Formed in 1894 by George Patterson after divestment from the Birmingham England-based bronze and brasswork firm Hudson Edmunds & Co. the New Hudson Cycle Company began producing high-quality safety bicycles. Following their successful startup the company unveiled their first two motorized products: single-cylinder motorized bicycles with De Dion and Minerva engines at the 1902 Stanley Show of Motor Bikes and Motor Cars. Unfortunately the companys first attempt failed to capture the attention of the buying public. This setback only fueled Pattersons entrepreneurial spirit and at the 1910 Stanley Show his company pulled out all the stops for their next attempt a range of motorbikes fit with J. A. Prestwich Industries (JAP) engines Druid front forks Armstrong three-speed transmissions a drip lubrication system and kick starter the new motorbikes were aiming for the top of the market with an economical price tag. Over the next four years improvements to these motorbikes were steady and by 1914 had replaced the JAP engines with their own single cylinder designs with 2 or 3 horsepower and a Top-of-The-Range V-Twin with 6 horsepower. The company shifted towards war efforts until acquisition in the interwar period ceased motorbike manufacturing.This motorbikeFrame No. 1761 was built in late 1914 and is finished in gloss black carryingNew Hudsons 3 horsepowersingle cylinder engine No. 3492 has benefited from an older restoration allowing a uniform patina to develop. The fuel tanks finish in brown with an orange outline and tan New Hudson script has some spiderweb cracking between the fuel level and oil drip lubrication sightswhile the nickel-platedacetylene lamps:theP&H No. 127 HB Handlebar headlamp set from Powel and Hanmer has lost some embossed detailing from years of polishing whilea Miller headlamp fitted to the outer corner of the sidecar and a Joseph Lucas No. 44 and 344 taillamp set do have some minor pitting as does the manual horn footrests New Hudson engine cover.But perhaps the most notable things with this already noteworthy antique motorbike are the leather chain-link final drive belt wooden rear brake shoe and the Castor-Wheel Sidecar. Constructed of wicker by Mills & Fulford of Coventry England a manufacturer known for sidecars and motorbike trailers during the first decade of the 20th century from designs by inventor and Vice-President of the Institution of Automobile Engineers George Douglas Leechman. The basketwith button-tufted burgundy leather seating surfaces is affixed to a steel tube frame and mounts to the motorbikes rear downtube under the seat the rear fork and the front downtube. The sidecars wheel is connected to the frameviakingpin allowing for 180 degrees of travel on the horizontal axis to help mitigate the handling compromises a sidecar can create: aiding in maneuverability at low speeds while increasing high-speed stability. The neat bits of simple engineering like thatfuel the adoration of antique motorbikes and the quirky solutions they adopt.With so few examples of the motorbikes produced by smaller marques having survived this New Hudson Model VI is in a category of its own.This unique part of British motorcycle history will surely hold its own in any prestigious vintage vehicle motorcycle or automobilia collection with the well documented history and beautiful patina.Offers welcome and Trades ConsideredFor additional details please view this listing directly on our website https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/7731-1914-new-hudson-model-vi-motorbike/
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