British

Today in Motorcycle History

Bradshaw Motorcycles & Engines

Manufacturer of motorcycle engines and motorcycles in the 1920s

The Bradshaw engine's cylinder barrel is devoid of finning. Integral with the crankcase, it contains an iron liner surrounded by a cavity in the alloy casting. Engine oil, stored in a wet sump, is pumped to the big-end from where it splashes up into the cylinder jacket. The iron cylinder head is air-cooled in the conventional way.

Bradshaw-powered bikes raced in the Isle of Man TT, a Dot Bradshaw outfit finishing fifth in the first Sidecar TT of 1923. But the nickname 'oil boiler' that soon stuck to these engines says much about their tendency to overheat when pushed hard.

Sources: Graces Guide

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