narrative as to just what was going on and where. The time is early twenties, the aft vehicle a Morgan trike and the combo has a competition number. You make up the rest...

Early twenties sidecar outfit and Morgan tricycle in the
middle of the countryside, but what are they up to?

Wild eighties Brit trikes

And now for something completely different. A couple of snaps of trikes that look like they were taken in the late seventies. As with many customs, not my cup of tea but you've got to admire the creativity and ingenuity. Look how drab seventies Britain looks in photos! The first photo is of course taken at a custom show but the second demonstrates that cars of the era were mostly available either in shades of poo yellow or poo brown...

Book review - The Tricycle Book 1895 - 1902 Part One

Frankly this is as much of a recommendation as a review. I just recently got my sticky paws on a copy of Michael Edwards' The Tricycle Book and as it says on the tin the book covers early motor tricycles from 1895 to 1902. This volume covers French machines only, there is a part two on the way on the subject of British made tricycles and I am genuinely very much looking forward to it.

The Tricycle Book definitely falls into the 'boutique book' category and at GBP 80 plus postage represents a considerable outlay. However once you have seen it you have to concede that it is good value, the format is large and the publication luxurious. There are 364 pages and the book is very well illustrated mainly with photographs from the period. That Mr Edwards has managed to find quite so many early images is admirable, the majority of which are completely fresh to my eyes (and I do spend possibly more time than is healthy nerding away at early vehicles...)

Without doubt an authoritative work on the subject The Tricycle Book should be of interest to anyone with more than a passing interest in early vehicles. The righteous thing to do as ever is to buy direct from the author: https://surrendenpress.co.uk/the-tricycle-book-1896-1902

AC Auto Carrier circa 1910

From these humble beginnings came forth the mighty Cobra. AC is the initials for Auto Carriers as that is what the company started with, despite their t head sidevalve motor and wonky epicyclic two speed hub gear the Auto Carrier was surprisingly popular back in the day. They were also manufactured (under license?) as the Warrick Auto Carrier.

This great photo of an Auto Carrier (or possibly Warrick for they are virtually identical) was taken in Northampton and 'Uncle Albert'  is written on the reverse.

More about AC Sociables (the passenger carrying model) and Auto Carriers at the AC Sociable website: http://www.acsociable.byethost4.com/wordpress/

Uncle Albert and friend with his Auto Carrier c1910.

The 1930 Morgan three wheeler range

Here's the Morgan range for 1930 - three wheelers for both the family man and sporting enthusiast. It is interesting to look at the pricing of the range - the 'De Luxe Model' was actually the base two seater of the range at the same price as the four seater family. If one adds the options and the engine upgrade to the De Luxe and Family they become nearly the same price as the Aero. The standard motor for the De Luxe and family was a side valve JAP, intriguingly the option of a water cooled side valve JAP motor cost the same as having a sporting ohv Anzani engine. Presumably the Anzani offered performance whilst the water cooled JAP promised reliability. I would imagine that very few Family models left the factory gates fitted with the ohv option.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
front cover.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 1.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 2.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 3.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 4.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 5.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 6.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 7.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 8.

1930 Morgan three wheeler brochure
page 9.

Compton Abbas Airfield Vintage Day

A week ago now the Compton Abbas Airfield Vintage Day. The airfield is atop a hill in North Dorset and holds as scenic a position as you could wish for in a small hobbyists strip. The annual Vintage Day is a fly in for older aircraft and an informal gathering of vintage vehicles. Good weather brought a fine turnout on both wing and wheel plus participants in a local Morgan Three Wheeler Club rally turned up.

My knowledge of both Morgans and vintage flight is far from grand so here's just a selection of uncaptioned images from the day that can speak for themselves.

Argson Electric Invalid Carriage

A bit different from the usual subject matter but somehow relevant. This device is an Argson electric invalid carriage and the image is dated 1940. When the petrol has all run out these babies will be in high demand from us retro heads!

Argson electric invalid carriage.

Apes spotted in the Dolomites

Spotted a few months back in Falcade in the Dolomites, a pair of Piaggio Apes. There were quite a few Apes out and about in the mountains. Great to see that they are still in use.

Piaggio Apes spotted.

The Harley Davidson Rickshaws of New Delhi

Just as in the UK, India was flooded with ex-wd machinery in the immediate post-war period. Many of these were British made staples such as the Ariel W/NG, Triumph 3HW, Norton 16H, Royal Enfield WD CO, Matchless G3L and BSA M20. There were also a goodly number of American v-twins, a few of the UL model 1200cc Harleys and numerous Indian 741 and Harley 45s.

Hard to believe now but the Harleys and Indians were held in low esteem in the UK and perhaps with good reason, what makes a charming classic nowadays isn't necessarily what qualified a machine as a decent bike when it was new. The Harleys had foot clutches, poor ground clearance, three speed gearboxes, poor fuel consumption and couldn't really out perform a British 350 ohv single on any criteria. I know of someone in the UK who owned one of the civilianised Indian 741B models immediately after the war and he always claims that it was the worst motorcycle he ever had!

In Delhi an enterprising businessman realised that the plentiful supply and tractor like qualities of the Harley WL models could be well applied to turning him a profit. Accordingly bikes were bought up cheap at surplus auctions and converted into tricycles. As I understand the majority were pressed in to service in 1949.

Harley WL in mid conversion to a rickshaw. I believe that the
older gentleman standing behind is one of the Sharma brothers
of 'Sharma Motorcycle House' vintage and classic motorcycle
dealers fame. 

The rickshaws were designed to carry six to eight passengers though inevitably they were often jammed with more. They became known as 'phat-phatis' on account of the engine note of the WL. Despite the Harley rickshaws now being long gone they are fondly remembered and the phat-phati nickname lives on as a catch-all phrase for motorised rickshaws.

This, as I understand, is a picture of the last Harley rickshaw
in service that retained its original Harley motor.

As time went on inevitably the rickshaws became somewhat battered. The motors wore out and parts became harder and harder to find. Sometime in the eighties the original Harley motors were phased out to be replaced by single cylinder diesel industrial engines made by the Indian firm Greaves-Lombardini. Incidentally these are the same motors as were used in diesel powered Royal Enfield Bullets.

A Harley rickshaw mid-way through conversion to
diesel power.

My first visit to Delhi was in 1997. I was lucky to just catch the phat-phatis before they were phased out a couple of years later in 1998. On October 1 1998 Delhi city enforced a ruling barring any commercial vehicles more than twenty years old from the cities streets in order to tackle a quite terrible pollution problem. My memory of the Harley rickshaws is as being obnoxiously loud and belching out black smoke. They really were terrible polluters and this is what did for them in the end. Of course though being a bike nut I was thrilled to see them and manged to charter one for a quick tour around the city. By the nineties the rickshaws were terribly battered but they were full of character and still used a surprising number of the original Harley parts, including the gearbox. Quite a testament to the strength of the Harley 'box to give nearly fifty years of service and most of those years hauling the back half of a truck full of passengers.

The story I heard is that the whole fleet was owned by one gentleman who chartered them out and made his fortune through them. He bought them at rock bottom price when they were largely unloved, got many years of service from them and then made money selling them on at a point at which they were collectors items. When the original motors were replaced by the diesel engines the Harley units were sold on to a vintage dealer in the States and then in 1998 when they were finally taken out of service they were parted out with the remaining Harley parts going once more to collectors.

The phat-phatis were even a tourist attraction. This is a
postcard I bought back in 1996.

Sources:
The Indian site team-bhp.com. Thanks to the individuals who posted memories of the phat-phatis on the site which was also the source of several of the images.
Times of India

Prescott Bike Festival 2015 pt1

Slung a leg over the BMW this morning and headed North for the Prescott Bike Festival. The Bugatti Owners' Club owned hill climb is a great venue for a bike event, enough space for a few stalls and exhibits and of course the historic hill for demonstration runs. The bonus of it being BOC owned is that catering is a bit above usual bike show stuff too!

The weather gods were kind and big numbers of spectators turned up. Plenty of interesting bikes to see and a good showing of three wheelers too. The demonstration runs ranged from the impressive (super motos giving it some beans, Manx Nortons and a feisty Grinall three wheeler) to folks going up on Yamaha Fizzies but it was all good fun and that is what it is all about, that and raising money for Blood Bikes.

Here's the first tranche of stand out machines from the day...

Moto Guzzi engined Triking style home brewed three wheeler
by the name of 'Silverfish'.

Nicely executed Ducati new school cafe racer.

For me this was the stand out machine of the event. I was
lucky enough to have a chat with the owner / builder who
filled me in on the details. More below...

The front suspension, brakes and steering are from a
Westfield kit car.

All panels are aluminium and hand beaten.

Lines of the machine are very elegant, probably the prettiest
home built three wheeler I've seen.

Detailing is excellent.

Power plant and drive train is Honda Pan-European. 140hp
gives plenty of welly.

Unusual to see a Rickman Metisse combo. This one has a
Triumph pre-unit motor.

Great finish on the tank of a trials Cotton.

Here's the full Cotton trials. Had a chat with the owner. It's
been rebuilt recently to use rather than shine. A nice job done
of renovating a machine whilst keeping character.

Another three-wheeler. JZR Daytona.

Front view of the JZR.

Lambretta LD, rennovated yet rusty and packing a surprise.

Drive train has been replaced with a newer Piaggio unit.

Nice job.

This one had me lusting. Ultra rare Magni Moto Guzzi Daytona.

The Magni Guzzi again, beautiful from every angle.

Can't resist.. one more detail of the Magni.

Definitely one of these would be in my fantasy garage.
Douglas 90 Plus production racer.

The brake fitted to the 80 and 90 Plus Douglas is possibly
the finest looking brake to come out of any British factory.

Another detail on the Dougie.