The company was founded by Frank Baker in 1906 to build bicycle fittings under the Precision name. Frank Baker had worked for Eadie, Royal Enfield and Premier Cycles.
Precision motorcycles were produced from 1912 to 1919, in Moorsom Street, Birmingham. They continued to produce engines for some years thereafter.
There was an earlier company of the same name, mentioned at the end of this article.
1910 Built 499cc sv single-cylinder engines and quickly developed a following.
1911 Ninety-six machines at the Olympia Show, in London used Precision engines: 293cc, 499cc and 599cc singles, or 760cc V-twins. Early Scottish Victoria motorcycles utilised these engines.
This exhibit consists of five patterns of the Precision engines, their well known 3½ h.p., 85x88 mm. bore and stroke, which is shown as a complete power unit with carburetter and magneto, also the engine alone to be fitted as required ; the new light-weight engine 2½ h.p., 70 x 76 mm. bore and stroke, suitable for a bicycle weighing from 100 to 120 lbs. ; a 6 h.p. twin for sidecar work, 75 x 80 mm., which, though not a racing engine, is capable of high speed; a 600 cubic cent. model, 90 x 96 mm., for those who, while wanting a powerful engine, prefer the simplicity of a single cylinder; and a 4½ h.p. water-cooled unit, 86 x 96 mm. In all these engines both cylinders and piston are made of high quality alloyed cylinder iron containing a percentage of Vanadium. The inlet and exhaust valves and ports are of very ample proportions to allow the gases a free passage, and the valves are made from nickel steel forgings. All models have m.o.i.v., and the larger engines have ball bearings to the main shaft.
1912 Complete machines were produced, but this was found to be less than popular with existing engine customers. The complete machines were therefore exported - to Australia in particular.
1913 Moved to a new factory and by the following year they employed 400 persons and produced 100 engine per week. Long description of this factory in 'The Engineer'. Tom Biggs joined as chief designer.
The views at Fig. 97 show a simple and effective valve-operating mechanism used on the Precision engines, which are of English design. Both of the mechanisms described are employed on single-cylinder engines. The view at Fig. 97, A, is of the gears assembled on the cam case, and it will be apparent that the engine shaft-gear is mounted between the inlet cam drive gear and the exhaust cam drive gear. The view at B, which shows the assembly in the cam case, makes clear the type of valve-operating bell crank and unconventional cams employed. These are internal instead of external forms, and they are formed integral with the half time or speed reduction gears. The valve-lifting plungers are provided with adjustments so the distance between the top of the plunger and the valve stem will be very closely regulated.
The valve-operating mechanism at Fig. 98 is employed in another form of Precision engine in which the valves are placed side by side in an extension from the cylinders, both being of the same type and interchangeable. The view at A shows the appearance of the assembly when viewed from the front, and the method of housing the cam-gear case attached to the engine base. The gear used to drive the cam is twice the size of that on the engine shaft, and therefore drives the cam-shaft at one-half engine speed, as is customary. The valves are raised by plungers which rest on the ends of levers that carry the cam-riding rolls. The arrangement of these members, and form of cams used, are depicted at Fig. 98, B. Each of these levers is fulcrumed at its extreme end and carries a cam roller which follows the cam contour with minimum friction.
Motorcycles Sidecars and Cyclecars, 1914, by Victor Page
1918 The company employed 800 people.
Post-World War I they released a complete motorcycle designed by Biggs using their own 350cc two-stroke engine, in 1919. At this time they were calling themselves Beardmore Precision after Scottish industrial giant William Beardmore and Co injected new capital into the company.
Their engines were featured in numerous trials and race winners in the 1920s, but sales were sliding and an attempt to introduce a new 250cc engine failed when the leaf-spring valves caused excess guide wear. There was also a model with a Barr and Stroud engine, and an ohc model which did not see production. William Beardmore and Co withdrew its capital in 1924 and Frank Baker pulled out, to make two-strokes under his own name (as F. E. Baker) and the company closed.
Note: The company was eventually sold to James in 1930.
Marques which employed Precision powerplants include:
Precision 1902-1906
These were typical of the period and powered by a Minerva
engine. The company is not believed to be related to F.E. Baker's Precision.
Sources: Graces Guide, FEB Precision Group.
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