Grace's Guide

Brown Brothers

From GracesGuide

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of Great Eastern Street, London.

Contents 1 General 2 Cars 3 Motorcycles 4 See Also 5 Sources of Information

[edit] General

They produced the Brown motorcycles from 1902 to 1915.

• 1888 Company established.

• 1897 The company was registered on 28 May, to take over the business of the firm of the same name, general hardware, cycle accessories, general warehousemen etc. ^[1]

• 1902 Having been component suppliers to the trade, the brothers produced their first motorcycle. Using typically primitive frames, direct-belt drive and braced forks, they mounted 2hp, 2.75hp and 3.5hp Minerva engines vertically. Following on from these came a 5hp V-twin.

• 1908 There was now an option of a two-speed gearbox and all-chain drive, but the braced forks were still unsprung.

• 1910 Druid forks were adopted and the range was widened to include a selection of powers, in either single or V-twin, and transmission systems.

• 1914 Wholesale Cycle and Motor Material Manufacturers and Merchants. Specialities: motor cycle parts and accessories, cycle fittings and accessories, tools for motors etc. Employees 350. ^[2]

• Note: After World War I, the motorcycles were sold as the Vindec, but there was no association with the Vindec Special (VS) or VS make.

• This company was a supplier of parts and fittings and in the early years the Vindec name was not advertised or used very much.

• 1914 Late in the year the name appeared on a 225cc two-stroke model with a two-speed gearbox and chain-cum-belt transmission. They also listed a 4hp V-twin, with an overhead inlet valve, Bosch magneto, and various transmission options.

• 1915 They were now using either their own or Precision engines only. Production of Brown motorcycles ceased.

• 1916 The two-stroke was still listed and the twin had a 6hp JAP engine driving a three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox.

• Post-war. A 225cc two-stroke single was listed.

• 1919 March. Adverts for Electric self-starters and Berdea carburettors. ^[3]

• Issued catalogue on motorcycle accessories.

• 1920 A 976cc sv JAP V-twin was added. ^[4]

• 1922 Those models carried on into that year.

• 1923 The two-stroke was replaced by a 292cc sv JAP model finished in art grey.

• It is probable that most Vindec machines were bought-in designs from established manufacturers, finished and badged under the Vindec name. Some models of that period strongly resembled Rex-Acme machines.

• 1924 The big twin went and a 170cc two-stroke joined the JAP single for one season.

• 1925 The twin returned for that year only, along with the 292cc sv model.

• 1926 The 292cc sv model was enlarged to 300cc, and another lightweight two-stroke of 147cc was added for one season.

• 1927-1929 It was the 300cc sv JAP machine that carried them through to their final year of 1929.

• 1936 Two AA images on this page. ^[5]

• 1937 Aircraft fittings. ^[6]

• 1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers

• 1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Accessories and components; Garage equipment. Of Eastern Street, London. ^[7]

[edit] Cars

See Brown Brothers: Cars

[edit] Motorcycles

See Brown Brothers: Motorcycles

[edit] See Also

[edit] Sources of Information

1. ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
2. ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
3. ↑ The Autocar of 29th March 1919 p2
4. ↑ The Engineer of 27th Feb 1920 p208
5. ↑ [1] Images courtesy of Aviation Ancestry
6. ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
7. ↑ 1963 Motor Show

• [2] Cyber Motor Cycles - Brown Motorcycles
• The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
• The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle by Peter Henshaw. Published 2007. ISBN 978 1 8401 3967 9