In the immortal words of Britney Spears, 'Whoops I did it again'. The 'I need a Vincent' fighting fund was going well with two bikes sold and hitting something like a huge 5% of the funds required!! Then I saw this vintage Quadrant for sale on ebay for about the same money as I had in the bike savings account, put in a bored at work bid and ended up buying it. Not that I regret it at all, the bike is a cracker.
It's a 1919 Quadrant 4.5 HP (by my reckoning 550cc). The engine is unusual in that it has the inlet valve behind the cylinder barrel and the exhaust valve to the side. It seems like the machine may be a sole survivor, it's a bit of a factory parts bin special. Quadrant ceased production of motorcycles during the First World War in 1915 and resumed post-war in 1919. This particular machine seems to be a mix of pre and post-war parts. Much of the bike, including frame is of 1915 style but it is fitted with a Sturmey Archer CS three speed gearbox and chain drive.
The Quadrant is largely complete, just a couple of levers missing, part of the rear brake mechanism and the front stirrup brakes. There are a couple of other projects on the go in the shed so this one is going to go on the backburner for a short while until at least one other project is completed.
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| The Quadrant as it has passed to my stewardship. |
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| The Quadrant 30 odd years ago. |
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