Greeves

Greeves were motorcycles produced from 1954 to 1978. They have been produced again since 1999.

Bert Greeves began his involvement with motorcycles after building up Invacar - an invalid carriage developed to cope with the post-war needs of casualties.

• 1954 The first machines appeared, all using the Villiers 8E engine. The design of the frame and suspension made Greeves unique. The tubular frame had a cast-alloy beam and the suspension had rubber bushes in torsion with in-built dampers - the front being leading-link. These were tried out both in scrambles and on the road and there were four models in total. Of the two road machines, one had three speeds and the other had four. There was a scrambles model and one for trials. Later in the year these were joined by the roadster Fleetwing, powered by the 2cc British Anzani twin two-stroke engine.

• 1956 Models using conventional tubular frames appeared. Simultaneously, the original system of rear suspension was replaced by conventional rear units.

• 1958 The designs of competition and road models were growing farther apart, and previous suspension problems had been fixed.

• 1961 By this time the Greeves trial model had become a firm favourite and sales were excellent.

• 1963 A new era arrived for the company when it branched in road racing, following the success of a modified scrambler.

• 1966 Only trials and scrambler motorcycles were built, as all the road models were dropped. Villiers was in trouble but Greeves was able to continue.

• 1967-1971 Production continued but there was little success.

• 1972 Output became minimal.

• 1978 The company ceased.

• 1999 The name was revived with an Anglian replica trials bike - aimed at enthusiasts of the marque - by producing a classic look using modern materials and techniques.

Sources of Information

• The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press
• Miller’s Price Guide to Classic Motorcycles
• [1] Wikipedia