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The Maudes Trophy is a motorcycle award established in 1923 by George Pettyt, owner of Maudes Motor Mart[1] based in Great Portland Street, London who promoted an impartially-observed endurance test for motorcycles and provided a challenge award to the ACU who participated by acting as the body responsible for providing observers.[2] Pettyt donated a silver trophy for the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) to award annually, although over the years attempts proved to be infrequent.[3][4]

The last award came in December 2023, when electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles successfully took a pair of DSR/X machines on a 60 hour, 1200 mile, ride starting in Lands End and taking in Lowestoft, Edinburgh and Holyhead, before ending at the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Awards ceremony in the city of Liverpool.[5]

Winners

Year Winner Motorcycle(s) used Notes
1923 Norton 500 cc, solo Averaged 64 mph for 12 hours at Brooklands.[3]
1924 Norton Big Four with sidecar Ridden 4,060 miles from Land's End, Cornwall, England to John O'Groats, Highland, Scotland, and back in 18 days.[3]
1925 Norton
1926 BSA Demonstration of sixty climbs of Bwlch y Groes
1927 Ariel 557 cc Model B with sidecar Ridden for 5,011 miles without stopping the engine.[6]
1928 Ariel 250 cc overhead-valve
500 cc overhead-valve 		10,000 mile endurance test over a 120-mile open road course.[7][8]
1930 Dunelt 498 cc ohv engine 13,119 miles endurance test over 16 days in the Isle of Man.[9]
1931 Ariel Seven motorcycles:
  1. MB.32 (350 cc side-valve)
  2. M.2F.32 (350 cc overhead-valve 2-port)
  3. VB.32 (550 cc side-valve)
  4. VG.32 (500 cc 4-valve overhead-valve)
  5. SB.32 (550 cc side—valve "Sloper")
  6. SG.32 (500 cc 2-valve overhead-valve "Sloper") with sidecar
  7. 4F:6.32 Square Four
 Seven tests, one for each motorcycle:
  1. Seven-hour endurance run at Brooklands: 368 miles covered.
  2. Consumption test: approx. 700 miles on seven shillings worth of petrol and oil
  3. Head decarbonised in 4 min 19 s using only spanners from the motorcycle's tool kit (target time: under 7 min)
  4. One-hour speed run at Brooklands: more than 80 miles covered. (target distance: 70 miles)
  5. Run for 70 minutes in each of four gears on ordinary roads
  6. Seven non-stop ascents and descents of each of seven famous test hills: Porlock, Lynton, Beggar's Roost, Countisbury, Bwlch y Groes, Dinas Hill, and Alt y Bady
  7. 700 miles in less than 670 minutes (target time: 700 minutes)[8][10]
1933 Triumph 6/1 motorcycle with Gloria sidecar Covered 500 miles in 498 minutes at Brooklands. (The combination had earlier won a silver medal at that year's ISDT)[11][12]
1934 Phelon & Moore 250 cc Red Panther Performance in Land's End Run: average speed greater than 35 mph (56 km/h), fuel efficiency of 115.7 mpg‑imp (2.44 L/100 km; 96.3 mpg‑US), "hands-off" stability at and over 50 mph (80 km/h)[12]
1937 Triumph Tiger 70
Tiger 80
Tiger 90 		Machines chosen by ACU at random from Triumph dealers. Three hour high speed run at Donington Park followed by timed lap around Brooklands:

Tiger 70: 66.39 mph (106.84 km/h)
Tiger 80: 74.68 mph (120.19 km/h)
Tiger 90: 82.31 mph (132.47 km/h)[2][12]

1938 BSA M21 Combination
M23 Empire Star. 		Endurance test:[13]
  • 20 climbs of Bwlch y Groes
  • Acceleration, speed, and braking tests at Brooklands
  • 20 more climbs of Bwlch y Groes
  • Crossing London in traffic, north–south and east–west, in top gear[12]
1939 Triumph Speed Twin
Tiger 100 		Bikes chosen by ACU observers from Triumph dealers at random. Bikes ridden from John O'Groats to Land's End, and then across to the Brooklands circuit, a total of 1800 miles, followed by a 6 hour high speed run at Brooklands.[2]
1952 BSA 500 cc Star Twin, Three motorcycles were randomly selected from the production line and ridden to Austria to compete in the 1952 International Six Days Trial. All three bikes won Gold medals in the competition. The bikes were then ridden through Germany and Denmark to Oslo, where flying quarter-mile tests gave average speeds greater than 80 mph (130 km/h). The bikes were then ridden back to the UK, covering a total of 4,958 miles.[3][12][14]
1962 Honda Super Cub Three standard production Honda 50cc motorcycles (a C100, a C102 and a C110) with a team of 20 riders covered more than 15,800 miles at Goodwood in a week long day and night continuous test.[12] Honda received the first manufacturer's award in a decade and held the trophy for 11 years.[3][15]
1973 BMW R75/5 Two motorcycles ran continuously over the Isle of Man TT circuit for a whole week, day and night, between 3–10 May 1973.[3]
1974 Suzuki GT380
GT550
GT750 		Ridden three times around the coastline of Britain.[12]
1994 Yamaha FZR600 10 New Zealand riders average over 100 mph on standard bikes chosen at random from the UK warehouse in the Supersport 600 TT.
2023 Zero Motorcycles DSR/X Two electric motorcycles ridden between four points in UK in 60 hours.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Grace's Guide: Maude's Motor Mart". Grace's Guide. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. ^ a b c "Triumph wins Maudes Trophy !". Tiger100.co.uk. Media JuJu. November 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Nutting, John (June 2003). "BMW's Big Week" (PDF). Classic Bike: 37–39, 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-05-04. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  4. ^ "Maudes Trophy history". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  5. ^ "Zero Motorcycles awarded Maudes Trophy after epic electric winter endurance ride".
  6. ^ "Lot 505 The ex-E H Littledale,1931 Ariel Square Four Motorcycle & Sidecar". Bonhams. 23 April 2006. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  7. ^ "10,000 MILES — Ariel Machine's Great Feat". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 10 January 1929. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  8. ^ a b "THE MAUDES TROPHY". The West Australian. Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 18 February 1932. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Dunelt Motorcycles". Sheldon's EMU. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Sales brochure". Ariel Klubben Danmark. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  11. ^ Davis, Simon (May–June 2013). "Triumph's First Twin: Triumph 6/1". Motorcycle Classics. Topeka, Kansas, USA: Ogden Publications. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Thomas, Trevor (February–March 1991). Bowdler, Jeremy (ed.). "Maudes Trophy" (PDF). Classic Motorcycling (25). Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia: Mason Stewart Publishing: 62–64. ISSN 1033-3517. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  13. ^ "BSA Milestones". Archived from the original on 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  14. ^ Wilson, Hugo (1993). The Ultimate Motor-Cycle Book. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley. 1952 BSA A7 500cc Star Twin, p. 69. ISBN 0-7513-0043-8. This is one of three historic Maudes Trophy bikes, subjected to an observed 4,958-mile (7,979km) test in 1952
  15. ^ "The history of Honda". Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  16. ^ "Zero makes electric motorcycle history with Maudes Trophy success". 4 December 2023.
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