Sunday 19 January 2014

The Best Twin



Douglas

After last Monday at the Museum with just a few visitors that had braved the stormy weather Pete, Chris and I munched our way through the remains of the festive mince pies and chocolate coconut cheese cake that Gita was experimenting with, the next day out was Thursday. At the Wey Valley Advanced Bike club meeting on the first Sunday of the month I was asked if I could stand in and do a presentation because the arranged speaker had dropped out. I had a bit of time to do some research with a view to confirming that Bosch really had produced Douglas motorcycles for a few years after the First World War. This is a 1910 model.



The result was no more information than I had even the 2007 edition of the illustrated encyclopaedia of motorcycles by Erwin Tragatsch and that had dropped the reference that was in the 1975 edition that I have. However other information was discovered buried in the Bosch archives. This was about the relationship with Fred Simms. He was an automotive entrepreneur who sent Mr Bosch a De Dion Bouton tricycle in 1897 for his to investigate its performance. Up till then Bosch had only made a low voltage magneto that would allow engines to run at about 200 rpm. Fine for the big stationary engines but no good for a motorcycle. Bosch needed to develop a better system and the first high voltage magneto was born. In 1898 Fred Simms and Mr Bosch set up the UK distribution centre located in London. By 1902 Mr Bosch had got the high Voltage magneto working properly and had obtained the right ceramic that would stand the heat for sparking plugs and the two together made Bosch very rich. Everyone was using the magnetos and sparking plugs. Fred Simms had close contacts with Bosch but he could see there was an even better way of producing a spark so he manufactured his own motorcycle with the first proper horseshoe magnet magneto in 1903 and used it on the Clyde Motorcycle.



Sadly, the Clyde is no longer at the Museum, the motorcycle was sold by the family and we have not been able to trace where it has gone. In 1907 Mr Lucas took a fancy to the Clyde Motorcycle Company and Mr Simms sold it on. Every one was using the Bosch magneto until the out break of war. During the war Douglas motorcycles were the bike of choice. It was smooth, reliable and had good performance. Large numbers were produced and production was only second to Triumph. There were even some made in France. Post war Douglas were involved in supplying engines for light aircraft based on the 500cc ohv racing engine that produced some 20bhp at 5500rpm. The same power out put as the Triumph Ricardo of that era. Germany did not have any comparable engines at the time and even Mr Messerschmidt was at the Kingswood factory. However he ended up looking at more than engines as he married one of the daughters! By 1923 Douglas motorcycles had claimed over 200 speed and reliability records among them, in the 500cc category, nearly 100mph at Brooklands over the flying kilometre. Records for 1923 were held by Cyril Pullin and Rex Judd.




It has ben reported that Cyril got over 105 mph at Brooklands that year. Cyril Pullin was not only an expert motorcyclist, but engine tuner, pilot and aviation engineer. Also in 1923 BMW produced their first motorcycle in the R32 and the engine looked very similar to the sv Douglas of the time used in a transverse layout and may have been a direct copy. They do look similar but I can find no real evidence to support this other than the family anecdotes and Tragatsch's reference. Engine development progressed and it was not until the mid 30's that Douglas moved over to the transverse twin. The first was the Endeavour and a little later the ohv models 80 plus and 90 plus some of which my father rode as a tester in the late 40's for Douglas. More to follow as I delve deeper into the history of Douglas.

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