• Built in Leicestershire
• Believed the only survivor of this obscure make
• An older restoration
• Present ownership since 1999

Although badged as a BSA, 'AY 195' was first registered in Leicestershire where the county's Records Office holds an entry for 'AY 195' which states that it is a 'Motor bicycle 2hp Minerva engine built by King & Ridley' and first registered on 18th February 1904. In the late 19th Century King & Ridley were builders, contractors, painters, wheelwrights, and brick makers based on Bitteswell Road in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, run by a Thomas L (Livermore) Ridley. By 1916 they were listed as just builders. Thomas was born in Sonning, Berkshire, circa 1870 - son of a timber merchant - and passed away in 1932, by which time he was listed as a master builder.

In the formative years of the British motorcycle industry it was possible for any enterprising blacksmith or engineer to set up shop as a motorcycle manufacturer by the simple expedient of ordering a suitable bicycle, or set of fittings to make one, and a proprietary engine from the likes of Minerva, one of the Pioneer period's most prolific suppliers. This is almost certainly how King & Ridley got started. It is possible that the bicycle is of BSA manufacture (it conforms to the dimensions and layout of the 1903 and 1904 BSA Minerva Motor Bicycle frame and fittings for an inclined engines up to 2¾hp) or built up from BSA components, although it does not have the distinctive BSA forks. As far as is known, this is the sole surviving King & Ridley motorcycle.

The aforementioned Leicester Records Office entry identifies the next (almost certainly the second) owner as Walker & Co of Lutterworth (proprietor Mr Frank Edward Walker) as of 18th July 1912. Walker & Co were purveyors of cycles, motorcycles and motor cars, and Frank Walker's obituary in the local newspaper intriguingly states that 'he also grew up with motor cycles and had a home-made 2 h.p. affair...' Was that a reference to 'AY 195'?

The first mention of this motorcycle as a 'BSA' dates from March 1932 when, according to the DVLA website, the vehicle make was recorded as a BSA, possibly to enable it to enter the Pioneer Run that year. It is still registered with the DVLA as a BSA. The Leicester Records Office entry for 'AY 195' shows that the registration was cancelled in December 1937 and reinstated on 26th August 1954, and that the vehicle was transferred to the jurisdiction of Lancashire County Council on 31st August 1954. It was discovered by VMCC stalwart Arthur Cunliffe, of Sunderland Point, Morecambe, Lancashire, in a derelict sate in. It subsequently passed from Arthur into the ownership of Phil Bowker.

In the 1990s the machine was pictured on a rally field with just 'Minerva' transfers on the tank (see file). The 'BSA Minerva' transfers on it at present would seem to have been applied as part of a more recent restoration.

Although a latecomer to bicycle manufacturer, the Belgian Minerva concern was among the first to offer a viable proprietary engine for motorcycles. Nominally of one horsepower, the 211cc unit was designed for attachment ahead of the cycle's front down-tube - a location which became known as the 'Minerva position'. The 1903 254cc 2hp was of more advanced configuration, employing a mechanically operated inlet valve instead of the automatic type favoured by rival manufacturers, and a new 'spray carburettor'. As well as building complete machines of its own, the company served the much larger proprietary engine market, supplying many early Continental manufacturers as well as those in Britain, notably Ariel, Matchless, Phoenix, Quadrant, Royal Enfield, and Triumph. Minerva specialist Derek Foxton has identified the engine in this machine (and its Minerva-FN carburettor) as dating from 1904.

An older restoration, the machine displays a tax disc expiring in May 1993 and has a sticker to frame which states, 'Prepared by Tony Steele'. Tony has confirmed he rode the bike on the Barbon Parade in 1991 and then completed the restoration for Mr Phil Bowker in April 1992. The registration is recorded in the HPI database (the engine number being recorded as the frame number) with the last change of ownership listed as March 1990. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves regarding this motorcycle's registration status prior to bidding. Phil Bowker sold the machine to a collector in Japan in 1992. Our vendor purchased the machine from a Mr Kazushi Tajima in Gunma, Japan in 1999.
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