Historic Motorcycle Brands

The UK’s retail had Marks & Spencer and Fortnum & Mason; shipbuilding had Harland & Wolff and its automotive industry had Phelon & Moore, who produced motorcycles in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, England from 1904 to 1967, mainly under the Panther marque.

From 1904, Phelon & Moore produced a design of motorcycle with a 40-degree, forward-sloping, single-cylinder, 500cc, 1.75hp, four-stroke engine that doubled as a stressed member of the frame, thus making this design potentially lighter than those of its competitors.

P&M motorcycles retained this design concept until 1967, although the engine size increased to 645cc.

The sloping stressed member concept was originally patented in 1901 by Joah (John) Carver Phelon and his nephew Harry Rayner (Patent GB190103516).

Phelon & Rayner produced its first chain-driven motorcycle in 1900 and this 500cc model continued in production for three years. P&R also licensed the design to Humber Limited, who produced motorcycles based on it from 1902 until 1906.

After Harry Rayner died in a car accident, Joah Phelon went into partnership with Richard Moore and Phelon & Moore (P&M) was founded in Cleckheaton, South Yorkshire in 1904.

The 1905 P&M retained the inclined single cylinder engine as a stressed member in the frame, but added two-speed gearing with chain drive to the rear wheel. It was the ‘first completely chain driven motor cycle’. 

1913 P&M – Ian Riley

P&M motorcycles competed in the first International Six Days Trial (ISDT) in 1913 (later called the International Six Days Enduro) and three P&M motorcycles competed in the 1914 ACU six days trial.

By then, the horsepower rating had increased to 3.5hp.

1914 P&M – Yesterday’s Motorcycles

In July 1914 P&M revealed details of a prototype 90-degree V-twin:  a deviation from the single-cylinder motor cycles for which they were known. The 770cc, 6hp V-twin was launched in November 1914, with a four-speed gearbox, but only a handful were built.

First World War WRAF despatch rider on her P&M 500

The Royal Flying Corps and the British Army used around 9000 P&M motorcycles during the First World War and P&M was also selected when the Royal Armoured Corps added sidecars to its range of vehicles in 1922.

1920 P&M – Yesterday’s Motorcycles

The four-speed gearbox design was re-introduced on the single-cylinder model in 1922, with engine capacity increased from 499cc to 555cc. However, the new gearbox had then revolutionary synchronised gears and a foot change.

The P&M name was gradually replaced by the ‘Panther’ brand, but the Phelon & Moore name was not dropped entirely until the end of the 1920s.

In response to the Great Depression, P&M introduced a cheaper, lightweight series in 1932. In contrast to the traditional machines, the 250cc, single-cylinder, overhead-valve, four-stroke engine wasn’t a stressed member of the frame and the down tube was clearly visible.

P&M had toyed with the concept of a 250cc transverse V-twin and a few were reportedly made, but never went into series production.

Also, in 1932, P&M pensioned off the side-valve design and launched the Panther Model 100, an overhead-valve, 600 cc single. This was produced through to the 1960s, ending its run as the 645cc Panther Model 120 of 1967. This line of Panthers was the most famous of all Phelon & Moore models.

Panther ‘Sloper’ engine

During the Great Depression P&M used lower-paid female and non-union workers to help keep costs under control. It made sense on paper, but the perceived attack on unions created a marketing backlash from many buyers.

A number myths have surrounded the Panther big singles, including the ‘facts’ that they had super-long piston strokes and were very slow revving, but comparisons with other engines of the time don’t bear out these claims.

However, they were very smooth-running and their relatively low cost made them ideal for sidecar applications, at a time when cars were relatively expensive and money was tight.

1937 Red Panther 250cc Model 20 – Bonhams

Phelon & Moore sold its range of lightweight machines under the Panther brand and ‘Red Panthers’ were discount models available only through London dealers Pride & Clarke.

The lightweight Panther Redwing 70 models were initially 250cc, then later upgraded to 350cc, in the Redwing 80. The cheaper Pride & Clarke bikes were less finished and also had single exhaust ports and three-speed gearboxes, where the ‘real’ Panthers had twin ports and four-speed boxes.

In 1934 a 250cc Red Panther won the Maudes Trophy.

A year later, adventure riders Florence Blenkiron (above, right) and Theresa Wallach (above, left) travelled from Boulogne, France, to Cape Town, South Africa, on a Panther and sidecar outfit: the story is recorded in their book, The Long Way Around. 

When WWII broke out in 1939, P&M didn’t get the same attention as motorcycle suppliers to the military as they’d had in 1914. Triumph, BSA and Norton got the lion’s share of military business and P&M was confined to producing war materiel, including cartridge casings.

As a result of wartime bike-making inactivity, P&M greeted the post-War scene financially strapped and relying on the production of pre-War machinery.

1951 Panther 100 – Lars-Goran Lindgren

However, early postwar Lightweight and Heavyweight bikes were fitted with then revolutionary air/oil damped Dowty ‘Oleomatic’ telescopic forks. Improvements made during the 1950s included swing-arm rear ends, Lucas Magdynos and Amal carburettors.

All British automotive manufacturers were forced by government policy to export, to bring in much needed foreign currency to a virtually bankrupt Great Britain. P&M had a crack at the USA and Sweden, with very limited success.

During the scooter boom of the late 1950s, P&M imported a scooter (Scooterrot) and a moped from French manufacturer Terrot, but both were plagued with troubles. 

From this experience, P&M developed its own scooter, the Panther Princess, but it was not a success.

Two-stroke, Villiers-powered models were introduced in 1956, initially with 200cc engines, but later increased in capacity to 250cc and 325cc twins.

Panther Model 120 – nitot

The popularity of the Panther big single as a sidecar bike was also its undoing, when the cheap Austin/Morris Mini people’s car appeared in 1961. That affordable, four-seater virtually shut the door on the sidecar market overnight.

P&M’s declining fortunes continued with only two production models – a twin and a single – until, in 1962, the receiver was called in. Production staggered on until 1966 and then it was all over for what had once been billed:  ‘The Perfected Motorcycle’.

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