VETERAN CYCLES & MOTORCYCLES
1904 Minerva
Andru This is the product of a company located at 10 rue de St. Quentin in Paris’ 10th arrondissement, and fitted with the company’ s own patented‘ Mirus’ engine with atmospherically-operated inlet valve, which drives the rear wheel directly by a belt from a crankshaft pulley. Typically for the time, the following years’ models saw incremental increases in engine capacity, and a move to mechanical inlet valves, as well as chain drive.
FN A product of the Fabrique Nationale d’ Armes de Guerre, Herstal, Liege, this machine is the culmination of the company’ s early development of single-cylinder machines( their inline four was not announced until 1905), with engine capacity being successively enlarged from 133cc( 1901-2), 188cc( 1903) to 300cc for the 1904 model year. The bifurcated front downtube which passes either side of the engine to join the bottom bracket is a distinctive design. The machine
MOTORCYCLES
carries an early County Wexford number: with a population around 100,000 and relatively few vehicles to register, the‘ MI’ series was finally used up in June 1952.
Peugeot Founded in 1810, Peugeot first dipped a toe into automotive production in 1896. Motorised tricycles and quadricycles were offered for 1900. By 1903 the range had been joined by motorcycles including the model shown, which boasts Peugeot’ s own engine, rated at two horsepower, with atmospheric inlet valve, mechanical exhaust valve and a Longuemare carburettor. Speeds of’ 40 to 50’ kilometres per hour were claimed for the machine on level road. Typically for the era, the following year’ s machines would feature larger-capacity engines and all- mechanical valves, retaining the direct belt drive to the rear wheel.-
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