Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 146,116 pages of information and 231,598 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Excel Co
From Graces Guide
Excel Company of Woking
XL were motorcycles produced from 1921 to 1924. The first machines produced had 499cc Blackburne or 490cc JAP sv engines. They went into frames with a duplex tubular sub-frame running in a straight line from the front downtube to the rear spindle, so that the engine itself was surrounded. The frame lugs were of pressed steel and this material was also used in the construction of the front forks, rear stand and carrier. It had all-chain drive and a three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox, which were well shielded. It also had extensive mudguards, which made it good for touring.
Later, a lager 597cc sv JAP single or a 496cc sv V-twin of the same make could be specified.
See Also
Sources of Information
- 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