1940s LDV By-van

Forget that Honda NC750X. If you crave a genuinely practical motorcycle with shed-loads of built in storage and chuff-all running costs, you need a two-wheeled bathtub with front-wheel drive

Few companies were as gloriously and entertainingly diverse as the Turner Manufacturing Company. Originally formed in 1859 as Thomas Turner and Sons in Wolverhampton, they produced cars between 1902 and 1928, made lathes and grinding machines from 1914 into the 1930s, and also built tractors, truck gearboxes, two-stroke diesel engines, winches and aircraft landing gear. But far and away the most wonderful invention was the By-van delivery bike of the late ’40s. There was a shortage of affordable vans in post-war Blighty due to the government’s export drive, but small two or three-wheeled devices were exempt. Spotting yet another diversification opportunity, Turner set up a separate firm called Light Delivery Vehicles Ltd (LDV) and launched the By-van. Designed for small businesses and flogged using the catchy ‘It carries so much for so little’ line, the bike was built around a large, steel, frameless storage space – lifting a hinged lid under the seat revealed 5.57 square feet of space with 76kg capacity. Prototypes used the Royal Enfield ‘Flying Flea’ engine, but production bikes used Turner’s own ‘Tiger’ 168cc, 3.5bhp two-stroke engine with handy crankhandle starting. This was attached to a rigid pressed-steel fork hanging off the front of the tub and driving the front wheel by chain.

With a two-speed gearbox, they claimed a 30mph top speed and 90mpg economy. Equipment was luxurious, with a headlight, and a horn… oh, and a fuel tank mounted on the handlebars. The By-van also had neat foot-controlled jacks on either side to hold it upright, which could be adjusted for cambers. New price was £120 – about five grand in today’s money. ‘A real advantage for the smaller trader is that the By-van requires no garage,’ frothed advertising literature. ‘It can easily be wheeled into a shop or store for loading and unloading, and left there overnight. As a speedy, mechanical errand boy its uses are unlimited.’ Turner also whacked the front end onto a trike to make the Tri-van. Imagine something like those over-priced ice-cream trikes that appear in parks on sunny days. This had a Rixi variant as well, with rows of covered seats in a rickshaw kind of arrangement.

Despite clearly being a work of genius and heavily promoted with UK tours and overseas demonstrations, there was little interest in the By-van. Only a handful were made. This one has been owned by the same family for 40 years, has only done 20 miles and has never been registered. It’s being sold by silverstoneauctions.com at the Devitt MCN Festival of Motorcycling on 14 May. Get in quick.