FORE AND AFT

The stories surrounding the fore’n’aft twins in RC213 opened many new doors to me. The Australian Quirks (Quirk’s?) had two names, it seems. The name interested me as Quirk is a not unusual surname on the Isle of Man. The Australian manufacturer called his machine ‘Mona’ – an alternative name for the Isle of Man.

So when I first saw the name in the magazine I thought the article would be about another motorcycle manufacturer based on The Island. Do we know anything else about the background to the maker? ‘Quirk’ is an odd name to apply to a motorcycle that you want to sell in great numbers! My dictionary says a ‘quirk’ is an odd or peculiar trait, an idiosyncrasy; an accident or vagary; or a groove separating a bead or other moulding from adjoining members.

Stuart Francis, who wrote the article, mentioned that BMW were producing the Victoria fore’n’aft twin, but wasn’t this a BMW engine sold to the makers of the Victoria motorcycle? One thing is sure, and that is that BMW made a good copy of the Douglas fore’n’aft engine. The Germans must have seen hundreds of Douglas dispatch riders’ bikes (and trench pumps, too, perhaps). David Bullivant, member 1638

Until David pointed it out I had missed the IOM connection, and the bike’s owner is unaware of any Manx connection. David is partly correct; BMW initially sold engines to Victoria, BFW Helios and other German motorcycle makers. When BMW and BFW Helios merged to form BMW motorcycles, Victoria produced their own fore and aft ohv twin, the KR2. Stuartf