Does anyone recognise these bikes/models

[nickd]

Hi,

I have the attached photographs of ancestors on motorbikes and I wonder if anyone has any idea what makes/models they are? The pictures are from the 1920's I think and I've come across them as part of my family history research.

Anyway, help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick

[mark2]

did they live in Birmingham by any chance

[nickd]

I believe they lived in Hull but I'm more than willing to be proved wrong.

[P.V. Motorcycles]

Three great photos. W is a Sheffield series registration, which ran from 1904 to 1919.

The first photo is of a Sun Villiers lightweight. 269cc, and new for 1914. It looks to have a two-speed cross-over gearbox, with no clutch.
Sun were Birmingham-based, and were a major components manufacturer for cycle and motorcycles for years, as well as making their own cycles and motorcycles at points.

The other two photos show a Levis Baby - new from 1911, and really the 'industry standard' two-stroke lightweight. 211cc, single-speed belt drive. Great little bikes, the basic design lasted into the 20s. Levis hailed from Stechford, in Birmingham, and went up to WWII, I think, by which time they made four-strokes.

I'd say both bikes are about 1914 - maybe 1913 for the Levis.

Nick

[nickd]

Wow, I didn't expect to get that much detail as quickly as this. Thank you so much, it's really appreciated.

As a matter of interest, is there any way to ascertain which vehicles carried a specific number plate and who the registered owners were? The reason I ask is that the same people also had a number of cars; i've got photo's of several of them but again I have no idea what they are.

Thanks again,
Nick

[P.V. Motorcycles]

No worries, it's always nice to have a look at these old photos.

I think the Sun, on closer inspection (i.e. having had a proper look) might actually have the VTS/Vitesse engine - the barrel and exhaust aren't right for the Villiers engine.

In terms of finding out details related to the number-plates, we're slightly in pot-luck territory here.
In the 1970s, before such records were really prized, and certainly prior to any useful form of bulk media storage, local authorities were ordered to destroy all such records.

Luckily for us, some didn't for whatever reason, and they're what survives today.

Your best bet is the Kithead Trust, which holds some records itself, and gives a list of where others are held.

The info they give for Sheffield is as follows:

SHEFFIELD
Sheffield Archives, 52 Shoreham Street, Sheffield S1 4SP (0114 273 4756)
Registers 1903-05 (W 1 - W 413) and 1931-77 (WJ to DWA 729N)

Unfortunately, it looks as though the later W series no longer survives.

Others might though - the list of holdings for England and Wales is to be found here:

http://www.kitheadtrust.org.uk/england_wales2_11.html

You can match a prefix letter (or letters) to an issuing authority here:

http://www.kitheadtrust.org.uk/new_page_13.html

Nick

[nickd]

Great, looks like I've got a bit of investigation to do on the car front.

Whilst I suspect cars aren't your thing, you may find the attached pictures interesting anyway. At least it looks like there was money in the family at one time; love to know where it all went. Hopefully vehicles, horses and women?

Thanks again,
Nick

[P.V. Motorcycles]

You're right - I can't help you with the cars.

Some nice pics though.

Nick

[33d6]

I can help some with the car photos.
There are two photos of the same car. This is a Standard landaulette of either just before or just after WWI. Standard had a very distinctive shape to the top of the radiator. The bottom photo is of an early Austin 7. If you look closely it has scuttle mounted head lights which only featured in its earliest years. I think the car shown with the girls on the running board is a flat nose Morris. These were introduced in 1927 after years of the (to my mind) much prettier Bull Nose Morris. I have no idea about the light coloured two seater roadster.
When I was an apprentice in the '50's one of the tradies still drove one of those Standards to work occasionally. We thought him odd. And as for the Austin 7 and the Morris, they were the 10 quid bangers that apprentices had as their first car.   

Cheers

[mark2]

From the dress of the lady in the pics I would say she was riding these machines, she must have been quite a character best of luck with the history great photos