British

Today in Motorcycle History

Kitto Motorcycles

Manufactured by the Kitto Automobile Co., Ltd., Chiswick, S.W. 1901-1903

Models were a 2 1/8th hp and a 3¼ hp.

1901 May. Mention in The Autocar article of a short trip on the Kitto Motor Bicycle.
1901 June. Details and image of the motor bicycle. [ibid]
The firm was wound up in 1903. S. B. Saunders was company chairman.

William Henry Kitto moved to the United States with his family in 1904, became a US citizen, and is listed as an automobile manufacturer in Ohio in 1910.

30. The Kitto Automobile Co., Ltd., Chiswick, S.W. The machines shown by this firm are of their well-known narrow type, and adapted so that the engine takes the place of the usual pillar tube, it being fixed at the bottom end to the bracket and the clown tube, and at the top end by a clip into which the seat pillar fits. The engine is 3.25 horse-power, and has combined mixing valve and throttle, or can be supplied with a float feed and spray carburetter. The top tube carries the lubricating oil, and the engine is supplied by a small force pump. There is a single lever to control the exhaust valve lifter and advance sparking. The battery and coil are clamped round the down tube, whilst the petrol tank is on the down stays. An exhaust box, capable of being cleaned, is an advantage. The driving pulley is securely fastened to the rim of the back wheel, not to the spokes. A provision is made within the, driving pulley on the motor to catch any oil which might work through the bearings. The prices range from 30 guineas for the 2.125 horse-power, to 40 guineas for the 3.25 horse-power.

Stanley Show 1902


Sources: The Motor Cycle magazine, Graces Guide.

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