"Get Ya Motor Runnin'" - Classic Motorcycles 1 Quiz

Answer: Ducati

Unlike more usual valve timing mechanisms which use cams and springs to open and close the valves, the desmodromic system uses a cam and lever to perform that function. The desmodromic system was initially developed to overcome the problem of valve springs breaking due to fatigue in high revving engines.

Although versions of the desmodromic system have been in practical use since the turn of the last century, the specific system utilised by Ducati was developed in 1956 by the Ducati engineer Fabio Taglioni for use in their 125cc 'Grand Prix' model and, over the decades since this innovation, the term 'desmo' has become synonymous with the name Ducati.

Answer: Norton

When first used in a motorcycle, the new Norton frame was described by the rider as being as different as riding a featherbed to a garden gate. Developed in 1949 for the Norton motorcycles for the famous Isle of Man TT races for the following year, the Norton 'Featherbed' frame was a revolutionary design for its time.

The frame was the brainchild of Northern Irish engineering and racing partnership, brothers Rex and Cromie McCandless and it proved very successful during the 1950 season with Norton motorcycles dominating the leader boards. Variations to the design of the original featherbed frame, declared the best that a racing motorcycle could have, are still manufactured today by small volume custom and specialist builders.

Answer: Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi was founded in 1921 and is the oldest European motorcycle builder in continuous production. Founded on the shores of Lake Como in the town of Mandello del Lario by Carlo Guzzi and brothers Giorgio and Angela Parodi, the company enjoyed a period of impressive racing success during the 1950s, dominating the 350cc class.

However, it was whilst under the ownership of state receivers during the late 1960s and early 1970s that Moto Guzzi became forever associated with the 90⁰ longitudinal V-Twin motors that had been developed by the Guzzi engineer Giulio Carcano, also responsible for designing the hugely complex 500cc V8 engine used in the Guzzi Grand Prix racing motorcycle of the late 1950s.

Despite teetering on the edge of bankruptcy throughout its existence, Moto Guzzi continues to produce motorcycles of the highest quality.

Answer: BMW

Tracing its roots back to the years immediately after the First World War, BMW Motorrad as BMW's motorcycle division is now known, released its first model, the 'R32' in 1923 and it was this design that utilised the engine layout that has come to symbolise BMW motorcycles, the horizontally opposed 'boxer' engine. During the Second World War, BMW motorcycles were used in all theatres by the Wehrmacht along with those by competitors Zundapp.

The first truly modern BMW motorcycle was the R90S which was made available in 1973 and the vehicle from which the R100RS and R100RT models would be developed. Revealed to the public for the first time at the 1976 Cologne motorcycle show, the R100RS and the R100RT have both been hailed in some circles (probably by their owners clubs!) as being the best sports touring motorcycles of all time. Virtually identical, the differences in their nomenclature relate to the full fairings that each model was fitted with; the fairing fitted to the RS model was purely for streamlining and the protection of its rider whereas that fitted to the RT model was fitted with a myriad of useful compartments for the storage of those items that might be required on a long ride.

Answer: Velocette

Veloce Ltd were a small, family owned manufacturer specialising in hand built motorcycles. Founded by John Goodman or Johannes Gütgemann in 1904, the company were based in Birmingham, England. Their first models, two-stroke machines marketed under the name Velocette, were superseded during the 1920s by the innovative 'K' series with their distinctive fish-tailed exhausts becoming a feature of the brand's output. During the 1930s the 'K' series was replaced with the cheaper 'M' series machines which remained in production until the outbreak of the Second World War.

After the war the LE series machines were introduced which were adopted by a number of British police forces but proved commercially unappealing. Sadly, by the early 1960s the company were in financial trouble and their last models, the Viper, Venom and Thruxton arrived too late to save the company, forcing the closure of Veloce Ltd in 1971.

Answer: BSA

Better known for the production of firearms, BSA or Birmingham Small Arms, embarked on the production of motorcycles in 1910. The little Bantam motorcycle was available in a range of three two-stroke engine displacements; 125, 150 and 175cc and was in production between 1948 and 1971.

The first incarnation of this machine, the D1, had a 4bhp motor of unit construction which remained in production until 1963. Engines built using the unit construction differed from earlier types in that the engine and gearbox were both housed within the same assembly; prior to this many engines were constructed with the engine and gearbox in separate casings linked by a chain drive.

The second version, in production between 1953 and 1957, was the D3 Major with its engine capacity increased to 150cc.

