Beschreibung
H&H Classic Auction @ National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
29th Mar, 2023 12:00
1920 Zenith Model C Gradua
Restored
Estimate
£20, 000 - £24, 000
Registration No: BF 7934
Frame No: 6397
Engine No: H53741
CC: 654
MOT: Exempt
An older concours restoration
Little use since the completion
Beautifully presented and holding up well
Used until last year and stored since
Zenith Motorcycles was a British motorcycle and automobile manufacturer established in Finsbury Park, London in 1903, by W. G. Bowers. The manufacture of automobiles only lasted from 1905–1906. The first Zenith motorcycle was the 'BiCar' of 1903, based on Tooley's Bi-Car design, which was purchased by Zenith for its own production. Fred ('Freddie') W. Barnes was hired as chief engineer in 1905, and patented the "Gradua" variable-ratio belt drive transmission that year. The Gradua system simultaneously changed the diameter of the crankshaft belt-drive pulley to alter the drive ratio, while moving the rear wheel forward or back to maintain belt tension. The Gradua system was among the first attempts to provide multiple drive ratios for a motorcycle, at a time when very simple, direct belt-drive transmission was the industry norm.
An older concours restoration, this JAP engine Zenith has had little use since the completion of a restoration. Beautifully presented and holding up well since the restoration work, it was used until just last year and then placed into storage ever since.
