The
Rover Company
The Rover Company Limited was a British car manufacturing company that operated from its base in Solihull in Warwickshire. Its lasting reputation for quality and performance was such that its first postwar model reviewed by '' Road & Track'' i ...
was a British bicycle and motorcycle manufacturer before it began the manufacture of
motor cars. Rover was established in 1878 by
John Kemp Starley
John Kemp Starley (24 December 1855 – 29 October 1901) was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle, and also originator of the name Rover.
Early life
Born on 24 December 1855 St ...
in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
to produce bicycles. The company developed and produced the ''Rover Imperial'' motorcycle in November 1902. Between 1903 and 1924, Rover produced more than 10,000 motorcycles.
History
In June 1896 John Starley formed the Rover Cycle Co. Ltd. in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
. Starley had become successful making 'safety bicycles' and used the money to import some of the early Peugeot motorcycles from France in 1899 for experimental development. His first project was to fit an engine onto one of his Rover bicycles. However, Starley died early in October 1901 aged 46 and the business was taken over by entrepreneur
Harry Lawson Harry Lawson may refer to:
*Harry John Lawson (1852–1925), British bicycle designer, cyclist, motor industry pioneer and fraudster
*Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham (1862–1933)
*Sir Harry Lawson (politician) (1875–1952), Australian pol ...
.
The company began to develop and produced the ''Rover Imperial'' motorcycle in November 1902. This was a 3.5 hp diamond-framed motorcycle with the engine in the centre and 'springer' front forks, an improvement ahead of its time.
This first Rover motorcycle had innovative features such as a spray carburettor, a bottom-bracket engine, and mechanically operated valves. Featuring a strong frame with double front down tubes and a good quality finish, over a thousand Rover motorcycles were sold in 1904. The following year, however, Rover stopped motorcycle production to concentrate on their 'safety bicycle'. In 1910, designer John Greenwood was commissioned to develop a new 3.5 hp 500cc engine with spring-loaded tappets, a
Bosch magneto, and a Brown and Barlow carburettor. This new model, also featuring an innovative
inverted tooth drive chain and "Druid" spring forks, was launched at the 1910 Olympia show, and over 500 models were sold.
Racing success
In 1913, a 'TT' model was launched with a shorter wheelbase and sports handlebars. The 'works team' of
Dudley Noble
Dudley Noble, who started at the Rover Company in 1911 as a motorcycle tester and competition rider, became one of the British automobile industry's pioneering publicists.
He arranged one of the first ever promotional films to be shot, in 1912, ...
and
Chris Newsome
Christopher Elijah Duque Newsome (born July 25, 1990) is a Filipino American professional basketball player for the Meralco Bolts of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Early life and high school career
Newsome was born in San Jose, Ca ...
had some success with this model and won the works team award.
Production after the First World War
Rover supplied 499cc single cylinder motorcycles to the
Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...
during the First World War.
When the war ended, the company began to focus on car production, yet Rover still produced motorcycles with 248cc and 348cc Rover overhead valve engines and
J.A.P.
JA Prestwich Industries, was a British engineering equipment manufacturing company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, which was formed in 1951 by the amalgamation of J.A.Prestwich and Company Limited and Pencils Ltd.
History
John Pres ...
engines, including a 676cc
V-Twin
A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longit ...
.
In 1924, Rover led the way with the
unit construction : ''For the vehicle design where the vehicle's skin is used as a load-bearing element, see Monocoque.''
Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes ...
of the engine and gearbox on a new lightweight 250cc motorcycle. This had lights on the front and rear as well as a new design of internal expanding brakes.
Following poor sales, Rover ceased to produce both bicycles and motorcycles. Between 1903 and 1924 Rover had produced more than 10,000 motorcycles.
See also
*
List of motorcycles of the 1910s
List of motorcycles of the 1910s is a listing of motorcycles of the 1910s, including those on sale, introduced, or otherwise relevant in this period.
The 1910s has their share of expensive historic motorcycles sold at auction, especially the bra ...
*
List of motorcycles of the 1920s
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Rover
Defunct cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Defunct motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Coventry motor companies
Rover Company
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1882
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1924
1882 establishments in England
1924 disestablishments in England
British companies established in 1882
British companies disestablished in 1924