Motorcycle Discussions > Identify these bikes!

Australian Acme...how old am I?

<< < (3/3)

esometisse:

--- Quote from: 33d6 on July 02, 2011, 10:12:00 AM --- There are so many possible scenarios.

--- End quote ---

.....and it doesn't really matter, or does it?
This is one fine looking motorcycle and fairly rare too so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the fact that its history of origin will probably never be fully reveiled.

Cheers
Andy

rogerwilko:
Was there really anything Aussie about this bike, or was it just a bunch of imported parts with am Aussie tank transfer like all the local bicycles?

R:

--- Quote from: rogerwilko on July 02, 2011, 09:50:25 PM ---Was there really anything Aussie about this bike, or was it just a bunch of imported parts with am Aussie tank transfer like all the local bicycles?

--- End quote ---

The histories of ACME and Bennett and Wood all refer to them building these in Sydney.  And Bennett and Wood were building bicycles for the local market, so frame building etc was a skill not unknown to them. Tanks and mudguards though may be a different matter. ?   Earlier on in this thread, no comparable English bike could be found that matched it - although there was mention of some earlier ? B&W tie-up with Norman (was it ?).

The motorcycle industry in Melbourne in prewar WW1 times up to the depression era  had them building complete motorcycles, including engines and copy gearboxes in some cases, so motorcycle building in Oz is a not unknown industry. 

The trouble the local industry had was keeping up with developments from overseas ?  Motorcycles were constantly evolving and improving designs - and stagnating designs were the death of many a small maker.  If they bought in enough parts to keep the unit costs down, they didn't sell enough quickly enough to not get caught with excess inventory of now obsolete stock ... ?

33d6:
What you should look at is other parts of Australian history.  Duties, tariffs, excise, purchase tax, freight costs, etc. Back then importing individual parts attracted far less taxation than did importing complete machines plus of course a kit of parts took up far less room in a ship than a complete machine so freight was cheaper. At that time it made good business sense to import kits.
Then of course assembling the kits created work and so it goes on.
The Acme may just be a bunch of imported parts with an Aussie tank transfer as RW says but its a visible example of several facets of our history. A lot of the Acmes importance lies in the reasons why it exists.
History lesson over, my main whinge is about other Australian bikes made to meet the same criteria. Years ago I stuck my nose in the air when offered a Simplex and later on a Utility. When did you last see examples of either. I can gloomily say I have a 100% record of knocking back every golden opportunity offered me.
Cheers,

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page