Baden Powell 1904 (Vic.)
Bailey 1903-08 (S.A.)
Balmain
T. Perryman of Richmond, Victoria produced a machine using a Precision engine, circa 1915.
Extensive searches in Trove and Google for further information proved fruitless.
Source: Saward via Simon Fleming
BAL-JAP
Balfour Motors, 155 Mercer Street Geelong, Vic. 1912-1918
The Balfour Bros. marketed motorcycles using JAP singles and twins which were possibly assembled by E.W. Brown.
A 1917 advertisement gives address of 45 & 47 Malop St, with no mention of BAL-JAP - but it does mention JAP motorcycles for sale, along with Triumph.
1919 advertisements give their name as Balfour's Motor Garage, located cnr Malop and Gheringhap Streets. Sole agents for B.A.L, Triumph, De-Luxe, Indian...
Sources: Trove NLA; Simon Fleming
Barb Vic.
Barbarian V8
Built in Queenland by Warren Katz, an African immigrant.
Website: barbarianv8.com ✝
Powered by a 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8 engine, it weighs 430kg and has no gearbox. A reviewer stated that if speed were reduced below 30km when cornering the machine was likely to fall over. It was not mentioned whether the toolkit included a small crane.
Sources: netrider.net.au, et al
Barclay
Saward records two Barclay marques, one by A.H. Barclay of Adelaide in 1905 and the other by Hamilton Hume Barclay of 184 Ryrie Street, Geelong, Victoria in 1913.
The Advertiser Fri 7 Apr 1905 (Trove NLA)
Handsome trophies are on view at Barclay's Agency, Ryrie-street, for the Geelong Motor Cycle Club's road race to be held on the 25th inst. on a course to be announced on the day of the race. A very handsome fruit stand supported by a silver stag is the chief prize.
Geelong Advertiser Sat 15 Nov 1913 (Trove NLA)
H. H. BARCLAY'S,
164 RYRIE-STREET, GEELONG.
FOR 1914 ROVERS, PREMIERS AND PRECISION MOTOR CYCLES.
SIDE CARS FOR HIE.[sic]
Geelong Advertiser Fri 5 Dec 1913 (Trove NLA)
Source: Robert Saward
Barwell
Manufactured by Cleveland Cycle Co, 1904.
A handicap race was held at the cycle track around the Woolloongabba Cricket Ground on Saturday 25 October 1904. Among the participants was Charles S Boyle on a Barwell 2¾hp. Boyle was manager of the Queensland operation of the Cleveland Cycle Co who by 1904 were advertising Barwell cycles and motorcycles.
Daily Record (Rockhampton, Qld.) Fri 20 Apr 1900. (Trove NLA)
Sources: Terry Parker; Trove NLA.
N.B. No mention of motor cycles in relation to "Cleveland" or "Barwell" appears in relevant news items of the period available in Trove NLA (March 2026).
Bartley & Perry
Established in Cootamundra NSW in late 1909, the firm built around six machines using JAP V-twins and Arno singles in the years 1911 to 1914.
An example of the B-P marque powered by a JAP V-twin is displayed the National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac. The firm advertised Dodge cars in 1916 and 1917.
Sources: Robert Saward; Trove NLA.
B & W by Bennett and Wood, 1937-38
Beach 1913-16 (Tas.)
Beauchamp Vic.
Be-Gin
A 3¼ hp Be-Gin motorcycle was registered in South Australia.
7488, M. J. Fitzgerald, Petersburg, 3¼ Be-gin. Observer Sat 18 Dec 1915
Source: Trove NLA
Behrens
Built in 1905 by H.A. Behrens of Adelaide, the motor cycle was powered by a Hercules engine from Germany. Listed in the catalogue for the 1905 South Australian Exhibition which said it had an outside flywheel, with the engine attached to the top tube of a bicycle frame.
Source: Robert Saward
The Bell 1911~1913 (SA)
Besanko
Manufactured by C.V.M. Besanko, who purchased the cycle and motor business of H.O. Jolly, Main Street, Yorketown, in September 1909. A Besanko motorcycle was registered South Australia in 1909.
Source: Robert Saward
B.G.W.
A 4½ hp B.G.W. motorcycle was registered in South Australia circa 1915.
Source: Robert Saward
Bird
Manufactured by L Bird of 317 City Road, South Melbourne, c.1910 to 1913. (Previously of 66 Market Street, Melbourne).
L- M- Bird, 317 City-road - mentioned in The Record newspaper, Sat 26 Aug 1911
Sources: Robert Saward; Trove NLA
Bilyard & King (Tas.) c.1924
Blake
A Blake 3½ h.p. model was registered in South Australia in 1920.
