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RARE BIKES IN SHETLAND No 5- by Joe GrayDepicted here is a fine photo of a 1920 New Hudson 6hp v- twin and sidecar. This bike was first registered on the 8th March 1920 and the first owner was Mr George W B Leslie of Quendale House, Quendale, Dunrossness. Mr Leslie was well known in Shetland as the one time proprietor of the Sumburgh Hotel and also as a very successful fisherman. After the war he was owner and skipper of the MFV Betty Leslie, at that time the largest vessel in the local fleet. In March 1927 the bike passed to the ownership of Mr John Williamson of Ulsta in Yell and although there was another change in 1930 no later owner is recorded. The photo is taken at Ulsta in Yell and the barrels in the background indicate that the herring season is in full swing. The school and schoolhouse are also to be seen.The New Hudson Company made motorcycles from 1903 until 1933 when depressed sales saw the end of a famous line. As far as I can ascertain the v- twin models were only produced up until the First World War and only two of them are in the VMCC register. In the early 1930s they, in common with several other makes, catalogued an enclosed engine model similar to that introduced by Velocette in the 1960s.The name was bought by BSA and, in 1940, they introduced a New Hudson autocycle with 98cc Villiers Junior engine. Production of variations continued until 1958. I also recall some New Hudson pushbikes around when I was a boy but I wonder what came of this lovely v-twin?

SHETLAND CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB

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