War Bike remains popular and has grown way beyond the initial aim of busting a few myths and recording obscure, and sometime hidden histories of those who developed motor-bicycles from a means of transport to a vital component of the British Military machine.
Whilst
the hero of this story is the trusty Triumph Model H, a very British machine,
with a German heritage; the unlikely co-star is the Douglas, a machine that
failed the trials devised to test suitability of a motorcycle for Military use.
The lightweight Douglas, was not fast or particularly resilient, but it was the
ideal mount for running up and down the columns of trucks in a convoy or
going out to search for some lost vehicles and relay messages securely back to
those in charge of logistics.
The
Douglas failed the tests initiated by the War Office
For
a summary of the early History of British Military Motorcycling visit the
Warbike Project pages of the Fenland Classic Motorcycles website at
www.fenlandclassics.com/war-bike-project
You can buy a copy of War Bike: British Military Motorcycling 1899-1920 from Amazon or other Online Bookshops. Always compare prices with Fenland Classic Motor Cycle Site as they are often cheaper.
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