Manufactured by D. D. Riley, Leitch agency, Gray Street, Hamilton, Victoria - 1912-1915.
Don Riley worked as a mechanic for Leitch Cycles in Hamilton and was a keen motorcyclist.
In 1909, he took a motorcycle for a test run to Cavendish. On the return journey, he travelled the 16 miles to Hamilton in 19 minutes. The local paper reported that this was nearly a mile a minute, a speed unheard of in the day. Riley built a motorcycle in 1912 considered to be "ingeniously constructed". In 1916, he patented a sidecar coupling applicable to Indian motorcycles, and fitted it to the machine he rode in a 24 hour reliability trial, the Australian Motorcycle cup. With his wife Alice in the sidecar, they rode from Hamilton to Melbourne for the start of the trial in Flinders Street where 2000 people watched the motorcycles set off. By the end of the trial, Alice would have travelled 624 miles in two days in the sidecar, and well over 1000 by the time they got home.
Don Riley left Leitch and began his own business, and in 1918 he installed the Western District's first petrol bowser in front of his garage in Gray Street, Hamilton. He later moved Rileys Motors east along Gray Street, and also opened a branch in Portland.
Don Riley died in 1952 and in 1956 a street in Hamilton was named in his honour.
Rileys Motors continued for many years after that, with two more generations of the Riley family servicing the people of Hamilton.
See also Leitch.
One of the uses to which a motor cycle may be put was demonstrated a couple of days ago by Messrs. D. D. Riley (of the Leitch depot) and Whitford in bringing in another motor cycle from Cavendish. It was intended at first to tow the second machine, but owing to the roads being greasy it was placed in the sidecar. Mr. Riley rode the carrier, while his companion drove the machine. On reaching Hamilton they had the whole weighed on the through weighbridge. Men and machines registered a total weight of 8cwt. 2qrs. 21lb. The machine used in the carriage of the other was a 6 h.p. Riley J.A.P.
Hamilton Spectator Tue 19 Aug 1913
Hamilton Spectator Tue 11 Jun 1912
Rapid strides have been made towards ensuring the reliability and greater usefulness of the motor bicycle, and a fine example of the perfection to which they have been brought is afforded by the "Riley," a machine built by Mr. D. D. Riley at the Leitch agency in Hamilton.
The bicycle is fitted with a 4 ¼ h.p. engine, which is so ingeniously constructed that it develops greater pace than others of higher power, while the machine can be slowed down to a minimum of three or four miles an hour without coming to a standstill. It is splendidly finished all through. Druid heavy spring forks and low riding position giving the greatest degree of comfort. The wheels are 2 in. by 2 ½ in., with rubber studded tyres, and the bicycle has proved its splendid adaptability for heavy touring and hill climbing.
A pleasing feature, and one much appreciated by those who use motors, is the fact that even in the coldest weather the engine picks up almost instantly, and at a small extra cost it can be fitted with a clutch or two-speed gear.
Hamilton Spectator Wed 17 Apr 1912
Sources: fb.com/WesternDistrictFamilies; Trove NLA
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