Sunbeam was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
motorcycleA 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 the most affordable form of...
marque generally known for high quality.
Sunbeam was founded by John Marston, who was born in
LudlowLudlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Wales-England border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of 350 acres and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
,
ShropshireShropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
, U.K. in 1836 of a minor landowning family. In 1851 at age 15, he was sent to
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
to be apprenticed to Edward Perry as a
japanwareJapanning is a word that originated from the 17th century. It is used to describe the European imitation of Asian lacquerwork, originally used on furniture.- Japanned :Japanned is most often a heavy black lacquer, almost like enamel paint...
manufacturer. At the age of 23 he left and set up his own japanning business, John Marston Ltd, making any and every sort of domestic article.
Sunbeam was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
motorcycleA 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 the most affordable form of...
marque generally known for high quality.
History
Sunbeam was founded by John Marston, who was born in
LudlowLudlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Wales-England border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of 350 acres and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
,
ShropshireShropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties with a population density of 91/km²...
, U.K. in 1836 of a minor landowning family. In 1851 at age 15, he was sent to
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
to be apprenticed to Edward Perry as a
japanwareJapanning is a word that originated from the 17th century. It is used to describe the European imitation of Asian lacquerwork, originally used on furniture.- Japanned :Japanned is most often a heavy black lacquer, almost like enamel paint...
manufacturer. At the age of 23 he left and set up his own japanning business, John Marston Ltd, making any and every sort of domestic article. He did so well that when Perry died in 1871, Marston took over his company and incorporated it in his own.
The company began making
bicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist....
s, and on the suggestion of his wife Ellen, Marston adopted the trademark brand "Sunbeam". Consequently, the Paul Street works were called
Sunbeamland. John Marston was a perfectionist, and this was reflected in the high build quality of the Sunbeam bicycle, which had an enclosure around the
drive chainChain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...
in which an oil bath kept the chain lubricated and clean. They were made until 1936, and to the end remained the best bicycle money could buy.
From 1903 John Marston Ltd had made some early experiments in adding engines to bicycles but they were unsuccessful, one man being killed. John Marston's aversion to motorcycles did not encourage further development, and so the
Sunbeam Motor Car Company LtdSunbeam was a marque registered by John Marston Co. Ltd of Wolverhampton, England, in 1888. The company first made bicycles, then motorcycles and cars from the late 19th century to circa 1936, and applied the marque to all three forms of transportation. The company also manufactured 647 aircraft...
was founded in 1905. However, suffering from a slump which hit
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
making, Marston was pushed into making motorcycles from 1912 onwards (at the age of 76), for which there was a large and increasing market. Following in the tradition of their bicycles, the motorcycles were of high-quality, usually with a single
cylinderA cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before precision features are machined into it...
, and known as the
"Gentleman's Machine". Sunbeam motorcycles performed well in the early days of the famous
TTThe Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motor-cycle race in the world...
(Tourist Trophy) races in the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Britain and Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Crown is represented by a Lieutenant Governor...
.
After the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
the Marston company was sold to a
consortiumA consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
. In 1919 the consortium became part of Nobel Industries Limited. In 1927 Nobel Industries amalgamated with
Brunner Mond Ltd.Brunner Mond is a British-based chemical company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, part of the Tata Group of India. Tata Chemicals is the world's second largest producer of soda ash. The Brunner Mond plants also produce sodium bicarbonate, calcium chloride and associated alkaline...
to form
Imperial Chemical IndustriesImperial Chemical Industries is a British chemical subsidiary of a Dutch conglomerate and one of the largest chemical producers in the world. It is based in Slough, UK. It produces paints and speciality products...
(ICI). In this huge organization motorcycles were a small part.
In 1937 the Sunbeam motorcycle trademark was sold to Associated Motor Cycles Ltd ("AMC"), which continued to make Sunbeam bicycles and motorcycles until 1939. AMC's core business was the manufacture of
MatchlessMatchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles with the first models manufactured at the start of the 20th century. Produced in Plumstead, London from 1899 to 1966, a wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc four-stroke...
and
AJSAJS was the name used for cars and motorcycles made by the Wolverhampton, England, company A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd, from 1909 to 1931, by then holding 117 motorcycle world records, and after the firm was sold the name continued to be used by Matchless, Associated Motorcycles and Norton-Villiers on...
motorcycles. Some years after it sold Sunbeam, AMC went on to own Norton,
JamesThe James Cycle Co Ltd., Greet, Birmingham, England was one of many famous British cycle and motorcycle makers centred around the English Midlands, particularly Birmingham...
and
Francis-BarnettFrancis-Barnett was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1919, by Gordon Francis and Arthur Barnett, and based in Lower Ford Street, Coventry,Most of their light motorcycles used Villiers and later AMC two-stroke engines....
