Levis motorcycle.
Production of the Levis motorcycle ceased in 1940. The first examples turned a wheel in public during 1911, but I suspect that the Levis shown on the left of this photograph probably dates to the late 1920s, or early 1930s. I don't know the make of the bike to the right, fortunately part of the Levis' tank badge can just be made out in this image, so at least that machine could be identified. Note the very different tread patterns on the two motorcycles, and the lack of protective headgear worn by the two riders.
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Butterfields of Birmingham started out making Levis two-stroke machines in 1911, with four-stroke machines joining the range in 1928. Levis isn't a name that crops up all that often in motorcycle circles now, but in the early 1920s they were a well-known machine. Success in the Isle of Man TT, thanks to wins in the Lightweight 250 class in both 1921 and 1922, didn't do sales figures any harm either. The earliest two-stroke machines has 211cc engines, rising to 247cc. The four-strokes had capacities of 247cc, 346cc, 498cc and eventually 600cc.
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Return to Page 13 in the classic & vintage car photo gallery.
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Parts for the 250cc Levis can be advertised on this page in the Classic Bike ads section of the site.
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A photograph of a vintage garage, with an earlier Levis motorcycle on display in its window, can be found on this page, second photograph down.
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