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Sunbeam motorcycles

Sunbeam Motorcycle Centenary 2012

2012 is the centenary of the Sunbeam motorcycle. 100 years ago Marston’s chief designer John Greenwood campaigned the company’s first motorcycle, a 2¾ h.p. (349cc) two-speed machine, at the ACU’s Autumn Reliability Trial of 1912 – with success! He achieved a Gold Medal. Confident in its performance John Marston Ltd launched the Sunbeam motorcycle to the public at that year’s Olympia Motor Cycle Show in November. It was well received for its quality and power.

The company went on to produce the ‘Gentleman’s Motorcycle’ until 1937, its legacy taken up briefly by AMC until 1940. (In 1943 BSA acquired the Sunbeam name and Sunbeam Cycles Ltd produced Sunbeam motorcycles from 1946 to 1956, and BSA a Sunbeam-badged scooter from 1959 to 1965.)

As the club for Marston Sunbeams (plus the short-lived AMC models prior to BSA’s acquisition of the Sunbeam name) we have plans for a centenary celebration in August this year. It will take place in the marque’s home town of Wolverhampton and is open to owners of all pre-war Sunbeams, with both club and non-club members welcome. Details are as follows:-

Date: Saturday 11th August – Sunday 12th August 2012

    Venue: Wolverhampton Rugby Club, Castlecroft Road, Wolverhampton, WV3 8NA – campsite facilities for camper vans and camping (breakfast and lunch available)

Schedule of Events

:-

    Friday 10th August: Rugby Club campsite opens from the afternoon onwards. Evening social gathering and meal in the club house.

    Saturday 11th August: Morning social ride out; afternoon concours event for the Centenary Cups, technical forum, spares / heritage displays; off-site – self-guided tours of Wolverhampton’s motoring heritage sites; evening club’s AGM followed by Centenary Dinner with awards and address to John Marston by Robert Cordon Champ.

    Sunday 12th August: Morning photo call at the iconic Sunbeamland factory followed by centenary ride into Shropshire countryside – the old testers’ routes. Return for lunch and home.

Further Details: Nick Shelley – tel: 07808 131216 / e-mail: nickshelley@hotmail.com

Introducing the Club

Welcome to the website for the Marston Sunbeam Club & Register. Like one of our ancient engines, we've kickstarted the site into life and it's now ticking over ready for the coming seasons and beyond. There will be the need for some fettling as we go along to bring it up to scratch but we are now motoring on the world wide web's information super-highway! One hand firmly over the front brake lever!!

What are Marston Sunbeams?

2010 was a big year for us! Since 1982 we have been organised as a register for Sunbeam motorcycles and cycles made by the company founded by John Marston in Wolverhampton back in the 1880s. We have now expanded our role to that of a fully-fledged club for owners and enthusiasts of the Marston Sunbeam. An exciting new era for us.

The club, as with the register before it, caters for all Wolverhampton-made machines plus those from the brief period between 1937-43 when the company was acquired by Associated Motor Cycles of London (AMC) who continued to build Sunbeam cycles and motorcycles, the latter from Wolverhampton-made parts as well as a range of their own models very much in the vein of their Marston predecessors. Sale of the Sunbeam name to BSA in 1943 effectively ended the Marston Sunbeam lineage and owners of post-war Sunbeam motorcycles will need to look to the separate Sunbeam Owners Fellowship as the club for their marque.

But that's far from the end of the story! Marston Sunbeams, with their hand-built quality and pedigree of sporting achievements have been held in high regard by the vintage motorcycle and cycle fraternities who continue to keep Sunbeams running for all to enjoy.

Sunbeam montage 2

From Register to Club & Register

The Marston Sunbeam Register commenced with the backing of Marston Palmer, the successor to John Marston's original company. Staff voluntarily put in time and effort to set up and run the register and complete the restoration of the Marston collection of machines. The collection is now housed at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley in the UK where they are regularly run around the museum site. And that's very much what we are about at the club - supporting owners in getting together and keeping their machines running whilst allowing the public a chance to see - and in the case of the motorcycles to hear! - these fine machines.

Please 'bookmark' the site and visit us as we progress.

Why not have a look at the events planned for 2012

(details here:- 2012 Events Page )

Better still, join the club,(details here:- Membership ) come and participate in its events and share with us your stories, machine histories, technical tips and advice. The website and club magazine will be all the more interesting for it.

Keep on 'Beaming!