British

Today in Motorcycle History

Holden Motorcycles 1925

Built by Kenneth Holden, the 175cc Sport had an OHV engine (60x60mm B/S), saddle tank and Druid forks.

Fitted with CAV magneto, Binks carburettor and a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed gearbox, it was featured in an issue of Moto Revue which gave a Paris hotel as Holden's address. Geo Dupuy is mentioned in connection with this, but it is unclear whether the machine entered production under the Holden or another name, if at all.

A Kenneth Holden raced a BSA shortly before WWI. It may well be that this is the same person.

BSA's first successful activities on the race track came at Brooklands in Surrey (later to be the birthplace of its most illustrious model, the Gold Star), when chief tester Kenneth Holden took a standard 3½ model to a first ever victory in the Spring of 1913. This spurred the Birmingham concern into its initial foray to the Isle of Man TT. Seven specially prepared versions of the production 3½ were entered.
~ The BSA Gold Star, by Mick Walker.

Sources: iomtt.com, Moto Revue, et al.



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