When we think of the death of the British
motorcycle industry in the 1970s, we generally recall the final generation of
cantankerous, leaky, vibrating, old fashioned crock-pots being foisted onto an
increasingly apathetic market. These were conservative and under-engineered
machines that harkened back to an earlier era of motorcycle design (and lax
quality control). With the advent of oil tight, reliable, well built, and
fine-riding Japanese motorcycles (with – gasp – electric starters), the writing was on the wall for most of the British
marques. Some made a last-ditch attempt to stave off failure by hurriedly
cobbling together something that might be competitive against the Japanese
onslaught.
