Francis-Barnett Falcon

Although the Falcon name appeared in the early 1930s, the model most commonly seen was in production from 1949 to 1965. Unlike many manufacturers, Francis-Barnett did not make a wartime bike and instead production was given over to making aircraft trolleys and using the factory as a War Department motorcycle service depot.

There were no less than 15 different postwar Falcon road bikes and the Falcon was also the basis for arguably the world’s first purpose-built trail bikes. A few were available as highly competitive scramblers.

The road-going Falcon, certainly in its earliest form, was a handsome and well-built motorcycle