D-H

DOUGLAS

Bristol’s finest, Douglas existed on the fringes of UK manufacturing and built some fascinating motorcycles. Their pre-war flat twins were the bikes to beat in road racing, sprinting and speedway, as well as being respected roadsters. BMW reverse-engineered a Douglas engine to create their first motorcycle engine. Post-war, Douglas turned the engine through 90 degrees, so they looked like tiny BMW twins, but used chain drives rather than a shaft and experimented with off-the-wall suspension systems. The company eventually started importing and building Vespa scooters under licence.