OK-Supreme
Encyclopedia
OK-Supreme was a British motorcycle
manufacturer from 1899 to 1939 located in Birmingham
. Grass-track racing versions of the machines continued to be available until 1946.
, in 1912, led to a ninth place and mainly modest results came during the following years when OK-Supreme machines finished in every place from 1st, in the 1928 Lightweight TT
, to 10th. In the 1922 TT
the fastest lap was set by Wal L. Handley at 51 mi/h on an OK-Supreme, but he failed to finish the race.
After the war OK produced a 292 cc two-stroke motor of its own, but also produced models using Blackburne
(250 cc and 350 cc, sv
and ohv
), Bradshaw (34 cc oil cooled), and JAP
(246 cc to 496 cc) engines.
The racing JAP versions did well in the 1920s, and the company increasingly turned to JAP to power bikes not using an OK engine. There was even a 348 cc OHC model.
Charles Dawes left to start his own business in 1926, and in 1927 the name of the company was changed to OK-Supreme.
In 1928 Humphries bought a failing HRD
for the factory and tools, selling the rest, including the name, to Philip Vincent
. OK-Supreme also won the Lightweight class in a JAP model that year.
In the 1930s a Lighthouse 250 cc - 348 cc model, so named because of the little inspection window in the cam tower, was OK-Supreme’s final model. Although production ceased in 1939, 350 cc JAP-engined OK-Supreme grass-track racing machines were still available through John Humphries, son of founder Ernie Humphries, until his death in 1946.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
manufacturer from 1899 to 1939 located in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Grass-track racing versions of the machines continued to be available until 1946.
History
In 1882 Ernie Humphries and Charles Dawes founded "OK" as bicycle manufacturers. They experimented with powered bicycles in 1899 and 1906, before manufacturing a two-stroke motorcycle using a Precision engine in 1911. Before the First World War they had produced motorcycles with Precision, De Dion, Minerva, and Green engines. Their first entry in the Isle of Man TTIsle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
, in 1912, led to a ninth place and mainly modest results came during the following years when OK-Supreme machines finished in every place from 1st, in the 1928 Lightweight TT
1928 Isle of Man TT
In the 1928 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy the newly developed 'positive-stop' foot gear-change by Velocette gave Alec Bennett his fifth TT Race win in the 1928 Junior, in the time of 3 hours, 50 minutes and 52 seconds, at an average speed of , and setting a lap record at an average speed of...
, to 10th. In the 1922 TT
1922 Isle of Man TT
The 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy introduced a new race, within a race, for the 250 cc motorcycles called the Lightweight TT Race to be run concurrently with the already established Junior 350 cc that took place on Tuesday 30 May, and Senior 500 cc races...
the fastest lap was set by Wal L. Handley at 51 mi/h on an OK-Supreme, but he failed to finish the race.
After the war OK produced a 292 cc two-stroke motor of its own, but also produced models using Blackburne
Blackburne (motorcycles)
Blackburne was a trade name of Burney and Blackburne Limited a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1913 to 1922 at Tongham near Farnham, Surrey...
(250 cc and 350 cc, sv
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
and ohv
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
), Bradshaw (34 cc oil cooled), and JAP
JA Prestwich Industries Ltd
JA Prestwich Industries, was an English engineering company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, which produced cinematographic equipment, internal combustion engines , and other examples of precision engineering.-History:J. A...
(246 cc to 496 cc) engines.
Charles Dawes left to start his own business in 1926, and in 1927 the name of the company was changed to OK-Supreme.
In 1928 Humphries bought a failing HRD
HRD Motorcycles
HRD Motors Ltd was a British motorcycle manufacturer in the 1920s. It was founded by Howard Raymond Davies. He had worked in motorcycling, and had raced with some success in the mid-twenties, but often not finishing due to unreliability. This inspired him to build a reliable performance motorcycle,...
for the factory and tools, selling the rest, including the name, to Philip Vincent
Vincent Motorcycles
Vincent Motorcycles was a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1928 to 1955. Their 1948 Black Shadow was at the time the world's fastest production motorcycle...
. OK-Supreme also won the Lightweight class in a JAP model that year.
In the 1930s a Lighthouse 250 cc - 348 cc model, so named because of the little inspection window in the cam tower, was OK-Supreme’s final model. Although production ceased in 1939, 350 cc JAP-engined OK-Supreme grass-track racing machines were still available through John Humphries, son of founder Ernie Humphries, until his death in 1946.