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The Cotton Motorcycle Company, was a British motorcycle manufacturer of 11a Bristol Road, Gloucester, and was founded by Frank Willoughby Cotton in 1918. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. F. W. presided over the company until his retirement in 1953. The company was reconstituted as E. Cotton (Motorcycles) Ltd, and traded till 1980.
The Triangulated Frame
By 1913, F. W. Cotton had engaged in hill climbs and trials, and recognised the limitations of the “diamond frame” design, little different from a bicycle. He designed his own, and had examples made by Levis. Levis motorcycles (1911 - 1940) manufactured by Butterfields of Birmingham were for many years one of England's leading manufacturers of two-stroke motorcycles Being a lawyer, in 1914 he patented the “triangulated frame” to protect his design that was a Cotton feature right up till World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including World War I intervened and it was not until 1918 that the Cotton Motorcycle Company was founded with the first Cotton motorcycle appearing in 1920. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All [1]
Stanley Woods and the TT
In 1922 Stanley Woods rode a Blackburne-engined Cotton to fifth in the 350 cc Junior TT,[2] and the following year, won the 1923 Isle of Man TT, averaging 55. Stanley Woods (1903 - 28 July 1993) Dublin, an Irish motocycle racer famous for 29 motorcycle Grand Prix wins and winning the Isle Blackburne was a trade name of Burney and Blackburne Limited a British manufacturer of Motorcycles from 1913 to 1922 at Tongham near Farnham Surrey The 1923 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the introduction of the first Sidecar TT race over 3 laps and was won by Freddie Dixon and passenger 73 mph, bettering Douglas rider, Manxman Tom Sheard’s winning 500 cc Senior TT time, an average of 53. Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907&ndash1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family and especially known for its Thomas Mylchreest Sheard Jnr (6 January 1889 Dalby Patrick, Isle of Man - 10 August 1954 was a Motorcycle racer with 2 victories at the Isle of Man 15 mph. Cotton motorcycles took a second and third in the Ultra Lightweight TT, and a second in the Lightweight TT. The 1924 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw the introduction of the Ultra-Lightweight class for Motorcycles of 175cc capacity that was They only managed a second place in the 1925 Junior TT, but in the 1926 races, swept the field taking the first three places in the Lightweight TT. Further changes occurred in the 1926 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy with the scrapping of the Side-Car TT and Ultra-Lightweight TT Races from the [3] These victories helped establish Cotton as a race-winning machine, with exceptional handling for its time.
The 1923 win, and consequent full order book, enabled a move to new premises, the Vulcan Works in Quay Street. In 1927 the frame dimensions were altered.
Engine and Model Range
When the Great Depression came, Cotton responded by offering a wider range of engines in its patented frame, usually with Burman gearboxes.
In 1930, engine choices were:
- 247 cc Villiers two stroke engine
- 295 cc, 348 cc, and 495 cc side-valve Blackburne engines
- 348 cc and 495 cc ohv Blackburne engines
- 292 cc, 348 cc, and 495 cc ohv JAP engines
Four strokes were available with the exhaust in “single port” or “twin port”. The two-stroke Internal combustion engine differs from the more common Four-stroke engine by completing the same four processes (intake compression combustion exhaust An overhead valve (OHV engine, also called pushrod engine or I-head engine is a type of Piston engine that places the Camshaft JA Prestwich Industries Ltd, was a British engineering company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, produced cinematographic equipment Internal combustion Today Internal combustion engines in cars, Trucks motorcycles aircraft construction machinery and many others most commonly use a four-stroke cycle.
- In 1931 the Blackburne side valve engines disappeared, replaced by the 348 cc and 499 cc Rudge-Python, and a Sturmey-Archer motor entered the range. Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British Bicycle and Motorcycle manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894 one of which Sturmey-Archer are a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England.
- In 1932 all models had saddle tanks and side-valve JAP engines were added. JA Prestwich Industries Ltd, was a British engineering company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, produced cinematographic equipment Internal combustion There were two 150 cc models, a sv JAP and a Villiers two-stroke. Villiers Engineering Ltd was a manufacturer of Motorcycles and cycle parts and an engineering company based in Villiers Street Wolverhampton In the 1890's The biggest capacity model used a 596 cc ohv Blackburne engine. There was a choice of three ohv engine makes, a side valve, and a two stroke.
- For 1933 the range included 250s, in two-stroke Villiers, side-valve JAP, ohv JAP, and ohv Python. There were now 17 Cotton models.
- For 1934 150 and 250 cc ohv Blackburne engines were added, and ohv JAP engines of 245 cc and 596 cc. This increased the range to 19 models.
- In 1935 the Python and side valve JAP engines disappeared, but with a new choice of coil or magneto ignition, Cotton could still claim 16 models.
- In 1936 a “super sports” with a 500 cc JAP engine, and a “super sports” with a Blackburne 25B engine appeared.
- In 1937 the only Blackburne engine available was a 250 cc ohv. There were three new high-camshaft design 250, 350 and 500 cc JAP engined models, with four-speed, foot change gearboxes.
- In 1938 the 150 cc model changed from JAP to unused old stock Blackburne engines. Blackburne itself was now out of production.
- By 1939 there was no 150 cc model.
