Description
Excelsior 1925 500cc sidevalve Blackburne engine # FD 128
The Coventry firm of Bayliss and Thomas was as old as the two-wheeler industry, trading from the solid-tyre bicycle era.
Early manufacturers in both the motorcycle and the car fields, they were an established firm well before the Great War:
In 1913 an 800 cc single cylinder motorcycle was brought out, the biggest production single ever to be made.
In common with many manufacturers, the company used proprietary engines made by Blackburne and JAP.
Postwar, to avoid confusion with the American Exelsior, Bayliss and Thomas christened their products “ British Excelsior”.
This sturdy model is equipped with 500 cc Blackburne engine with massive outside flywheel.
The machine is not quite complete but should prove a rewarding restoration project.