History of the Clyno Company
Made in England 1909 to 1924
Clyno was founded by cousins A. P. Smith and F. W. A Smith in 1909,
at Thrapston, Northants. They exhibited their first machines, a 3HP single and a 744cc V-twin (both powered by Stevens engines) at the 1909 Stanley Show, both
with belt drive and single fixed gear. On 15th October 1910 the business was transferred from Thrapston
to the Steven's old works in Pelham Street, Wolverhampton and it was from there that the first enclosed
primary-drive chaincase two-speed machines emerged soon afterwards. By 1911 they were producing a
chain-driven combination which did very well in motorcycle hillclimb trials thanks to its robust sidecar
chassis and four-lug attachment method. As a result, the machine was chosen as a machine-gun carrier
during the Great War.
In 1912, orders exceeded factory capacity. A unit-construction 250cc twostroke was released in 1913 and was well received, probably in part because it came complete with lights, horn and number-plates - items which cost extra on most of the competition's machines.
1914 brought war, and the company's future looked bleak. However, due to the success of the aforementioned sidecar a contract from the War Office to build, in conjunction with Vickers, machines which became known as Vickers-Clyno, by 1915 the situation was much improved.
After WWI the company produced 269cc twostrokes and 996cc V-twins. Motorcycle production ceased in 1924 in favour of cars.
In its heyday Clyno was the third largest car manufacturer in the UK
after Austin and Morris.
Their price cutting policy led to financial problems and the company
went into liquidation on 11th February 1929. During its lifetime it had
sold over 15,000 motorcycles and 40,000 motor vehicles.
Adapted from an article at historywebsite.co.uk - see British Resources
Sat Jun 26 2010
taschy<at>gmail dot com
1913 Clyno
motorcycle 1913
This motorcycle is still in working order we would like to know what
it is worth.
South Africa
Fri Sep 07 2007
w.shearer375 at btinternet dot com
clyno v twin motorcycle
my father is lookin to buy a restored clyno motorcycle.his grandfather had one and was sold to someone in gosport the number of the bike was bs 7.please could u get in touch if u know of one that might be for sale
Thu Jul 07 2005
jasonchadd747 at hotmail.co.uk
1914 clyno instruction book
I have an instruction book for a 1914 Clyno motorcycle, would you have any idea where i could sell it and how much i should charge ? Many thanks Jason Chadd.
26th January 2005
Clyno 1920 Motorcycle listed on Ebay UK
Vendor's Description:
This is a rare opportunity to aquire a restored 1920 flat tank motorcycle which has had all the hard work completed . It was found as a barn find and restored over the years . The owner kept a pictorial record of the bike as found and of the rebuild and 2 large photo albums come with the bike as does a spare belt. The 2 stroke 269 cc engine runs on pre mix fuel from the petrol tank instead of an oil hand pump . Apart from that the bike looks like the sales catalogue pictures of 1920 .the second folder contains pictures of the clyno factory before it was pulled down . The clyno lightweight was advanced for its time and although it is a paddle start it has a clutch which helps !!
I Have only tried to ride it once and must say that it takes experience or a knack (which I dont possess!!)
It comes with a full lighting kit and is realistically priced to sale.
If you have a query about Clyno motorcycles please contact us
