Brown Brothers was established in 1888 by John Smith Brown, Albert Brown, and Ernest Brown as a manufacturer of cycle fittings and components.
In 1902 the company produced the first Brown motorcycle. Using typically primitive frames, direct-belt drive and braced forks, they mounted 2hp, 2.75hp and 3.5hp Minerva engines vertically. Later came a 5hp V-twin. By 1908 there was an option of a two-speed gearbox and all-chain drive, but the braced forks were still unsprung.
Druid forks, looking like normal bicycle forks but with a strengthening brace at the front and a couple of coil springs behind, were adopted in 1910, and the range was widened to include a selection of powers, in either single or V-twin form, and various transmission systems.
This image is taken from a Brown Brothers catalogue illustration dating from around 1911 or soon after. The Druid forks can clearly be seen. By 1915 the company was using its own or Precision engines. Motorcycle production ceased in that year.
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