.
In 1943, AMC sold the Sunbeam name to
BSAThe Birmingham Small Arms Company was a British manufacturer of vehicles, firearms, and military equipment, and still exists as an airgun sport manufacturer and distributor.At its peak, BSA was the largest motorcycle producer in the world...
, and Sunbeam Cycles Ltd came into being. Sunbeams were built not at BSA's main
factoryA factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where workers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
at
Small Heath, BirminghamSmall Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
, but at another BSA factory in
RedditchRedditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry, and 90% of the world's...
,
WorcestershireWorcestershire or ; abbreviated Worcs) is a historic and administrative county located in the West Midlands region of central England. In 1974 it was merged with the county of Herefordshire to form the single administrative county of Hereford and Worcester; which was divided in 1998,...
. Three Sunbeam motorcycle models were produced from 1946 to 1956, inspired by
BMWBMW Motorrad is the name given to the motorcycle business unit of the German company BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division., and its general director is Hendrik von Kuenheim.BMW Motorrad has produced motorcycles since 1923...
motorcycles supplied to the
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
during the
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They were followed by two scooter models from 1959 to 1964.
Sunbeam Bicycles
Sunbeam bicycles (always "The Sunbeam") were made in Wolverhampton from 1887 to 1937. As the factory was used to sheet-metal working and japanning (the Victorian equivalent of today's oven-baked enamel) the construction of cycles presented few problems. At first of similar design to other makers' machines, the company adopted a version of Harrison Carter's Little oil-bath chaincase in the mid-1890s. The cycle was re-designed so that the oil contained in the oilbath lubricated the bottom bracket, chain and rear hub, the only cycle so designed to date. The top model was the 'Golden' with alloy wheel-rims, epicyclic two- and three-speed gears and real gold-leaf pin-striping. The 'Royal' was of the same quality but had red lining and simpler equipment. These and other models were made at "Sunbeamland", Pool Street, Wolverhampton until 1937 and subsequently, to the same designs, by AMC and BSA until 1957.
Many John Marston Sunbeam motorcycle models were produced.The first was a 350 cc in 1912 followed by a range of 500 cc singles and some v-twins. In 1924 a new model numbering system was introduced; Sunbeam Models 1 through 11. Other higher numbered models were produced in later years. The majority had single cylinder engines developing relatively low power, though winning the TT races often, the last time in 1929. A hallmark of all Marston Sunbeams was the superb quality and finish in black with gold-leaf pinstriping.
S model motorcycles
The unusual S models were manufactured from 1946 to 1956. There were three: the S7, S8 and S7 Deluxe.
The engine layout was the unusual feature. The engine was an inline 500 cc twin which drove a shaft drive to the rear wheel. The inline engine made this technologically feasible—horizontally-opposed ("flat") twin engines on BMW motorcycles had already used shaft drives.
The original S7 was produced from 1946 to 1948 and did not sell well. In 1949, the sportier S8, with standard-sized wheels rather than the fat tyres of the S7, and BSA type front forks, was produced. The S7 design was improved and then sold as the S7 Deluxe.
The original S7 was available only in black, whereas the standard colours for the S8 were "Polychromatic Grey" or black. The S7 Deluxe came in either "Mist Green" or black. If sold abroad then BSA would supply the Sunbeam in almost any colour that BSA used.
Although the early S7 was not a good seller or mechanically very sound, it is the most sought after and commands a premium over the S7 Deluxe and the S8. When Sunbeam production came to an end BSA sold the remaining stock of parts to Stewart Engineering. Bob and Chines Stewart were long time fans of the Sunbeam and for a time members of the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club. In 1963 they, along with other enthusiasts, broke away from the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and formed the Sunbeam Owners Fellowship. David and Christine Holyoake now own and run Stewart Engineering out of premises in
Leamington SpaLeamington Spa, properly Royal Leamington Spa, commonly Leamington or "Leam" to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr...
, and are the sole supplier of spares for late-model Sunbeam motorcycles.
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