Mick Walker S British Racing Motorcycles

While the history of European ompetition motorcycles has been largely dominated by Italian, British, and German marques, other builders around the continent have also played significant roles from the turn of the century to present. Arranged by nation, this book examines more than two dozen important marques, including Bultaco, CZ, Elf, Husqvarna, KTM, Ossa, Peugeot, and many others. A wealth of rare photography, including a special color section, includes candid shots of the top personalities and the bikes both at rest and at speed.

After VE Day in 1945 the British population returned enthusiastically to the road. But the cost and availability of both vehicles and fuel led to the post-war scene being dominated by motorcycles, most of them ex-military machines, eagerly snapped up for everyday use in an age when a family car remained just a dream for many. The British industry, meanwhile, was exhorted to 'export or die', and until well into the 1950s the majority of new British bikes were sold abroad. During this period, the industry - the largest and most important in the world - continued to develop new and exciting machines, which increasingly populated Britain's roads. Mick Walker tells the story of the British post-war motorcycle during this golden age of the industry. Machines from the big names, AMC (AJS and Matchless), the BSA Group (BSA, Triumph, Sunbeam and Ariel), Douglas, Norton, Panther, Royal Enfield, Velocette and Vincent, are here plus a myriad of smaller firms such as Cotton, Excelsior, Francis-Barnett, James and Scott. With the help of archive photographs and advertising material this book conjures up a lost age of the British bike.

The most famous of all British racing motorcycles, with an ancestry dating back to the very dawn of the internal combustion engine, the 'cammy' Norton is inseparable from the era of British domination in motorcycle racing. It is linked with the legendary heroes of the sport, Jimmie Guthrie, Harold Daniell, Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and the age when Britain had the world's finest motorcycle industry. This revised edition of the definitive history contains additional material and traces the design, development, the leading riders and tuners. It presents a superb collection of photographs, many previously unpublished. The Manx Norton covers not only the Manx itself, but also features boardroom battles, Norton's early history, record breaking, sidecars, Formula 3 cars, scrambling (motocross); the Domiracer; racing at Daytona and today's classic scene.

This book is the fifth in the Mick Walker Racing Motorcycle series. It covers the Grand Prix Motorcycles from Japan.

For the first half of the 20th century Great Britain led the world in motorcycle design and production, exporting its products to countries in every section of the globe. However, as the second half of the century began in 1960 this once great industry commenced what was to be a terminal decline. During the 1960s and '70s Britain still manufactured a wide range of machines, but a combination of poor management, lack of investment, foreign competition (notably from Japan), and the arrival of the small, affordable car transpired to effectively sound the death knell of the British motorcycle by the end of the 1970s.

Under very different political regimes for a considerable period, East and West Germany produced some highly innovative & competitive racing machinery. German motorcycles were often in the vanguard of technical progress & were good enough to win world titles. In this respect, the top names in the solo categories were NSU and Kreidler, while BMW, Fath, Munch, & König did the business on three wheels. Like Japan, Germany was faced with rebuilding a shattered country following World War II. Like the Japanese, they overcame all the problems not only to create an economic miracle, but also to construct world-beating motorcycles. Germany's success contributed to the development of the sport in a wide variety of ways -- engineers, machines, riders, circuits, & even record-breakers.

As this book explains, the Japanese did not suddenly become proficient in the design and development of motorcycles when they first appeared in Europe at the end of the 1950s. Instead, the Japanese had been involved with motorcycles since the beginning of the 20th century. True, early Japanese motorcycles copied Western design - a trend that continued for several years after WWII. But soon they designed a succession of highly innovative machinery, not only to the Grand Prix world's benefit but to the paying 'over-the-counter' customer, too. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, plus Bridgestone and Tohatsu, have all built and sold racing motorcycles which the public could also buy and enjoy.