At last! A 'Mystery bike' that Stuart didn't guess!
It's a Polish built
Sokół
1000 from the 30s.
Wikipedia
entry:
In late
1927 the Polish Army created a specification for a general purpose
heavy motorcycle that was to replace the Harley-Davidson
motorcycles used by then. By 1932 the Centralne
Warsztaty Samochodowe works prepared a short series of roughly
200 CWS
M55 motorcycles equipped with a sidecar. Although heavily-based
on American designs (the bike itself was based upon Harley-Davidson,
while the engine was almost a direct copy of Indian),
the machine proved to be unreliable.
Because of that in 1931 it was decided to
prepare a completely new heavy motorcycle for the Polish Army.
Subsidized by the state, the PZInż
holding extensively tested and modified the earlier M55 design to fit
the specifications. Initially named CWS
M III, the new construction was to be reliable and immune to
harsh conditions, bad service and user-friendly. Because of that, the
final motorcycle was slightly outdated and particularly heavy, even
as for its class. However, it proved to be extremely reliable and
durable. However, the quality had its price and the bike was sold in
civilian version for 4,200 złoty,
that is roughly US$800 or UK£170, a price only slightly lower than
that of an average car of the epoch.
The production started in 1933 and lasted until
the outbreak of World
War II in 1939. Mass produced entirely in Poland (less than 5% of
parts were imported), Sokół 1000 maintained the high quality
throughout the production period. Every tenth motorcycle was
delivered extensively checked for parameters and all machines were
road-trialed before delivery.
Its durability proved to be a major advantage
and Sokół 1000 was much faster off-road than many of the
previously-used American counterparts. Among the most notable
innovations introduced in the Polish construction was a soft sidecar
mounting, which allowed for easier handling and greater off-road
speed.
Sokół 1000 was also the basis for Sokół
M121 trike
prototype, with the sidecar wheel powered. Its engine was also used
for railway draisines.
So
Stuart nearly got it right. The Harley influence is clear from the
frame, and that engine is a near copy of an Indian, it even has the
foot operated clutch.
I assume this is the 'soft sidecar mount' mentioned above.
I won´t pretend I read all that mechanical blah blah ... but I do like the British Racing Green colour of the first bike! Lovely with BRG kitchen accessories such as Scotts and Stowe´s bakers´ shelving.
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