Levis motorcycles (1911–1940), manufactured by Butterfields Ltd. of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

were for many years one of England's leading marques of

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

motorcycle. Levis built two-stroke machines from 1911, adding a line of four-strokes in 1928, which ran to 1941 when production ceased. The first Levis was made in the

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

works by designer Howard (Bob) Newey, but James Norton turned it down. Newey then joined with the Butterfields, Arthur and Billy, and sister Daisy, to set up a motorcycle company (Newey later married Daisy). Their first model had a capacity of 211 cc.

Two-strokes

In 1916, the 211 cc vertical two-stroke engine produced . An enclosed chain from the crankshaft drove the Fellows magneto and drive to the rear wheel was by Pedley ‘Vee’ belt. The machine weighed approximately . Their first racing success was in the Lightweight 250 class within the

1920 Isle of Man TT Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

Junior race with a 247 cc machine, repeated in the 1922 TT

Lightweight TT The Lightweight TT is a motorcycle road race that is a part of the Isle of Man TT festival - an annual motorcycle event traditionally held over the last week of May and first week of June. History The Lightweight class was first present at the ...

race. They then adopted the slogan, "The Master Two Stroke". Levis built 211 cc and 246 cc three-port single-cylinder machines, including sporting versions. Most had bore with a stroke, and there was also a six-port model.

Four-strokes

From 1928 onward, Levis produced 247 cc ( bore x stroke) and 346 cc (70 mm bore x 90 mm stroke) four-stroke ohv machines and later added 498 cc and 600 cc ohv four-strokes. For a brief period, a 346 cc

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single, and also a 247 cc sohc single with chain-driven overhead camshaft were available.

Competition

Levis two strokes, ridden by Geoff Davison, R. O. Clark, Phil Pike and others, won many races including the 1922 Lightweight TT, while the four strokes excelled off-road. Percy Hunt rode a 346 cc model successfully in races, and just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Bob Foster gained many wins on a Levis ohv 598 cc bike in

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

and

moto cross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

Present

In 2014, the brand of Levis motorcycles was acquired by David Redshaw of the Auto Crowd Group, a business providing online car, motorcycle, yacht, and aviation clubs.

Models

*1911–1925 211 cc Levis (TS Model 'Popular') *1926 246 cc Levis (TS Model 'K') *1927 246 cc Levis (TS Model 'O') *1928 346 cc Levis (OHV Model 'A') *1938 496 cc Levis (OHV Model 'D-Special') :(TS = Two Stroke)

References

External links

Levis Motorcycle Company
{{British motorcycle manufacturers Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1911 Defunct companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands