Bradbury Motorcycles

Today in Motorcycle History

Bradbury Motorcycles 1903

Bradbury and Co., Ltd.

The makers of the Peerless motor bicycle, who have just won first honours in the two hundred miles reliability trial for the S. F. Edge cup, will exhibit a full set of standard pattern machines. The new features of the 1904 Peerless will be an entirely new contact- breaker of the wipe type. The contact case is a metal ring oscillating on a bracket attached to the crank chamber, fitted internally with a hard fibre ring, and a metal section to make the contact. The wiper is a swing lever attached to and revolving with the exhaust lifter cam. By means of a tension spring the end of the lever is pressed upon the fibre ring during its revolutions, and it is further fitted with a roller to prevent undue wear of the fibre ring. A transparent cover encloses all the mechanism, making it dustproof, and at the same time enabling the rider to see that effective contact is being made without opening the case. Misfiring from the accumulation of dirt upon the fibre ring is impossible. The higher the speed the better the contact. In the usual type the outside wiper had a tendency to make a less perfect contact at high speeds, whereas in the new contact breaker the centrifugal force generated by the revolution of the cam spindle induces a greater pressure upon the ring as the speed increases, and, consequently, great regularity in firing. All standard pattern cycles will be fitted with Longuemare carburetters. This applies both to the 2 h.p. and the 2¾ h.p. engines. The tank for the 2¾ h.p. will hold no less than two gallons of petrol, and the capacity of lubrication will be oil sufficient to carry a passenger six hundred miles. The Bowden exhaust lifter and the Bowden back rim brake will be fitted as standard patterns to all the above machines.

The Motor Cycle, November 18th 1903
Stanley Show 1903

Bradbury and Co., Ltd.

The Peerless motor cycles are fitted with a new type of contact-breaker, with an internal wiping roller, which tends to increase its wiping action as the speed of the motor increases. The contact-breaker is enclosed in a hinged glass face, with a snap catch, and, therefore, is easily opened without undoing any screws. The petrol capacity has been, enlarged, and the machines are now fitted with two sets of accumulators and a two-way switch. The forecar shown on this stand is of the non-detachable type. The frame is designed on original lines, the tubes from the extremities of the front axle converging on the crank case of the engine. Midway on these tubes two tubes run up to the head clip, and make a very rigid construction. The bodywork is detachable, so that the machine may be used as a tricycle without the front seat. (Stand 105.)

The Motor Cycle, November 25th 1903
Stanley Show 1903

Milligan with his 2½ hp. Bradbury motor bicycle, winner of the 200 Miles Trial for the S. F. Edge Cup. Milligan competed in five of these trial runs before becoming possessed of the trophy, and has, therefore, covered about 800 miles without a single stop for repairs or adjustments of any nature.

The Motor Cycle, November 18th 1903