Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection, 1928 Sunbeam 493cc T.T. Model 90 Racing Motorcycle

Registration no. OX 5193 Frame no. E1015 Engine no. N2017

• One owner from 1983 to 2002
• Belonging to the National Motorcycle Museum since 2002
• Restored by the NMM

This T.T. Model 90 comes with an old-style continuation logbook (issued 1949) recording two owners: R Shelton and Peter Woodward, the second of whom acquired the machine in November 1983 and is listed as previous keeper on the accompanying V5C document. Writing in the Marston Sunbeam OC magazine of summer 2017, Peter Woodward says: "The Sunbeam showroom at 194 Broad Street, Birmingham displayed the bike for sale in June 1928; an unknown gentleman used it to race at Pendine Sands during the summer and he returned the bike to the showroom for resale afterwards.

"... the CT close-ratio gearbox, without kick-start or components; the kick-start hole in the gearbox was blanked off with a genuine plug, this was slightly domed and plated in nickel. The Binks three-jet carburettor for performance and the WM2 21" front wheel are how it left the factory ready for racing at Pendine.

"The second owner, Mr Bate, was employed as works managers at R T Shelley, the engineering company that bailed out Norton Motorcycles when it became bankrupt. The third owner, Mr Shelton, worked at the Sunbeam Elms factory as a fitter, where they serviced and overhauled customers' bikes. He rode the Model 90 during the war years, and one night he ran into a bomb crater in the dark, which seriously damaged the frame."

The Model 90 was then stored in a bedroom for many years until eventually the house was condemned and the Sunbeam offered for sale at a Phillips auction in London, where Peter Woodward bought it. Peter then restored the machine to his usual exemplary standard, fitting a kick-start-equipped BT gearbox for convenience, and in December 2002 sold it to the National Motorcycle Museum. The Sunbeam has since been restored by the National Motorcycle Museum, as commemorated by the attached silver plaque. Accompanying documentation consists of a V5C Registration certificate and the aforementioned continuation logbook.

The Classic Motor Cycle's editor James Robinson wrote a lengthy article for the magazine's January 2018 edition about his experiences riding 'OX 5193' (copy article available). James much enjoyed the Sunbeam: "Thing is, one really doesn't want much more performance, as it's already so quick compared to (almost) anything from its period, plus most motorcycles 30 years newer. Cruising at 55-60mph is absolutely effortless..." A carburettor in need of adjustment/tuning was the only niggle of note.

The machine's present mechanical condition is not known; accordingly, prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves with regard to its condition, completeness, correctness, or otherwise prior to bidding.