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1937 Brough Superior 11-50 | Great Britain
The Brough Superior lineup, introduced at the 1932 Olympia Motorcycle Show, had only one updated motorcycle – the SS80 model. The machine was interesting, but not enough to get sales back to pre-crisis level. Decisive measures had to be taken to maintain its market position. And George Brough rushed to announce two new motorcycles, one of which was a created from scratch heavy sidevalve model "11-50".
In the announcement of the motorcycle, Mr. Brough promised a 1150 ccm engine, but without specifying the diameter and stroke of the piston. It was a clever marketing move. The fact is that the combination "11/50" was associated with a certain concept at the time and meant 11 RAC horsepower (the parameter by which vehicle taxes were calculated in Great Britain) and 50 hp of effective power. Thus, the buyer, hearing the name of the motorcycle, imagined a very powerful machine, by buying which he could seriously save money. In reality the engine of the 11-50 was a 1096 ccm JAP LTZ V-twin engine with 85.7 x 95 mm diameter and stroke, which George says was designed specifically for the Brough Superior.
The 11-50 is believed to have been developed as a response to numerous requests from overseas, mostly from police officers who wanted a motorcycle as powerful as the SS100, but with a simpler, sidevalve engine and a lower price point. The Brough Superior 11-50 was favorably received by critics, but more importantly by the cops for whom it was intended. And no wonder, since at a guaranteed speed of 110 kph (68 mph), virtually no intruder could get away from a patrolman behind the wheel of the 11-50 .......
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1928 BMW R47 | Germany
At the start of motorcycle production, before winning the hearts of customers, BMW management set the main goal to create a powerful motorcycle for mass production. The first step was the R37 model - a powerful, but complex and expensive machine. The next step was to reduce production costs.
Model R47 occupies a place of honor among BMW motorcycles because it was truly advanced for its time. For example, roller bearings were used for the first time (in the design of the valve rocker arms), replaceable bushings, and an innovative control system (except for manual shifting). A spring front suspension and a cardan brake look unusual for a modern motorcyclist, but in general, such solutions were not inconvenient either then or now.
R47 flat-twin OHV engine was the same as the one used on the touring model R42, except its rating increased to 18 h.p. and the maximum speed increased to 110 km/h. BMW sold 1720 R47 motorcycles – ten times more than R37! Most of the R47 motorcycles were sold to German racing clubs.
The main reason for the R47 success was that BMW did not present the new model as a racing-only motorcycle. The model had been offering in a “bare” version, but the client could choose from many options, e.g. generator, horn, and headlight. A fuel tank of larger capacity was also offered as an option. With a larger tank, R47 might be a part of the «Gran Turismo» class.