Name this Motorcycle ?

[demorier]

This is apparently 1933 or earlier. I can't work out the type of bike.

[arfyhun]

Couldn't be a Calthorpe, could it? I'd love to know details of the picture, do you have any?

'VT' I think was a Stoke-on-Trent registration mid thirties, I don't recognise the 'cammy' motor.

Graham.

Here's the 'Calthorpe' badge picture.

[demorier]

Certainly looks like what is written on the tank. Hadn't heard of a Calthorpe before. Also have some others searching details.

[Tako_Kichi]

VT were the Stoke-on-Trent registration letters right up to and including the 1990's when I emigrated, I'm not sure if they still use VT for Stoke though. I lived for 35 years in an adjacent town (Newcastle-under-Lyme) but I always had the Staffordshire registration letters on all my vehicles (including 12 motorcycles).

As to the bike I don't think I've seen that type before and the engine is a little odd, I wonder if it's a Panther engine as they had the sloping cylinder and twin exhausts from a single pot?

EDIT: Further investigation leads me to think it is indeed a Calthorpe 1929 model.

http://www.calthorpe.org/Englisch/modelle_index_ENG.htm

Check out the 1929 photo in that link and compare it to the original photo. The front forks are identical, the hand change gear lever on the right side of the tank is identical and it also has the same tool box on the rear frame.

BTW the street scene in the first photo is classic 1930's Stoke-on-Trent too.

[Panther_99FS]

I do like the narrow DOF of the shot....:mixedsmi:

[demorier]

Another bike person's opinion. "From Maurice : the bike is a Calthorpe The company made bikes from about 1913 through to 1938/9. They were famous for the colour Ivory when all of the other bikes were mainly black hence the name Ivory Calthorpe. This one was either 348cc or 494cc and was made from 1931 to 1938. The tank and mudguards were painted Ivory in colour and were hence known as the Ivory Calthorpe. In 1937 they changed the colour to Red and were called the Red Calthorpe. In 1938 there were two colours red and green. From the photo the colour would appear to be dark and not the light Ivory so my guess it is a model from 1937/8. The company did produce another bike for 1939 but used a different engine from Matchless. The engine in the picture is a Calthorpe not a matchless. That was their last year of production. The bike had a hand gear shift on the right side of the petrol tank and you can just see the knob underneath the right hand levers on the handlebar which went into a Triangular shaped pad on the side of the tank which you can just see as a whitish line ."

[demorier]

Thanks for your responses guys. Trying to sort out a riddle of an old friend's grandfather back in the 30's. Confirmation : Person on MC was a Stoke-on-Trent resident. Very good detective work fella's.