Brainwave, bonkers, or a bit of both?
"Springframe joys" wrote lxion of while FrancisJones reckoned "...in my view one of the most important advancesin motor cycle design we have had for a very long time." Though still OEC'sDuplexsteering didn't catch on.
b his son John. At about the same time the company acquired the former United Aircraft site at Lees Lane, Forton Road, Gosport, soon named 'The Atlanta Works' by OEC, a name they carried forward to later premises.
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Stan Glanfield (the Glanfield part oflater renowned dealers Glanfield Lawrence) and Flt Lt SW Sparkes complete their circwnnavigation of the world riding 499cc Rudge Whitworth outfits. Seemingly irrelevant, but Glanfield Lawrence was to later co-fund OEC rescue plans on at least two occasions.
OEC provide a trio of three-wheeler prototypes to the War Office (WO) for evaluation. All initially had Duplex steering and their three wheels in line, the rear two small wheels mounted to a bogey.
The design was similar to an earlier
Triumph P-based model converted to a threewheeler by P Company of the Royal Army Service Corps. All had side -valve engines, the 500 had its engine canted back while the 250 and 350cc versions had forward sloping engines. The Army converted at least one to girder front fork during the evaluation, as the Duplex steering struggled on rough terrain.
Although the three-wheeled OEC had advantages, the WO considered the extra weight and complications outweighed the gain. OEC later catalogued an update of these machines.
OEC publicity material promotes Duplex steering along with swinging arm rear suspension controlled by upright spring tubes fixed to the rear frame. A Tinkler-engined model was displayed at the year's London Show, but never went into production.
Joe Wright set a new motorcycle landspeed record of 137.23mph at Arpajon riding an OECTemple.
Ernst Henne (BMW) posted 137.58mph at Ingolstadt, Germany. Then Joe Wright raised the record to 150.65mph riding an OEC, this was announced in the press and at the London show ... Before red faces all round when it was transpired Wright was actually riding his second string machine, a ZenithJAP.There were business reasons for this falsehood, which must have done OEC more harm than good once the lie was out.
OEC production halted for financial reasons, then the official receiver put the company's Lees Lane works, plant and many assets up for auction.
Making OECs restarts at Atlanta Works, 5- 7 Highbury Street, Portsmouth. Behind the scenes, a number of agents - led by Glanfield
Lawrence - co-financed a rescue package creating OEC Ltd. The Osboms and Wood remained at the design and manufacturing helm, but there were other directors installed by Glanfield Lawrence too, whose Portsmouth showroom was almost next door.
Despite the business restructuring and the need to make production motorcycles - albeit often unconventional ones - OEC didn't forget the bizarre, including the low centre of gravity Atlanta Duo with low tubular frame and, naturally, Duplex steering. They had earlier made low motorcycles ... But this was truly low.
The Whitwood Monocar (Whit from company director EH White and Wood from designer Fred Wood) was announced, which was a two-wheeled car with outrigger stabiliser wheels for slow speed work and stopping. In design, car-like bodywork clad a low motorcycle, based on the Atlanta
Duo, with driver and passenger in tandem. Engines from 150cc Villiers to 750cc V-twin
JAP were offered and OEC would also fit an engine of your choice. It wasn't a big seller and was dropped by 1936/7.
OEC built a small number of specialist machines, solos and outfits for bodies, including the Road Research Laboratory.
Due to the Glanfield Lawrence influence, AMC engines were often offered in favour of JAP units: late ranges up to the Second World War boasted only AMC engines.
Perhaps a sign of the times, as OEC was again restructured, with various reports stating Glanfield Lawrence bought them out. The offered range was reduced.
OEC motorcycle production ended with the outbreak of the Second World War and the factory was given over to military work, until flattened during a raid on Portsmouth.
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Engineers, riders, mechanics, historians and others have long considered the motorcycle's steering head - nicked from cycle design at the birth of motorcycling
- and fork options such as girder and telescopic designs an Achilles heel. And when heavily worn, they' re worse and can be downright dangerous. No matter how sophisticated the motorcycle's front fork and whether it's upside down, double damped, with endless compression and rebound springs - it remains a second best concept. However, in their favour girders and teles have served motorcycles well, are relatively light and - from a maker's point of view - cheaper to manufacture than hub centre steering or even Duplex designs.
Trying to improve the design makers from James in 1910, through the vintage Ner-a-Car (Neracar) and Wallis, racing machines, the Difazio concept , Bimota Tesi and Yamaha GTSIOOOhave developed the hub centre steering idea. I know little of the James, but for the rest they worked well and in the eyes of quite a few, were a big improvement on the available girder or later telescopic fork designs. But factors outside design rear their ugly (an apt word as the aesthetics put off many) heads including public and trade resistance, costs and manufacturing problems. A shame, because all maintained better steering geometry and held their front wheel more rigidly than rival conventional designs of their period, due to the sturdy structure compared with girders and teles, which flex and have movement at bush or sliding surface points.
Quite where Messrs Osborn and Wood got their Duplex steering idea from is unknown to me, despite some research. However, we do know that Osborn and Wood had fertile engineering minds and Wood especially was definitely adventurous, so he may have led the project to it being patented in 1927.
Having ridden two OEC Duplex steering machines, I know they steer well under normal road conditions and strongly resist
swinging arm rear suspension.