1930 Montgomery Fast Tourer
A rare & handsome machine

In the early years of the 20th century, Montgomery Motorcycles was a pioneering British motorcycle manufacturer. William J. Montgomery establishing his manufacturing business in the Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds a considerable distance from the heart of Britain’s motorcycle industry in the West Midlands. It was only post WWI that manufacturing was moved to Coventry.

Very much an innovator, its founder William Montgomery had been credited with the invention of the sidecar, indeed, for many years, motorcycle combinations remained a primary focus of his business. Like Brough, Montgomery made use of the best components from other specialist companies and concentrated on the production of frames and forks in-house - and Montgomery supplied a number of frames and its own sprung fork to George Brough.

"These Montgomery machines are for the men who prefer a distinctive mount in appearance and performance. That extra degree of soundness – those little touches which distinguish the 'super' machine from the mere motorcycle, come naturally to the Montgomery and at a price that is amazingly low." Montgomery advertisement in the era.

The first bike from Montgomery Motorcycles was a flat twin produced in 1913 with a Morton and Weaver engine. The Great War halted production, which did not resume until 1922 in Coventry. William Montgomery continued to experiment with sidecar designs and even personally competed in the 1923 Isle of Man TT sidecar race. Alas, the entire Montgomery works was destroyed by fire in 1925 but were able to eventually recover and by 1930 were a leading producer of quality two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles. The top of the range was the Greyhound, finished in a special grey enamel paint. WWII brought an end to all production and Montgomery ceased trading not long after the outbreak of hostilities in Europe, in late 1939. The Montgomery name did not re-emerge after World War II, however, it is perhaps most associated today with its Anzani 8-valve vee-twin, which stood as one of the "superbikes" of the Vintage era and market challenger to the Brough Superior SS100.