Excelsior Classic Motorcycles
The origins of Excelsior
lay with the Bayliss Thomas partnership
who originally made bicycles and then
fitted Minerva engines to them at the
very dawn of the motorcycle industry in
this country in about 1896. By WWI, although
showing interest in sporting events, they
proceeded to manufacture ever larger single
cylinder machines, one model being an
incredible (at the time) 5.6hp.
Excelsior was also noteworthy
for their early involvement in motorcycle
racing, which started around 1900. In
1910 the company was renamed, The Excelsior
Motor Company Co Ltd.. In 1940 Excelsior
changed to war related work, manufacturing
the 'Wellbike', which was a collapsible
small motorcycle used by Allied Paratroopers.
Civilian motorcycle manufacturere re-commenced
in 1946.
| Bike |
Image |
Description |
| 1910 Excelsior USA Single, 499cc |
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| 1914 Excelsior twin boardtrack racer |
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| 1917 Excelsior Combination, 1000cc |
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| 1918 Excelsior USA Twin, 974cc |
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This machine is an example of the
974 cc twin, with bore and stroke dimensions
of 84x88 mm. It has a three speed gearbox
and a foot operated clutch. The seat
post is sprung for extra comfort. Ignition
is the best there was at the time: Bosch.
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| 1920 Excelsior Series 20, 974cc |
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| Excelsior 680 Manxman 350cc |
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| 1922 Excelsior GB V, 770cc |
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| 1923 Excelsior JAP 300 |
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Albion 3-speed gearbox. It has a rare
JAP engine. Belt Driven. |
| 1926 Excelsior GB JAP OHVV, 350cc |
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| 1929 Excelsior Henderson Super X |
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| 1930 Excelsior Hill Climber |
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| 1930 Excelsior Sport |
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350cc OHV, two Port. |
| 1931 Excelsior Midget |
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98cc. |
| 1933 Excelsior Empire |
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148cc. Twin Port model BE1.
She was registered in the port of
Milford Haven on 12th January 1933
and was used as transport around the
port every day by the same person.
When the Second World War came she
was saved from being melted for scrap
to make war machinery (like happened
to so many other bikes and cars at
the time) as the bike and owner were
classed as essential war workers because
by then, the usual fishing fleet in
Milford Haven had been replaced by
Royal Navy warships and also Sunderland
flying boats. The bike was used
throughout this time, escaping the
Luftwaffe bombing of the port with
just the loss of a headlamp (still
never been replaced) and the girder
forks which were replaced with the
correct items. She continued in service
up until the 1970s by which time the
exposure to salt (and bombing) had
taken its toll. She was repainted
a dark red by hand - probably to hide
the rust) |
| 1933 Excelsior Empire BE1 |
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148cc Twin Port 2 Stroke. |
| 1935 Excelsior Manxman 350cc |
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Although, it propelled Sid Gleave
to victory in the 1933 Isle of Man Junior
TT race at an average speed of 72.62mph,
the 'Mechanical Marvel' was just too
complex for Excelsior to consider series
production. In addition to the tooling
cost implications of its twin carburettor,
dual camshaft and pushrod operated four-valve
radial cylinder head specification,
the 'Marvel' also promised to be a warranty
nightmare. Nevertheless, determined
not to lose the publicity benefits of
its hard-won competition success, Excelsior
asked Blackburne's Ike Hatch to come
up with a simpler, more reliable powerplant.
Utilising a conventional bevel-driven
overhead camshaft, the resultant single-cylinder
engine was both simple and effective.
Displacing 248cc courtesy of its bore
(63mm) and stroke (79mm), it developed
a reputed 16bhp @ 5,000rpm. Mounted
in a rigid frame and mated to a four-speed
foot change gearbox, the whole ensemble
was christened the Manxman. Debuting
at the 1934 Olympia Motorcycle Show,
the new model proved a palpable hit.
Proving that its name was no idle boast,
a four-valve racing version took second
place in the 1936, 1937 and 1938 Lightweight
TTs. |
| 1936 Excelsior Pioneer |
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| 1939 Excelsior Autobyk de Luxe |
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Villiers 98ccJunior engine.
Bayliss, Thomas & Co. were established
in 1874 and were well-known makers
of bicycles and tricycles at the Excelsior
Works in Lower Ford Street, Coventry.
