Description Quadrant 1903 2HP ca. 225cc A.I.V. frame # 62114 engine # 577 Quadrant, founded as a bicycle factory by Walter and William Lloyd in 1883, was among the first British bicycle manufacturers to venture into motorcycle production. Their first model, the Quadrant Autocyclette was equipped with the then very popular 211 cc Minerva clip-on engine and appeared in 1901. The following year Walter took out a patent for an ‘all-in-one’ control lever to raise the exhaust valve, control the ignition switch and operate the throttle and the ignition advance. The company made quite a publicity thing about this. In a march, 1903 advert in The Motor Cycle we read: “One touch of the Driving Lever and away you go. Any cyclist can ride a Quadrant straight away without any previous experience, thanks to the famous Driving Lever. It performs four distinct operations in perfect sequence, viz. : switches on current, closes the exhaust valve, opens the gas valve and advances the ignition”. In Motor Cycling of October 22, 1902 we read some notable features of the 1903 model that would be displayed at the Stanley Show in November. The new model had no longer a bicycle-type frame but a purpose-built one to properly accommodate the engine, that was no longer a Minerva product but of Quadrant’s own manufacture. The Driving Lever system was retained and an important improvement was a new type of contact breaker that gave a better spark at all speeds. A practical feature was also a waste tap under the petrol tank. When a surface carburettor was fitted there was no petrol tap that could be used to drain the tank. As the quality of petrol quickly deteriorated it could be practical to be able to drain the tank and fill up with fresh petrol: “A neat waste tap is now fitted underneath the petrol tank, a fact which will, doubtless, be appreciated by all motorists who have suffered by reason of having stale petrol in the tank and been unable to remove same without turning the machine upside down – no small undertaking.” The quality of the new 1903 Quadrant was emphasized by the record run that Tom Silver made in June of that year. He rode the circa 900 miles from John o’ Groats to Land’s End in 64 hours and 29 minutes, starting on Thursday at midnight and finishing at 4.29 on Saturday afternoon. He had to deal with bad roads and most unfavourable weather for quite half the distance. Some parts of the route he could not ride at all and had to push the little Quadrant, that performed splendidly and ran the full distance on a single charge of the accumulator. The rare early Quadrant we present here has been restored a number of years ago. She has been on display in a museum for many years, so some TLC will be required to get her ready for the road again. She comes with Middlemore saddle, Lucas Aceta Major No. 314 acetylene lamp and contracting band rear wheel brake. Video: https://youtu.be/YQz9005rja4
