AUTO-WHEELS LTD
While it may seem a quaint anachronism now, when the Auto Wheel was introduced in 1910 it was a quite remarkable revolution, bringing the newfangled motorcycle within reach of those who only owned a (almost as newfangled) bicycle.
The predecessor of the Auto Wheel was designed by AW Wall as early as 1903 and, in 1910, he unveiled a new model. This was an attachment which housed a 1.75 two-stroke engine and attached to the righthand side of a bicycle rear wheel, with the petrol and oil tanks being concealed in the mudguard.
Some modifications followed and in 1912 the final version went on sale, using a 1hp four-stroke engine. It was an instant success with Autowheels Ltd being funded by, among others, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
By the start of the Great War, two models were available. For £16 and 6s you could have the basic version; another two pounds and two shillings would purchase the Deluxe decorated version, which had shields around the engine to protect the rider from mud and oil.
If you already had a bicycle, it was also considerably cheaper than buying a motorcycle.
The Autowheel catalogue extolled its virtues: “The Auto-wheel engine by its own force automatically drives the cycle forward at a pace that is exhilarating yet perfectly safe. This question of labour less propulsion and increased speed is vitally important, because, when cycling in company any lady Auto-wheelist can ‘keep up the pace’ with the swiftest rider of the party all the while feeling quite comfortable and cool, happy in the knowledge that her appearance and pose are both graceful and pleasing.”
The catalogue also boasted that HRH Prince George of Battenberg and HRH Prince of Prussia rode and recommended Autowheels. Alas, no photos seem to exist to prove this bold claim.
In 1914, BSA was contracted to build 5000 Autowheels and licences were issued in France, Germany, Holland and America. In the US, the manufacturing rights were sold in 1919 to two men called Briggs and Stratton. They increased the bore of the cylinder, double the power to 2hp and equipped the wheel with a flywheel magneto. It was the very first Briggs and Stratton engine.
As motorcycles became affordable and capable of better performance, the Autowheel had, by 1922, become updated and superfluous and production ceased, carrying on for another three years in the USA.