A Touch of Motorcycle Engine History

In the early years of motorcycle manufacturing, many manufacturers used bought-in engines for their motorcycles as the cost of developing engines was beyond the means of many of them. Of all the manufacturers of proprietary engines, possibly the most famous was J.A. Prestwich, otherwise known as J.A.P.

Without the J.A.P. engine, many British motorcycle manufacturers would never have got off the ground and, over the years, J.A.P. supplied engines to Brough Superior, Triumph, AJS, Enfield, HRD-Vincent and Zenith, as well as manufacturers in France and Germany.

The engine also saw service in cars such as the Morgan three-wheeler. The New Brough Superior Raises The Bar For Exotic Motorcycles, as well as in Formula 2 and Formula 3 racing in the 1950s.

The versatility of J.A.P. engine design can be seen in their stationary engines, which have powered a wide array of industrial equipment such as generators, rotavators, water pumps, milking machines, hay lifts, and numerous machines in the agricultural industry.