I was reading the letters in the latest OBM and something stirred when I read the letter titled ‘Nothing’s new’.
Rummaging through my old motorcycle mags I came across the attached article.
By modern standards it doesn’t look very impressive, but…
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Was this the first commercially produced electric bike?
Keep up the good work.
Bill Rogers
I read with interest Nick Jazwinski’s letter ‘Nothing New’ in OBM July.
I think the electric trials bike that Nick was referring to was based on a Triumph 250 Trophy trial bike that was at the Earls Court Motorcycle show in 1971.
There were at least two of them, which were crudely converted with a car starter motor and 12 volt battery lashed in the frame, with bungee straps in place of the normal engine.
Not really a serious attempt at an electric motorcycle, but just used on an artificial trials section for members of the public to have a go on.
Obviously the show organisers would not allow a petrol engine to be run in Earls Court.
I attach a pic of Tommy Robb on one of them.
John Wakefield
Cambridge
Read more Letters, Opinion, News and Features in the August 2019 issue of OBM – on sale now!