Source: Leon Mitchel
Blue Bell by Wagener (S.A.)
Blue Bell H. Canet (Shepparton, Vic.)
B.M.G.
Built by Athol Margetts of the Burnie Motor Garage, Burnie, Tasmania, for R.E. Margetts who was probably his son.
Source: Robert Saward
Bolger
Manufactured at Bolger's Motor Works, 275 Toorak Road (cnr Chapel St), South Yarra, Victoria. Sidney Bolger constructed a limited number motorcycles from c.1904 to 1907.
Advertised as an agent for Swift cars, Dec 1905. Mentioned in The Argus Nov 1910.
Sources: Robert Saward; Trove NLA
Bolt-On Sidecars
3 Beaumont St, Islington NSW, 1985.
Bolwell-PGO
A firm based in Melrose Park, Adelaide, imported Taiwanese PGO scooters which they rebadged. The first appeared in 1999, the last in 2015. There were numerous models.
The company is now known as Symaustralia and has sold some 40,000 scooters. scoota.com.au
Unrelated to Bolwell Cars of Mordialoc, Victoria (bolwell.com).
Source: Red Book Australia, et al
Bon Trike
Manufactured by Bon Trikes Special Vehicles Pty Ltd, 76 Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown, NSW, 1996 to 2005.
Powered by engines of up to 2000cc from Volkswagen and Harley-Davidson, the trike was assembled using imported componnents from a variety of sources.
Sources: trikesaustralia.com, et al
Bonning Roadster
A concept three-wheeler built by Brad Bonning of Noosa, Qld in 2001-2005 designed to run on an Eco Nova multi-fuel engine, but was fitted with a Honda CBR1000 engine running on petrol or LPG and achieves 200 km/h quite rapidly. Considerable attention was paid to styling.
Boomerang
Manufactured by J. Mullins of 78 Pirie Street, Adelaide, c.1903 - c.1925.
Mullins had been in the cycle trade since 1898 or earlier. He issued a Raleigh bicycle catalogue that year with his name rubber-stamped on every page, "with a Branch at Commercial Road, Port Adelaide".
Powered by Simms engines of 2 to 3½ h.p. using magneto ignition which Mullins pioneered in Australia. After 1907 the Boomerang was advertised with 3½ and 4½ hp engines, supplier not stated.
In March 1910 J. Mullins advertised Vulcan motor cars. A March 1911 advertisment which reads "73, Pirie Street, Port Adelaide, and Broken Hill" mentions Vulcan cars and Boomerang Cycles, but not motorcycles.
Sources: Robert Saward; Trove NLA.
Braaap
Bradley Smith, a former motocross rider, established his first motorcycle shop in Launceston, Tasmania in 2005. He expanded the network to 4 shops by 2008, including one in Frankston Victoria. The last of these was closed in 2018. The Braaap machines were manufactured in China.
Website: braaapmotorcycles.com ✝
Smith was arraigned before the NSW Supreme Court in 2024. The lurid headlines of the Murdoch press do not reflect the words of the magistrate, who is reported to have said that said Braaap Wholesale’s failure to have motorbikes fitted with specified parts was not deliberate.
A far more balanced article on the matter is available at infomoto.com.au
See also fb.com/groups/braaapownersaustralia
Brandwood (Adelaide & Launceston)
Bronzewing (Tas.)
Bronzewing (Fitzroy)
Built by William Warlimont at the Bronzewing Motor & Cycle Works, 406 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, using JAP engines in the years 1910 to 1915 (approx).
Source: Robert Saward
Brooklands
Raced with frequent success in 1913-1914 by Eric Tyler, the Brooklands-Green was built in the workshops of Edmunds and Skilton, 419 Lonsdale St, Melbourne. (Also 433 Bourke St.)
The engine was a 499cc watercooled Green-Precision.
Sources: Trove; Leon Mitchel in Serpolette
N.B. There was a Brookands motorcycle built in 1912 in the UK by Edmunds and Wadden.
Burden
A machine built by F.R. Burden of South Australia in 1902.
Source: Robert Saward
Burnley
Built by the Burnley Cycle & Motor Works of 126 Swan Street, Burnley, Victoria. One 5 h.p. V-twin is recorded as produced in 1913.
Source: Robert Saward
Byron Special
Built by Andy Byron in Temora, N.S.W., around 1914. Six are believed to have been produced, of which one exists in the collection of the National Motorcycle Museum of Australia. It has a 3½ h.p. Precision engine fitted to a Chater Lea frame, with Druid front forks.
Source: Robert Saward
Rarer Australian Marques