In 1939 JAP had changed their engine range, introducing new 500 cc and 600 cc, without an external push rod tube, and finned all the way to the base. Unusual external hairpin valve springs, fixed in the middle, with a valve at each end, were used. These were available as standard or deluxe versions. The high cam JAP engines, the 250 cc JAP, and the 150 cc Villiers two stroke continued. Just before the world war, they released a smaller, lighter Cotton with a 122 cc Villiers 9D engine. [4]
When the triangulated rigid frame was introduced in 1920, it was ahead of its time. By 1939, when the sprung heel and rear swingarm frames had begun to appear so rigid frames had seen their day . A swingarm (originally known as a swing fork is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern Motorcycles and ATVs It is used to hold the Vincent had patented a cantilever frame in 1928.
After World War II
Continuing with engineering work that sustained the factory during World War II, Cotton did not re-enter the motorcycle market at the War's end, but struggled on into the 1950s, when F. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including W. Cotton decided to retire. The company was re-constituted under Elizabeth Cotton in 1953 as E. Cotton (Motorcycles) Ltd. , and was managed by Pat Onions and Monty Denley. [5]
E. Cotton (Motorcycles) Ltd
As before, Cotton made their own frames, and bought in the rest of the components for assembly. The first machine, produced till 1957, was the Cotton Vulcan, with a Villiers motor.
- In 1955 the Cotton Cotanza was released using a 242 cc Anzani engine, and a new frame with “pivoted-fork” rear suspension. The Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877-19?? which produced Proprietary engines for Aircraft, cars A motorcycle's suspension is similar to the suspension in an automobile in its purpose Suspension systems serve a dual purpose - contributing to the vehicle's handling and braking for good active The frame was also used in a new 1955 Vulcan model, fitted with a Villiers 9E engine and three speed gearbox.
- In 1956 that changed to a four speed gearbox, and the Cotanza became available with a 322 cc Anzani twin. A Cotton Trials, a stripped down version of the Vulcan with competition tyres and no lights was released. The original Vulcan was dropped.
- The only change for 1957 was a Villiers 2T twin added to the Cotanza range.
- There were no further changes until 1959, when all models were fitted with Armstrong leading link forks, and the Villiers 2T twin was dropped. Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles was a British Motorcycle manufacturer
Other Cotton models included the Herald, Messenger, Double Gloucester, Continental, Corsair and Conquest. Cotton became involved in competitive motorcycling, and a range of road, trials and scrambler models were available by the end of 1960.
Racing in the Sixties
In 1961 the Cougar scrambler was released and a works racing team formed, including such riders as Bryan "Badger" Goss and John Draper. The Villiers Starmaker racing engine was introduced in 1962, so Cotton went road racing. Road racing can be a term involving Road running, road bicycle races, or Automobile races The 247 cc Telstar road racer and Conquest were introduced in 1962 and 1964 respectively. Over the next two years, Cottons were winning races again. [1]
The Loss of Villiers
Then Villiers withdrew from engine supply, and Cotton was forced to source engines from elsewhere. The Cotton Cavalier trials bike used a Minarelli engine, but production was slow. Cotton had been profitably selling bikes in kit form, but changes to legislation proved damaging. [1]
They moved their factory to Stratton Road in 1970, where they diversified into production of the Cotton Sturdy, a three wheel factory truck. Over the next decade production was moved a number of times, and they managed to produce a good 250 cc racing machine with a Rotax engine. BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer The difficulty of finding a supply of engines after the loss of Villiers was compounded by the appearance of mass produced Japanese motorcycles in the 1970s.
Closure of the Gloucester factory
The factory closed in 1980. Following a series of successful 1990s Cotton exhibitions at the Gloucester Folk Museum, the Cotton Owners Club (an international organisation) was formed, where a rally is held each summer.
In the late 90's AJS Motorcycles Ltd. AJS is also an abbreviation for the American Journal of Sociology. of Goodworth Clatford, Andover produced a series of Cotton replica competition motocycles including the 250 Cobra Scrambler, Cotton-Triumph 500 Scrambler, Telstar 250 road racer and 250 Starmaker Trials Bike. These replicas followed the original chassis designs accurately. The chassis were T. I. G welded, and employed either AJS Stormer hubs, British Hubs or Grimeca Hubs. Betor or Marzocchi forks were used and usually Sebac shocks were installed at the rear. These replicas were very successful on the Pre '65 Moto X circuits and in the hands of Classic Racers. Today Nick Brown of AJS Motorcycles Ltd. AJS is also an abbreviation for the American Journal of Sociology. owns the Cotton trademark.
References
- ^ a b c [1] Gloucester Cotton History (retrieved 15 October, 2006)
- ^ [2] IOMTT. com 1922 Junior TT Results (retrieved 20 October 2006)
- ^ [3] IOM TT 1926 Lightweight Results (retrieved 15 October, 2006)
- ^ [4] Netherlands Cotton Motorcycle History (retrieved 14 October 2006)
- ^ [5] Chadwick British Bikes (retrieved 14 October 2006)
External links
- 1934 Cotton with JAP engine
- British Motorcycle Forums
- Cotton motorcycle page
- Cotton Owners and Enthusiasts Club
- Gloucester made
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