In 1958 the D5 version was introduced with the 175cc motor. The 'Bushman' model, which was introduced into the product range in 1967, was an off-road version with increased ground clearance and a higher profile exhaust system designed for use overseas with only a very small number of examples finding their way onto the British market. Further improvements in power and equipment were made to the Bantam range until the company ceased operations in 1972 after being driven to bankruptcy by an outdated product range, poor management and disruptive trade union activity.

Answer: Benelli

Benelli was founded in the city of Pesaro on Italy's Adriatic coast in 1911 by Teresa Benelli who, after the death of her husband, invested her family savings into a venture that she hoped would provide employment for her six sons and secure her family's future.

In 1921 the first Benelli motorcycle, a 98cc powered machine, heralded in a period of racing success for the company. During the 1930s and 1940s Benelli motorcycles built a solid reputation for the quality, reliability and performance of its machines. Released in 1976, the six cylinder 'Sei' motorcycle, designed by Argentine entrepreneur Alessandro de Tomaso, was one of the most impressive motorcycles in the world, its massive six cylinder engine influencing their Japanese competitors, leading to the design of the Honda CBX six-cylinder motorcycle. From 1979, Benelli offered a larger 900cc capacity machine with the same engine layout as the 750cc model.

In 1988 Benelli were merged with Moto Guzzi and the production of Benelli machines ceased temporarily.

In 2002 the company experienced a renaissance and with the launch of the 900cc Tornado motorcycle Benelli began to re-establish itself as a major player in the motorcycle business.

Answer: Montesa

In 1944 the Catalan industrialist Pere Permanyer Puigjaner formed the company that was to become Montesa with Francisco Bulto, a motor racing fanatic and brother in law of his wartime comrade and best friend Josep Antoni Soler i Urgell. The first machines produced were modified versions of motorcycles made by the French Motobecane company which made their debut in February 1945 on the streets of Barcelona.

The first all-original machines appeared at the Barcelona Trade Fair in June 1945 and by this time the company had become known as Montesa. Success followed until in 1958 when Francisco Bulto left Montesa to form his own company, Bultaco, taking a number of important Montesa employees with him.

The 1960s and 1970s proved to be Montesa's golden years in the sport of trials riding with the company's 'Cota' models dominating the sport; however by 1981 market forces plunged Montesa into crisis.

In 1985 an injection of funds from Japanese giants Honda allowed production to continue and by 1986 Honda effectively owned Montesa having control of around 85% of the company shares. Today, now known as Montesa Honda, the brand produces Honda products for the European market.

Answer: Ariel

The first machines built by the workshops that were to become Ariel Motorcycles were the bicycles of the Ariel Bicycle Company of Birmingham in 1897. The first powered vehicle was a tricycle powered by a 2hp De Dion Bouton engine went on sale in 1898 for the huge sum of £79! The flagship Square Four, in production from 1931 through until 1959 with various engine displacements, endowed the company with an enviable reputation for quality and reliability.

In 1944 Ariel was acquired by BSA which led to a brief period of uncertainty over the future of the Selly Oak plant where Ariel motorcycles were made. Ariel's heyday occurred during the post war years and, with full order books and an impressive range of popular machines especially the now iconic Square Four and the popular Red Hunter series, their future seemed secure.

In the mid-1950s something strange happened at Ariel; the intention was to drop the entire existing range in order to concentrate on a full faired 250cc two-stroke twin, the 'Leader', a decision that was a catastrophic failure and which proved fatal for Ariel Motorcycles.

The company struggled on under the BSA banner until the last Ariel motorcycle left the workshops in 1967 after which Ariel ceased production forever.

Answer: Vincent

Vincent Motorcycles was founded in 1928 by Philip Vincent and existed for a relatively short period of time, finally ceasing operations in 1955 after bankruptcy. The company was originally known as Vincent HRD, these initials being taken from the title of a small engineering company that had been acquired in 1928 and formerly owned by Howard R Davies; the initials dropped in 1948 to avoid any confusion with the American manufacturer Harley Davidson.

The model for which Vincent is most famous is the beautiful 'Black Shadow' which was introduced in 1948.

This machine was one of the first of its type to make extensive use of aluminium in its construction. Renowned for the fierce kick-back of its starter, if this didn't bring tears to its rider's eyes then the hot oil straight from the engines breather might succeed in doing so.

The Black Shadow also held the distinction of being the fastest motorcycle in the world well into the 1960s and, especially in the hands of my late father and through the testimony of our neighbours at that time, one of the loudest and most annoying!