Fairy motorcycles and motor sets, in Australia and beyond

[graeme]

That is awesome Ian!

I have part of the original ignition system, the wipe contact, but am missing the rest of it, I had a good idea how it worked but have never seen it in such detail - I will try to get in touch with the owner to get more info and hopefully be able to copy it

[Hutch]

No Worries Graeme , hopefully you can get the information to complete your trembler ignition!. I also found some (about 7?) Kiwi Fairy pictures here;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzpeterb/39950500032/in/photostream/

....fantastic pictures and great that another Fairy is together and running !!

cheers

Ian

[Daren W Australia]

On Ebay

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERY-RARE-1906-FAIRY-VETERAN-MOTORCYCLE-RESTORATION-PROJECT-PRE-DOUGLAS/192984857887?hash=item2ceecb3d1f:g:MKgAAOSwQtxdJliU

[GlennMckenzie]

Sorry Darren, I didn't realize you had already posted this link.

[Daren W Australia]

Hi Glen its better posting it twice than missing it. Daren

[Hershey Brant]

If you look carefully near where the HT cable crosses from the rear spark plug a stamped number is there.

Hi Alan,

Yes the close numbers are interesting. Now I'm going to guess that 1044 and 1050 were not the 1044th and 1050th Fairies.

Also the "ebay Fairy" didn't have an engine number - or at least an obvious one.

So here's a theory:

Bristol-made Fairies (1906, [edit: up to January] 1907) have no engine numbers, and had FAIRY cast on the crankcase.

London-made Fairies have engine numbers starting at 1000 (or 1001) and have "FAIRY" (with quotation marks) cast on the crankcase.

Do we have more Fairy engines to test this with? Graeme does your FAIRY (no quotation marks) have an engine number? ALan does your motor have FAIRY or "FAIRY" on the crankcase?

Cheers

Leon

Zimbabwe "FAIRY" (eng. no. 1050 visible) top, ebay Australia FAIRY below.

Leon,

Can you please comment on the 105 engine number on my Mark II; do any others known just have a three digit serial number?  I am also curious to know how it is known the Mark II's were produced after the move to London?

Kind thanks,

Brant

[Hershey Brant]

Was Barter's Fee the first motorcycle with a horizontally-opposed engine?

No. In 1897 Jackson Deneal of Toledo, Ohio patented his horizontally-opposed bicycle - US582346.

Just a slight hitch: no spark plugs! In fact the h-o motor was driven by compressed air, that was generated by... pedaling! I reckon we could be pretty certain that the Deneal motor cycle didn't go into production.

So was Barter's Fee the first motorcycle with a horizontally-opposed non-rotary internal-combustion engine?

Mmm... maybe. Watch this space!

Cheers

Leon

The Crest Duplex was being offered in 1901 in the United State for Auto and Tricycle applications.  Did one every make it onto a motorcycle chassis?  I have posed this question on another forum and there are whispers that one does exist.

[cardan]

Hi Brant,

Both the "105" engine number and the lack of quotation marks around FAIRY on the crankcase are interesting, and require modification to "the theory". Maybe there were a batch of early Mk2 engines with these features?

It's hard to say when and where the first Mk2 engines were made/sold, particularly with the confusion around the hp ratings of the Fairy motors. But the timeline is very tight: Joe Barter's prototype Fee was describe in the Motor Cycle 30 Oct 1905, and Doug's company records have Light Motors Ltd incorporated December 14, 1905 at Orchard Street, Bristol, then at 180 Grays Inn Road, London on January 4, 1907, then the Fairy Motor Co. at 102 Westcombe Hill, Blackheath, S.E., by November 1907.

It's likely that most of the Fairys from 1906 (and hence "Bristol") were the 2 3/16 x 2 3/16 Mk1?

Re the Crest: in 1900 the small version of the engine for tricycles was 2 1/2 hp, but despite years of trawling early literature (I have two 1903 US-made motorcycles) I've not seen evidence for a Crest h.o. twin in a two-wheel motorcycle. It would be a cool machine.

Cheers

Leon