Clifford Aero & Auto & New Imperial Motorcycles
The Sun Cycle & Fittings Co. Ltd.,
Phoenix Works,
Aston Brook Street,
Aston,
Birmingham 6.
James Parkes was a well known Birmingham industrialist, who owned James Parkes and Son, Brass founders, in Alma Street, Birmingham. Amongst other things, they manufactured incandescent light fittings. It was the manufacture of these fittings that eventually gave the name of 'Sun' to the company.
In 1885 James Parkes decide to take advantage of the new bicycle market and the company began to make frames and fittings for other companies. This new outlet proved very successful and the company moved to larger premises in Aston Brook Street, Aston, around 1887. Interestingly, Sun was in the same street as R.T. Shelley who owned Norton and very close to the back of the Norton factory which was also in Aston Brook Street.
After the move the company changed its name to THE SUN CYCLE FITTINGS COMPANY.
The founder, James Parkes died in 1896.
In 1907, Joseph Parkes, Jame's son, changed the name of the company to THE SUN CYCLE AND FITTINGS COMPANY and the company was also incorporated as a limited company. It was either in 1906 or 1907 Sun started making their own bicycles using the name of SUN and SUN SPIDER.
Sun's first motorcycle was produced in 1911
Sun were very successful in the cycle industry, making many patented improvements to bicycles. In 1936 F.C. Parkes, grandson of the founder, with his son Peter Parkes, developed the lightweight sports cycle.
During World War 2 Sun returned to making fittings, including rivets. It seems that after the war Sun were not planning to go back into the production of motorcycles. Their only post war model, re-introduced in 1946, was a 98cc Villiers engined autocycle. This was due to a government ban on the production of motorcycles immediately after the war.
However in 1948 they introduced a two speed hand change, 98cc motorcycle for production in May 1949, with a Villiers 'F' series engine and rigid frame. All post war Sun motorcycles and scooters exclusively used the Wolverhampton built Villiers two stroke engines.
In 1951 the company introduced what was to become their most widely known model, the Villiers engined CHALLENGER 197cc motorcycle. The name was taken from a de-luxe pedal cycle of 1934.
Also introduced in 1951 was a 122cc Model De Luxe motorcycle which seems to have been inspired by Sun entering the Isle of Man TT races. A 122cc machine was ridden by Paddy Goddard in the new lightweight class, unfortunately he finished last. Sun however earned their only TT medal because Paddy was a member of the Leinster MC team which won the team prize.
Although that was Sun's last excursion to the TT in 1952 a number of specially built models took part in various competitions. As a result of this, for the first time ever, they made a competition trials Challenger model, available in 1953 with a rigid frame. This could be fitted with a standard engine or a competition engine which had a further option of an Amal carburettor. This model was very successful, gaining quite a few first class awards, including the Scottish Six Day Trial. Such was its success that specially built competition models were offered for 1954. The Mk 1 had a standard engine with a three speed gearbox. The mark 3 had a specially tuned engine with a 3 speed gearbox. The mark 4 had a specially tuned engine and a 4 speed gearbox In 1955 Sun built on their success by offering a competition trials and scrambler model. The trials model being a rigid and the scrambler having an Armstrong swinging arm suspension. Both models had specially designed Earles pattern forks, with 21 inch wheels as standard. In 1956 the competition model became the Wasp competition model. In 1957 the rigid model was withdrawn and replaced by a special swinging arm frame said to be suitable for trials or scrambles, with the latest Armstrong trials pattern forks. The competition model was withdrawn in 1958.
In 1954 Sun used the slogan, 'The Rolls Royce of Lightweights' and the Challenger was made available with a 224cc Villiers engine which later became the Cyclone. The Sun Challenger Mark 1a, a 150cc motorcycle, was available as an export only model.
In 1955 the 98cc motorcycle which had been called the Mark 2 in 1954,was now called the Hornet. The Sun Challenger Mark 1a, a 150cc motorcycle, was now made available to the home market.
In 1956 the Wasp was introduced, a 200cc model, with a new frame and Armstrong leading link forks.
In 1957 the companies answer to the decline in lightweight sales were two new models with new frames, the 200cc Century and the 250cc 4 speed Overlander, known as the Overlander Twin. The Overlander was a vain attempt to make a better lightweight than any of the many other manufacturers that made Villiers engined lightweights. Both were too little, too late.
In the mid fifties there was an invasion of foreign motor scooters into this country with a considerable downturn in the sales of small British motorcycles.
In 1957 Sun also made a valiant attempt to capture motorcyclists and scooterists by designing a cross between the two, a scooter with 15 inch wheels aptly named 'The Geni' with a 98cc Villiers engine and a two speed box. For 1959 the wheel size was increased to 17inches.
In 1958 the Hornet 98cc and Challenger 147 & 197 models were withdrawn along with the competition model, the Cyclone and the short lived Century.
The company was taken over by Tube Investments, (Raleigh) in early 1958. The Chairman, Fred Parkes, announced the company would continue exactly as before but motorcycle production ceased in 1959, with the withdrawal of the Wasp 197 & the Overlander 249cc twin. Sun then went into full scale scooter production with the only dedicated scooter production line in the country. They introduced a new scooter, the Sun Wasp with a 150cc (later 173cc) Villiers engine and conventional scooter wheels and looks.
Their production line was also used for the Panther Princess (Phelon & Moore Ltd.) and the Dayton Flamenco (Dayton Cycle Co. Ltd.) both of which went the same way as the Sun Geni scooter which finished with the closure of the factory in 1961. The factory closure coincided with the retirement of Fred Parkes and Raleigh took the SUN cycle and scooter production to Nottingham. In 1961 Raleigh also announced four models of the Sun Wasp scooter, which were produced at Nottingham for around 12 months before being withdrawn. Sun badged pedal cycles continued to be produced by Raleigh until 1986. After 1963 Sun Cycles carried a Worksop name, presumably being built at the Carlton works.
Russell Hurst's immaculate Sun Wasp scooter a long way from home in New Zealand
On the cycle side Suns main period of fame was from the middle 20s through to the fifties. The Wasp (which was also the name of a Sun motorcycle) was a popular budget clubmans lightweight. They also produced tandems.
From the thirties to the fifties Sun had a separate company producing bicycles under the Parkes name.
In 1959 Sun cycles (Parkes) became part of the British Cycle Corporation which was absorbed by Raleigh in 1960.
The Birmingham rider, Trevor Bull, remembers his first professional shirt being emblazoned with Sun cycles, even though he was riding for Carlton!
There was a Sun-Truewel racing team in the late 60s
I am indebted to Jack Sizer, whose book entitled SUN MOTORCYCLES is the only comprehensive history of Sun. (Since this was written Jack has sadly passed away)
Nothing is left of the original Sun factory in Aston Brook Street in Birmingham. The site of the factory has been completely re-developed and the once very busy Aston Brook Street, also the home of Norton, has been truncated at one end by a car park and the other end by the Aston Expressway (A38M).
More SUN iformation wanted, if you rode a Sun or worked in the factory please contact us.