Zenith Motorcycles was a British
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
and automobile manufacturer established in
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...
, London in 1903, by W.G. Bowers. Automobile manufacture only lasted from 1905–1906. The first Zenith motorcycle was the 'BiCar' of 1903, based on Tooley's Bi-Car design, which was purchased by Zenith for its own production. The BiCar was a unique design with
hub-center steering
Hub-center steering (HCS) is one of several different types of front-end suspension/steering mechanisms used in motorcycles and cargo bicycles. Hub-center steering is characterized by the steering pivot points being inside the hub of the wheel, ra ...
and a low-slung chassis with the engine (from
Fafnir in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
) centrally fixed.
Fred ('Freddie') W. Barnes was hired as chief engineer in 1905, and patented the "Gradua" variable-ratio belt drive transmission that year. The Gradua system simultaneously changed the diameter of the crankshaft belt-drive pulley to alter the drive ratio, while moving the rear wheel forward or back to maintain belt tension. The Gradua's action was controlled by a rotating lever atop the fuel tank, and was among the first attempts to provide multiple drive ratios for a motorcycle, at a time when very simple, direct belt-drive transmission was the industry norm. Variable drive ratios proved a significant advantage in competition, leading riders of other marques to complain the Gradua gave an unfair advantage; eventually Zeniths with Gradua gears were banned from many competitions. Zenith capitalized on this ban, adding the word "Barred" to their advertising and logo. The Gradua system was replaced by the now-standard gearbox and chain transmission in 1924.
In 1914, the factory moved to larger premises, quite close to the
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfie ...
race track,( 5 miles away) at the old East Molesey Mill about half way between East Molesey and Esher. As WW1 rapidly approached, the factory turned its attention to commercial sidecar outfits, ostensibly to replace the horses commandeered by the military. After
WW1
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, racing and endurance trials occupied much of Freddie Barnes' interest. Zenith motorcycles used engines from various suppliers including
Precision
Precision, precise or precisely may refer to:
Science, and technology, and mathematics Mathematics and computing (general)
* Accuracy and precision, measurement deviation from true value and its scatter
* Significant figures, the number of digit ...
,
Villiers,
Bradshaw, Martlett,
British Anzani, Fafnir, and
JAP.
Zenith was a relatively small manufacturer, but had significant success in speed contests throughout the 'Teen and 1920s. Chief Engineer Freddie Barnes personally oversaw Zeniths in competition, and in the 1920s racing Zeniths held more 'Gold Stars' on the
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfie ...
racing circuit (for 100+mph laps in competition) than any other marque. Racing engines of single and v-twin configuration included the most advanced designs available, including the DOHC single-cylinder JAP, the twin-cam JAP sidevalve v-twin, the Martlett OHV 1000cc v-twin, the Blackburne OHV 1000cc v-twin, and the JAP KTOR and JTOR OHV 1000cc v-twins. Riders included 'Ted' Baragwanath, Bert LeVack, Owen Baldwin, H.M. Walters, and Joe Wright.
In the 1931 Zenith declared
bankruptcy due to the
Depression, although 'Writers of Kennington', a principal Zenith dealer, purchased the name and restarted production at the
Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...
factory in
Surrey on the river and immediately adjacent to the Hurst Park horse racing venue. The
Second World War
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 opposi ...
interrupted production again, and Zenith finally ceased production in 1950. The last Zenith models of 1947-1950 used JAP 750cc sidevalve v-twins, and were basically the same models as produced before WW2.
Automobile history
Between 1905 and 1906, the company introduced the Popular model, which had a two-cylinder, 6HP Stevens engine and a belt driven rear axle.
[Harald Linz, Halwart Schrader: ''Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie.'' United Soft Media Verlag, München 2008, .]
Speed records
Zenith were always keen to promote themselves via competition. Freddie Barnes competed and won regularly on his own machines in 1909–1913,
[ and in 1922 it was a Zenith that was the first British machine to do a lap of the Brooklands circuit with rider Bert le Vack.][ In 1925 Zenith held the record for the number of over 100 mph laps of the bumpy Brooklands circuit.][ Works rider Joseph S. Wright held the lap record at Brooklands from 1925 until 1935.][
Zenith held the motorcycle world speed record on two occasions, the first FIM record of set in 1928 by Owen M. Baldwin at ]Arpajon
Arpajon () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region of northern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arpajonnais'' or ''Arpajonnaises''.
The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National ...
, France, the site of the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry
Autodrome de Montlhéry (established 4 October 1924) is a motor racing circuit, officially called L’autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry, owned by Utac, located south-west of the small town of Montlhéry about south of Paris.
History
Industria ...
.[ Bert le Vack surpassed Baldwin the following year on a Brough-Superior at the same location.][ In 1930 Zenith was in financial trouble due to the recession, and were taken over by one of their dealers, Writer's of South London. The ex-Zenith works rider Joe Wright, riding an OEC with a JAP engine, took back the record on 31 August at , again at Arpajon, France.][ But the record was broken twice more in 1930, first to ]Ernst Jakob Henne
Ernst Jakob Henne ( – ) was a German motorcycle racer and racecar driver.
Henne was born in the village of Weiler, near Wangen im Allgäu. His father was a saddlemaker. In 1919 Henne was apprenticed to a become a motor vehicle mechanic. H ...
riding a supercharged BMW to at Ingolstadt, Germany.[ Claude Temple made arrangements to try to win the title back in Cork, Ireland using his supercharged OEC again with Joe Wright on board.]["Cork. 150 miles an hour on a motor cycle! Streamlined in every possible way even to his helmet - J S Wright and an O.E.C. - Jap-engined - wins back record for Britain from Germany.", ]Pathé News
Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as British Pathé. Its col ...
, Film ID 751.17, 10/11/1930 Joe Wright had managed to acquire the works supercharged J.A.P-engined Zenith, and he took this to Ireland as a spare machine (visible on the Pathe news when the OEC is tow started[). The OEC bike suffered a mechanical failure and was not able to complete the required two runs, so Wright used his Zenith to set a new world record of .][ As Zenith were temporarily out of business, and OEC were paying the bills, the fact the Zenith had made the run and not the OEC was conveniently overlooked in much of the publicity of the time,][ and even in the FIM record book]
. An eyewitness account by Freddie Barnes himself was published the following year, noting the Zenith victory, and later eyewitness accounts confirmed his claim.
Models
The Zenette motorycle and Zenette tri-car had a novel form of rear suspension at a time when most motorcycles had none, partly because of the effect rear suspension had on the tension of the drive belt. In the Zenette this was overcome by having the swinging arm pivoted near the centre of the engine and mounting the engine on the swinging arm.[Zenith Motor Cycles for 1908, The Motor Cycle, 6th Nov 1907, p884] The Zenette motorcycle had another instantly recognisable feature, the fuel tank and battery were at the rear of the engine space, leaving a bare top tube.
See also
* List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
*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 unio ...
*List of motorcycles of the 1930s
This a listing of motorcycles of the 1930s, including those on sale, introduced, or otherwise relevant in this period.
Motorcycle
* Abendsonne
* Acme motorcycle (1939–1949)
*AJS Model E (1925-1939)
*AJS S3 V-twin
* AJS Silver Streak
* AJS V4
...
References
{{England topics
Defunct motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Defunct companies based in London
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1904
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1950
1904 establishments in England
1950 disestablishments in England
British companies disestablished in 1950
British companies established in 1904