Burgers-ENR Motorcycles

Today in Motorcycle History

Burgers Motorcycles

Henricus Burgers (1843-1903) built his first vélocipède in 1868, using an iron frame and wooden wheels. He founded Eerste Nederlandsche Rijwielfabriek the following year.

Based in Deventer (120km east of Amsterdam), the bicycle firm built motorcycles between 1906 and 1924, and resumed production in the 1930s. Postwar they built mopeds.

Early models used Fafnir engines, and 1920s models included 676cc JAP V-twins and 497cc Blackburne singles. Production resumed in the 1930s with Villiers, JLO and Sachs engines fitted to lightweight motorcycles and mopeds. They also built electric motor-bicycles during this period. The 1950s machines were mainly autocycles with Kürchen engines.

A dark point in the firm's history was that one of their directors, Kilsdonk, was a member of the Dutch Nazi party. He was arrested for collaboration after the war.

It seems likely that the Burgers-Vitesse was a product of this firm. This was a rebranded Sun motorcycle from the early years. See Sun Motorcycles

Sources: Conam Netherlands, burgers-enr.net, Wikipedia NL, Roger Yates.