Collection Item

Humber Motorcycle 2 ¾ hp

A typical racing motor bicycle from the time of Brooklands’ opening

Before Brooklands opened, motor bicycles (so named because at the time motor tricycles were still widely ridden) were raced on cycling velodromes or in off-road trials. They started off simply as bicycles with engines clipped on to the frames, but by the time this one was built the engine was incorporated into the frame.

 Thomas Humber started making bicycles in 1868, and the company made its first motorcycle in 1896. This model, using a Phelan & Moore engine, was described as “…a dreadful beast to handle”. Humber later made its own motorcycle engines, but increasingly concentrated on building cars.