Vehicle Description
Formed in 1894 by George Patterson after divestment from the
Birmingham, England-based bronze and brasswork firm, Hudson,
Edmunds & Co., the New Hudson Cycle Company began producing
high-quality safety bicycles. Following their successful startup,
the company unveiled their first two motorized products:
single-cylinder motorized bicycles with De Dion, and Minerva,
engines at the 1902 Stanley Show of Motor Bikes and Motor Cars.
Unfortunately, the company's first attempt failed to capture the
attention of the buying public. This setback only fueled
Patterson's entrepreneurial spirit and at the 1910 Stanley Show,
his company pulled out all the stops for their next attempt, a
range of motorbikes fit with J. A. Prestwich Industries (JAP)
engines, Druid front forks, Armstrong three-speed transmissions, a
drip lubrication system, and kick starter, the new motorbikes were
aiming for the top of the market with an economical price tag. Over
the next four years, improvements to these motorbikes were steady
and by 1914 had replaced the JAP engines with their own single
cylinder designs with 2 3/4 or 3 1/2 horsepower, and a
Top-of-The-Range V-Twin with 6 horsepower. The company shifted
towards war efforts, until acquisition in the interwar period
ceased motorbike manufacturing. This motorbike, Frame No. 1761, was
built in late 1914 and is finished in gloss black, carrying New
Hudson's 3 1/2 horsepower single cylinder engine, No. 3492, has
benefited from an older restoration, allowing a uniform patina to
develop. The fuel tank's finish in brown with an orange outline and
tan "New Hudson" script has some spiderweb cracking between the
fuel level and oil drip lubrication sights, while the nickel-plated
acetylene lamps: the P&H No. 127 HB Handlebar headlamp set from
Powel and Hanmer has lost some embossed detailing from years of
polishing while a Miller headlamp fitted to the outer corner of the
sidecar and a Joseph Lucas No. 44 and 344 taillamp set do have some
minor pitting, as does the manual horn, footrests, "New Hudson"
engine cover. But perhaps the most notable things with this already
noteworthy antique motorbike are the leather chain-link final drive
belt, wooden rear brake shoe, and the Castor-Wheel Sidecar.
Constructed of wicker by Mills & Fulford of Coventry, England, a
manufacturer known for sidecars and motorbike trailers during the
first decade of the 20th century, from designs by inventor and
Vice-President of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, George
Douglas Leechman. The basket, with button-tufted burgundy leather
seating surfaces, is affixed to a steel tube frame and mounts to
the motorbike's rear downtube under the seat, the rear fork, and
the front downtube. The sidecar's wheel is connected to the frame
via kingpin, allowing for 180 degrees of travel on the horizontal
axis to help mitigate the handling compromises a sidecar can
create: aiding in maneuverability at low speeds while increasing
high-speed stability. The neat bits of simple engineering like that
fuel the adoration of antique motorbikes and the quirky solutions
they adopt. With so few examples of the motorbikes produced by
smaller marques having survived, this New Hudson Model VI is in a
category of its own. This unique part of British motorcycle history
will surely hold its own in any prestigious vintage vehicle,
motorcycle, or automobilia collection with the well documented
history and beautiful patina. Offers welcome and Trades Considered
For additional details please view this listing directly on our
website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/7731-1914-new-hudson-model-vi-motorbike/