Excelsior was only one of several
trademarks used by the company but,
by the time the Autobyk was launched,
the name of the company had become
"The Excelsior Motor Co. Ltd.
(Proprietors of Bayliss, Thomas &
Co.)" and the factory was at
Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham 11. |
1939 Excelsior Universal
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Excelsior introduced the Universal
model in 1937. Designed to offer basic
transport, the little machine initially
used a 122cc Villiers engine housed
in an open frame with blade girder
forks. The model continued in this
form until 1939 when it was joined
by a 98cc version.
Image provided by www.classic-auctions.com.
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| 1946 Excelsior 125cc |
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This Excelsior was originaly registered
in 1946. This model was very popular
although few have survived. It has a
125cc Villiers engine. |
| 1947 Excelsior Autobyk |
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| 1948 Excesior Auto-Byk, 98cc Junior
Deluxe |
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| 1950 Excelsior Talisman |
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244cc. |
| 1951 Excelsior Tallisman |
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250cc twin. This is a rare plunger
model. |
| 1953 Excelsior Talisman |
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| 1957 Excelsior 98cc |
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| Excelsior 125 Universal |
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| 1934 Excelsior 246cc Road Racer |
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| Excelsior Manxman - 1935 |
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- Engine - 249cc, single-cylinder
overhead-cam four-stroke
- Launched - 1934-1939
- Gearbox - three-speed close-ratio
- Cylinder Head - two-valve aluminium-bronze
- Compression Ratio - 6.5:1
- Weight - 280lb
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| 1936 Excelsior GB Manxman, 250cc |
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| Excelsior Welbike |
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- Engine - 98cc, two stroke, petrol
lubricated
- Suspension - none
- Launched - 1939
- Gearbox - single speed
- Wheels - 10 in, 20 psi front,
35 psi rear
- Fuel Consumption - 45mpg
More Excelsior
Welbike information. |
| 1949 Excelsior Universal |
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Engine - 10D villiers 122cc engine
Gearbox - three speed gearbox with
direct lighting |
| 1951 Excelsior 'Roadmaster', 197cc |
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| 1951 Excelsior Talisman |
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250cc Talisman Twin TT1 Model. |
| 1954 Excelsior Consort 4F |
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| 1955 Excelsior Autocycle |
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With Excelsior 98ccSpryt Engine
(same as the Brockhouse Corgi).
By 1955, when this Excelsior was
manufactured, the writing was already
on the wall for autocycles. Those
new-fangled ‘mo-peds’
had just hit the showrooms, and old-fashioned
cyclemotors and autocycles were no
longer wanted by a public that had
been waiting so patiently since the
end of the war to buy new vehicles
with modern designs. Excelsior ceased
production of its renowned autocycle
the following year, so this is one
of the last of its breed. As you can
see below, it sports Excelsior’s
own engine, the Spryt, which was also
fitted to the Brockhouse Corgi motorcycle.
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1957 Excelsior Skutabyke
98cc |
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An Excelsior Skutabyke. Finished in
green with some of the finish appearing
to be original and other elements seemingly
hand painted. The machine retains all
of its original tin-ware together with
the characteristic footboards, dual
seat, and full lighting kit. |
| 1958 Excelsior 150 Courier |
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| 1959 Excelsior Skutabyke, 98cc |
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Image provided by Rex Judd Motorcycles.
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| 1959 Excelsior Consort |
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Image provided by Rex Judd Motorcycles.
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| 1959 Excelsior |
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150cc. |
1959 Excelsior Consort
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In keeping with its simple design
philosophy, the Consort did not adopt
telescopic forks until 1960. This
Excelsior lightweight is finished
in green with some of the paintwork
appearing to be original (notably
the fuel tank) and some hand finished
but servicable. A circular toolbox
is fitted and the machine appears
to be complete except for a missing
speedometer drive.
Image provided by www.classic-auctions.com.
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1960 Excelsior Consort
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An example of the basic, lightweight
Excelsior, hand painted in red and cream
and in complete condition with a toolbox
mounted on the right-hand side and fitted
with a rear carrier. |
Excelsior Consort
98cc 1959 |
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| 1962 Excelsior Consort |
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98cc. |
| 1963 Excelsior U14 |
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150cc. |
