Cotton
From Graces Guide
Cotton have been producing Motorcycles since 1919.
Francis Willoughby Cotton began designing in 1913, devising a straight-tubed triangulated frame that gave excellent handling. Trained as a lawyer, he was able to prevent design copy.
- 1919 The Gloucester-based Cotton firm began production of a 269cc Villiers two-stroke engine driving an Albion garbox.
- 1922-1925 The range was expanded and Cotton machines were successful at the TT.
- 1930 A saddle tank had been added and the range of models remained extensive with engines from Villiers, Blackburne,JAP and Sturmey-Archer.
- 1931 Rudge Python joined the range and by now there was something for everyone. This served the company well during the depressed times of the 1930s.
- Post-war. Little had changed since the 1930s and few bikes were built or sold.
- 1954 Pat Onions and Monty Denly now had ownership of the company and they redesigned and changed the two-stoke engine.
- 1960 Scrambles nodels were intorduced as well as a sports version.
- 1961-1963 The range expanded with modified engines and new frames.
- 1964 Fewer models were produced as the emphasis was more on sports and competition, and this set the trend for the next few years.
- 1968 Decline continued and Villiers ceased proprietary engine production, which effected many British firms.
- 1970s Kit form trials bikes were produced and the Cotton-EMC road racer, as well as various motocross models. The company became very involved with CCMand [[Armstrong]; those bikes eventually became Armstong models and the Cotton name thus came to an end.
- 1991 Fluff Brown revived the Cotton name and since then replicas of the 1960s bikes have been built by AJS Motorcycles of Hampshire. This company was formed from FB-AJS that took on the AJS line in 1974 and the nostalgia boom of the 1990s saw continued demand for these machines.