British Motorcycles, Cotton
In keeping with many of the early motorcycle manufacturers, Cotton’s heritage can be traced back to bicycles. However, founder Frank Willoughby Cotton was one of the first to realize that bicycle frames had limitations when an engine was added.
To better cope with the loads a frame with an engine would be subjected to, Cotton devised a triangulated frame with straight tubes which were better able to cope with the compression and tension loadings.
This new frame was far superior to the diamond frames common at the time and was patented in 1914.
Frank Cotton had competed in speed trials and motorcycle hill climbs during 1912-13, and it was this experience that led him to the new motorcycle frame. His initial venture into motorcycle manufacturing came when he took over a company producing motorcycles known as Sudbrook’s from the original owner A. H. Camery.
Production was interrupted by the First World War but a new company was founded in 1918 known by the more familiar name of The Cotton Motorcycle Company. A new machine was offered to the public in 1920 which had a claimed top speed of 60 mph.
Interestingly, the company employed just 17 people but this number increased to 23 when six employees were hired from the former J.E.S. Motorcycle Works which had closed down in 1924.
The Cotton Motorcycle Company operated during two time periods: 1920 to 1934 and 1954 to 1964.
IOM TT
For many of the early motorcycle manufacturers, taking part in competition was essential to promote the brand.
As Cotton motorcycle owners had proven to be successful in speed trials, the company decided to enter the IOM TT races 1922 with rider Stanley Woods who went on to finish fifth. Woods raced a Blackburne engined Cotton again in the 1923 TT and won.
The TT successes helped to increase sales by six fold to around 1,000 motorcycles a year--even the Gloucestershire County Council (where Cotton was based) bought eight motorcycles for use by their Divisional Road Foremen.
The year 1926 proved to be the best for Cotton at the TT when they finished one, two, and three in the Lightweight class.
In 1927, Cotton began to use J.A.P. and Rudge Python engines, which replaced the Blackburne engines altogether in the 30s. However, the world wide depression of the 30s hit the Cotton motorcycle company hard and they declared bankruptcy in 1940; nonetheless, the company continued with engineering production after the Second World War and supplied spares for the motorcycles still running.
Frank Cotton Retires
By the 1950s the company was still in deep financial trouble and this led to the retirement of Frank Cotton. After his retirement, the company was reconstituted as E. Cotton (Motorcycles) Ltd. with Pat Onions and Monty Denley as directors.
The new company bought in most of the parts for their motorcycles, with the exception of the frame, to be assembled at the factory; various models were produced mainly using Villiers engines and gearboxes. (The Contanza model was offered with the British Anzani engine). Notable models included the Vulcan, Herald, Messenger, Double Gloucester, Continental, Corsair and Conquest.
After so many previous successes in competition, the company decided to offer a range of competition machines in 1960. The range included machines for road racers, scrambles and trials bikes. Famous British scramble riders of the day Bryan “Badger” Goss and John Draper were signed for a works team, and the company also made good use of the fast Villiers Starmaker engine in their Telstar and Conquest racers of 1962 and 1964 respectively.
Derek Minter
Under the technical guidance of former champion Derek Minter, Cottons won races on every mainland track including the British 250-cc championship and a 500-mile production race for two years running.
Unfortunately for Cotton, Villiers withdrew their engines which placed the Gloucester company in a difficult position and forced them to use Minarelli engines in their trials bikes (which kept production down to just five bikes a week) and Austrian Rotax engines in their road racers.
Although the company had been based in Gloucester for most of their time in production, the company eventually moved to Bolton Lancashire in 1978. Unfortunately, continuing financial problems forced the company to close for good.
Today there are a number of Cotton owners’ clubs around the world with the best-known being located in the UK. The club has an international membership and stages a rally every year at the Gloucester Folk Museum.
To better cope with the loads a frame with an engine would be subjected to, Cotton devised a triangulated frame with straight tubes which were better able to cope with the compression and tension loadings.
This new frame was far superior to the diamond frames common at the time and was patented in 1914.
Frank Cotton had competed in speed trials and motorcycle hill climbs during 1912-13, and it was this experience that led him to the new motorcycle frame. His initial venture into motorcycle manufacturing came when he took over a company producing motorcycles known as Sudbrook’s from the original owner A. H. Camery.
Production was interrupted by the First World War but a new company was founded in 1918 known by the more familiar name of The Cotton Motorcycle Company. A new machine was offered to the public in 1920 which had a claimed top speed of 60 mph.
Interestingly, the company employed just 17 people but this number increased to 23 when six employees were hired from the former J.E.S. Motorcycle Works which had closed down in 1924.
The Cotton Motorcycle Company operated during two time periods: 1920 to 1934 and 1954 to 1964.
IOM TT
For many of the early motorcycle manufacturers, taking part in competition was essential to promote the brand.
As Cotton motorcycle owners had proven to be successful in speed trials, the company decided to enter the IOM TT races 1922 with rider Stanley Woods who went on to finish fifth. Woods raced a Blackburne engined Cotton again in the 1923 TT and won.
The TT successes helped to increase sales by six fold to around 1,000 motorcycles a year--even the Gloucestershire County Council (where Cotton was based) bought eight motorcycles for use by their Divisional Road Foremen.
The year 1926 proved to be the best for Cotton at the TT when they finished one, two, and three in the Lightweight class.
In 1927, Cotton began to use J.A.P. and Rudge Python engines, which replaced the Blackburne engines altogether in the 30s. However, the world wide depression of the 30s hit the Cotton motorcycle company hard and they declared bankruptcy in 1940; nonetheless, the company continued with engineering production after the Second World War and supplied spares for the motorcycles still running.
Frank Cotton Retires
By the 1950s the company was still in deep financial trouble and this led to the retirement of Frank Cotton. After his retirement, the company was reconstituted as E. Cotton (Motorcycles) Ltd. with Pat Onions and Monty Denley as directors.
The new company bought in most of the parts for their motorcycles, with the exception of the frame, to be assembled at the factory; various models were produced mainly using Villiers engines and gearboxes. (The Contanza model was offered with the British Anzani engine). Notable models included the Vulcan, Herald, Messenger, Double Gloucester, Continental, Corsair and Conquest.
After so many previous successes in competition, the company decided to offer a range of competition machines in 1960. The range included machines for road racers, scrambles and trials bikes. Famous British scramble riders of the day Bryan “Badger” Goss and John Draper were signed for a works team, and the company also made good use of the fast Villiers Starmaker engine in their Telstar and Conquest racers of 1962 and 1964 respectively.
Derek Minter
Under the technical guidance of former champion Derek Minter, Cottons won races on every mainland track including the British 250-cc championship and a 500-mile production race for two years running.
Unfortunately for Cotton, Villiers withdrew their engines which placed the Gloucester company in a difficult position and forced them to use Minarelli engines in their trials bikes (which kept production down to just five bikes a week) and Austrian Rotax engines in their road racers.
Although the company had been based in Gloucester for most of their time in production, the company eventually moved to Bolton Lancashire in 1978. Unfortunately, continuing financial problems forced the company to close for good.
Today there are a number of Cotton owners’ clubs around the world with the best-known being located in the UK. The club has an international membership and stages a rally every year at the Gloucester Folk Museum.
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