Coventry motorcycle manufacturers

  • Singer: the Coventry car maker that began on two wheels

    Singer: the Coventry car maker that began on two wheels

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    Although best known for its cars, Coventry-based Singer began by making motorcycles, while its connection with two wheels goes back even further. In 1875, George Singer and his brother-in-law, James Stringer, founded a cycle company, and Singer went on to build the world’s first safety bicycle. By 1883, Singer was one of the country’s largest…

  • Remembering the Sparkbrook

    Remembering the Sparkbrook

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    Despite being named after the Birmingham suburb of Sparkbrook, these machines were built in Coventry. The story had begun with the National Arms & Ammunition Co which had been founded in Montgomery Street in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, but after diversifying from firearms into bicycles and tricycles, the company ran into difficulties. William Hillman bought the cycle…


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