Hello all,
Love the forum, I am trying very hard to find some history on my great grandads bikes that he used to build. Can anyone help?!
Below is some information that I have any help would be VERY apprecaited.
Thanks
Charlie Bennett served his apprenticeship first as a rivet boy, helping to build the first iron battleships down the Victoria and Albert dockland shipyards, then to the Canning town based Mansfield cycle company, frame building at the brazing hearth. Charlie Bennett built his first motorcycle at these barking road premises, around the year 1907, this machine was belt driven, single speed, and solely a track racer with Bailey dropped handlebars, saddle over the rear wheel, pad on the top frame tube for the riders chest. This racer was fitted with a French Buchet engine, bore and stroke square at 76 x 76 centimetres, overhead push rod operated inlet and exhaust valves, with coil ignition using a dry cell battery.
On the Canning town banked racetrack in august 1907 this bike with Charlie Bennett riding it covered eight miles in nine minutes. It seemed this bike was ahead of its time.
Charlie Bennett was noticed and fitted up with a 5/6 horsepower “Indian” from the American factory. He rode this in the Isle of Man and on Brook lands alongside other famous old riders, including Billy Wells, Bert Colver, Walter O.Bentley, the two Collier brothers, Harry Martin and Guy Lee Evans.
Charlie Bennett started up his own business in these early years; he did his own electro plating and brazing, and built his own brand of pedal cycles, the well-known East London “Genuine”. Charlie with his cockney nickname “Wag Bennett” was the founder of the cycle and motor businesses still running today.
