Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 1154342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 167,683 pages of information and 247,074 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Federal (CWS)

From Graces Guide
Federal and Federation Motor Cycles.


View the Motor Cycle 1923 sales brochure.

From 'The Motorcyclist' 1922.
From 'The Motorcyclist' 1922.
Image kindly supplied by Stephen Hartley. Powered by a Villiers Mark V 269cc engine with 2-speed Albion gearbox. Reg no. AJ 8519.

Federal motorcycles were produced from 1921 to 1929, by the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS).

1921 The Federal was first seen in 1921. It was a lightweight version of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Federation brand. Fitted with a 269cc Villiers engine, this was a conventional machine.

Later, 172cc Villiers engines were used along with three-speed all-chain transmission and Sturmey-Archer gearboxes.

1929 The name was dropped, but company continued with the Federation until 1937, when they went back to the supply of groceries

See Also

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Sources of Information

  • The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
  • [1] Ian Chadwick's motorcycle web site
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