Beschreibung:

Formerly suppliers of proprietary engines, the Stevens brothers of Wolverhampton diversified into manufacturing complete motorcycles, setting up A J Stevens & Co in 1909. The brothers’ first machine was a 292cc (2½hp) single equipped with either direct belt drive (Model A) or a two-speed countershaft gearbox with all-chain drive (Model B), this latter combination being advanced in its day, especially for a lightweight. A 5hp v-twin - the Model D - joined the range in 1912. Intended for sidecar work, the Model D was powered by a 631cc sidevalve engine and came with a ‘beefed-up’ version of the two-speed gearbox. The Model D’s engine was enlarged to 696cc (6hp) for 1913, while a three-speed gearbox and internal expanding rear brake were additional improvements. A new, smaller ‘Double-Purpose’ v-twin - the 550cc Model A - arrived in November 1914, at which time the Model D was redesigned along ‘A’ lines and further enlarged to 748cc. Endowed with an effortlessly flexible motor and built to A J Stevens’ traditionally high standards, the v-twin ‘A-J’ was one of the most effective and popular sidecar tugs of its day. The model remained a fixture of the range into the 1930s, latterly with a 996cc engine. Manufactured in 1929, this M2 example has the 996cc engine first introduced for that season and was sold new in Austria via the local importer at that time, Bela Schlesinger. Acquired by Professor Ehn in 1972, the machine is offered with old-style Austrian logbook issued in Vienna during the time of the Third Reich.