Firth's 1952 Catalogue!

I confess to have been sitting on this one for a while!  Sometime last year, a few more of these wonderful time capsules came my way (expect two more in the coming weeks) and I hadn't gotten around to editing them.

As I sit here in mid-April listening to an ice storm brewing outside my window, I decided to make the time!

If you have visited here before, you know that I have tremendous affection for vintage literature, spending hours pouring through them.  I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

Interesting to see the bilingual insert;  Mr. Firth was certainly well ahead of the curve when it came to marketing!

I recently saw one of these HMF (House Brand) Juster seats on Ebay, listed as vintage Bates Double seat!  I wonder what happened to the automatic prop stand?  Looks like a handy device...

To the fellow who emailed me....

I received your email and replied, however it bounced back.   That being said, I will post my response here for you:



Hi Scott,

I'm afraid I don't have any information on that specific bike.  I can give you a couple of leads though.  I am not sure if you knew this but Loran was the shop that took over when Harry Firth retired around 1980.  Firth's would have likely sold the bike originally (I have a 1969 myself that came from the same shop) as they were the main Norton dealer in Southern Ontario.

Mark at British Cycle Supply was trained at Firth's and had some contact with Loran afterwards.  

Mark is a very helpful guy and might possibly have some insight. Chances are very good that the owner may have ordered parts from him.  

The other lead would be the access Norton forum.  https://www.accessnorton.com/.  The members there are well connected, many of them from Ontario.  Someone there may recognize the name of the owner or be aware of the bike. 

I hope this helps and thank you for reading!

MotoCode

As for everyone else, I wish you all a safe and Happy Christmas!

Firth Motorcycle 1950 Catalogue

Time seems to be getting away from me this spring!  I have been busy working  (thankfully!) Riding (gratefully!) and spending time with family.

I have quite a bit to post over the next little while, however I will be spacing it out a bit.

 Today I have another neat catalogue, still in the original folder acquired from the owner's son.  It amazes me when a piece like this survives;  when I consider the amount of paper I recycle every week I couldn't imagine something like this lasting 66 years in my house!

I apologize for the scan quality for some of the pages; I didn't want to ruin the book by flattening out the centre.  I hope you enjoy it.

In a couple years Firth would assume distribution of Matchless for Manitoba as well (as per later catalogues)

I am told that many of these bikes were sold to learners (where did they all go?) as Firths were reluctant to sell large bikes to new riders.

No mention of AJS this year at all...

Interesting to note that the engine in the picture is actually an AJS Model 20 distinguished by the timing cover.

I am curious as to what the difference is between a 'Firths British Battery' and 'British Standard Battery' $2.50 was significant pocket change then! 

Firth did actually patent several accessories which I have found online, The Streamliner can be found here: patent. 

Not a Chinese part in sight.....those truly were the days.

Promised updates are forthcoming! keep an eye on this spot..

Ride Safely!

Firth Motorcycles 1951 Catalogue!

I have managed to source several vintage Firth Motorcycle catalogues (all from the same owner!) which I will share on the blog as I get them scanned and edited.

These to me, are a fascinating snapshot of life many moons ago and also a great way to identify mystery aftermarket parts.  

Just for fun I have included a link to an inflation calculator so you can convert 'then' prices to 'now' money.

Inflation calculator

A 350cc Matchless single would run you $5,160.45 in 2016, good value for money and about what you would pay for a new Royal Enfield Bullet.

Enjoy!