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capacities but were retired in May 1938 before that year's TT. The TT bikes reverted to 2-valve heads but had plunger rear suspension. They were just as quick as the 4-valvers and much easier to set up. Excelsior did not officially contest the 1939 TT but a syndicate raced the previous year's machines as well as a prototype 500cc production racer. Although
Excelsior Manxman did not win a TT before the war, they came 2nds in 36, 37 and 38 and 3rd in 1939. Perhaps their greatest success was winning the European GP in front of 200,000 people at Chemnitz in Germany in 1936.
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The
Manxman was first raced at the 1935 Isle of Man Lightweight TT. The works bike had a left port aluminium head and barrel but had a very long stroke and was slow. The following year saw the first appearance of shorter stroke four-valve cammy racers. They raced again in 1937 TT in both 250 and 350
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Their first major racing success was in 1929 when they took the
Lightweight TT race on a B14, soon to be their most popular model. Emerged from the Great Depression in a sound financial state, Excelsior commissioned Blackburne to design a 4-valve racing engine. Known as the Mechanical Marvel, it won
198:. After the war, they used Villiers engines to make the 250 cc Viking and in 1949 they used their own engine for the Talisman, a smooth two-stroke with 180-degree crank. A later 328 cc twin-carb sports version, the S8, did not sell well, although the engine itself achieved some success in
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the 1933 TT in its first outing. The complex machine continued with great success on the
Continent but was retired at the end of the 1934 season as it was too complex to offer for sale as a production racer. That role was filled from 1935 by the 2-valve overhead camshaft
386:
The Head Office and Works address according to a 1962 edition (4/9/62) of the
Talisman Twin 244cc and 328cc Running and Maintenance Instructions was Redfern Road, Tyseley Birmingham 11. Telephone: Acocks Green 1677-8-9. "Telegrams: Monarch, Haymills"
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In 1919 the company made an experimental 3-wheel car with air-cooled engine, but this did not go into production. But, in 1920 Excelsior entered the car business with a range of 4-wheel models and used the name
Bayliss-Thomas as there was already a
83:. in 1910. In the early years of motor-bicycle manufacture they used Minerva, De Dion, MMC and possibly a Condor 850 cc single but went on to produce a wide range of machines with engines from most major manufacturers. In 1914, they offered a
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microcars in both 328 cc twin and 492 cc triple versions. In opposition to the
Talisman engine, the Villiers twin engine was introduced in 1956, which was used by many small manufacturers.
94:. R Walker & Sons of Tyseley, Birmingham had started as makers of ships lamps but in 1919 had made a range of motorcycles under the Monarch name to be sold by the London Department store
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manufacturer, starting production of their own ‘motor-bicycle’ in 1896. Initially they had premises at Lower Ford Street, Coventry, and 287-295 Stoney
Stanton Road, Hillfields,
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87:-powered twin. A deal to supply the Russian Imperial government with motorcycles ended with the Revolution and Excelsior wound up with an excess inventory as a result.
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in 1874 under their original name: Bayliss, Thomas and Co, they later sold bicycles under the names of
Excelsior and Eureka and changed the company name to
98:. The company was re-registered as the Excelsior Motor Company Ltd, production moved to Birmingham and the Lower Ford Street factory in Coventry sold to
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engines, plus an 850 cc Condor engine. The new company put more effort in competition and racing. To avoid confusion with the
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380:, a car accessory company bought the name and produced limited numbers of Britax-Excelsior machines in the late 1970s.
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for 'rapid' movement around a battlefield. The
Welbike was the inspiration for the post-War
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The head office address was: The Excelsior Motor Co, Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham 11.
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Worthington-Williams, Michael (January 1990). "The Bayliss Thomas story".
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maker of the same name, they called themselves the "British Excelsior".
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Excelsior last manufactured a motorcycle in 1964 and folded in 1965.
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tourer, sports tourer, 4-light saloon, 6-light saloon, drophead coupé
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tourer, sports tourer, 4-light saloon, 6-light saloon, drophead coupé
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Their major contribution to the war effort was the 98 cc (6 in)
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http://www.mchksyd.com/f1a84f66-77c2-4dbe-8504-a2827978deeb-29.html
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sliding door saloon, two- and four-seat open tourer, coupé, sports
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But the company wasn't doing well and in the lean years following
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The Walker family (father Reginald and son Eric) took over after
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https://web.archive.org/web/20081014223726/http://www.britax.eu/
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racing and luxury machines were sidelined in favour of cheap
48:, was a British bicycle, motorcycle and car maker. They were
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102 in (2,591 mm) or 108 in (2,743 mm)
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Manufacturing companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands
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Defunct motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
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9/19 with 10.8 engine. Front wheel brakes from 1927.
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Defunct companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands
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16:
For other motorbikes with the name 'Excelsior', see
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Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1874
472:. Bideford, England: Bay View Books. p. 37.
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397:List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
345:3-speed gearbox. Front-wheel brakes from 1927.
313:1498 cc 4-cylinder side-valve Coventry-Simplex
1301:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
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417:List of motorcycles of the 1920s
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402:List of motorcycles of the 1890s
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37:1950 Excelsior Universal 125cc
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64:before moving to Kings Road,
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264:8.9 Junior (9/19 from 1924)
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276:99 in (2,515 mm)
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468:Baldwin, Nick (1994).
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253:Body types
177:Brockhouse
92:World War I
44:, based in
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1051:New Hudson
1039:Montgomery
1015:Martinsyde
859:Chater-Lea
817:Blackburne
763:Ambassador
655:Abbotsford
570:motorcycle
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350:13/30
259:Notes
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955:Haden
919:Duzmo
871:Corgi
865:Clyno
793:Baker
769:Ariel
745:Alert
599:Ariel
307:10.8
247:Year
244:Type
179:Corgi
1177:Silk
1159:Ruby
691:Acme
639:Wasp
499:ISBN
474:ISBN
106:and
1195:Sun
1087:OEC
1081:NUT
1003:JAP
991:Ivy
985:HRD
925:EMC
901:DOT
895:DMW
841:BSA
799:Bat
787:AMC
727:AJW
715:AJR
709:AER
703:AEL
679:ABJ
661:ABC
604:CCM
594:AJS
227:.
155:.
85:JAP
1267::
446:^
182:.
60:,
561:e
554:t
547:v
507:.
482:.
440:.
20:.
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