— scroll to the bottom of the article for a video on this machine —
Sunbeam were renowned for top quality, handsome motorcycles, and over the years they pumped out some belters such as the slimline Sprint models (that were derived from Sprint and Hill Climb scene) and the overhead-cam Crocodile (somewhat of a prototype).
In 1927, the nimble Sprint machines were dropped from the catalogue and in came the new kids on the block – the Model 80 (350cc Overhead-Valve) and Model 90 (500 Overhead-Valve). These new motorcycles featured a novel style of flat tank that was rounded at the front, and as such they were aptly dubbed the ‘bullnose’. Not only did the bullnose bikes look the part, but they were also pretty ferocious beasts on the road and on the racetrack.
The competition bikes were developed and improved by George Dance (a Sunbeam mechanic and legendary sprint and hill climb racer) & co., and at the hands of the factory team, won the German and Belgian GPs, and the Italian and Hungarian Senior TT races. In the 1928 Isle of Man Senior TT event, despite dreadful weather conditions, Charlie Dodson took the chequered flag on his Model 90 Bullnose and Sunbeam took the overall team prize. The factory honoured the win by having its longest serving employee hoist a flag at the Elms Works and unofficial celebrations took place in pubs all over Wolverhampton. The buzz around a TT victory was needed for Sunbeam who had been lacking in recent years on the mountain circuit, and that was all in part thanks to the Bullnose.
The silky design however was short-lived, as at the end of 1928, Sunbeam made the switch to the bulbous saddle tank, saying goodbye to the era of the simple and sophisticated flat tankers. Sunbeam had been out experimenting with the new saddle tank design under the cover of darkness for some time… well not quite true… what they did in fact was camouflage the prototypes with dirty black paint to give the resemblance of home-made specials. Whether others were fooled by this crafty conduct is anyone’s guess! It was the end of the Bullnose brand, and that makes them rare by today’s standards.
When this one popped up in auction then, there was no surprise that it caused a bit of a stir, no doubt inflamed by the fact that it was built to special order for a renowned rider and racer of the period.
This Model 90 was first registered on 3rd December 1926 to John Marston Ltd, and then built to special order for John ‘Bob’ Campbell Lowe for use in the popular Long Distance Trials (LDTs) of the period. It was traded in for a 1923 3½ hp that Bob had used extensively in competition; Sunbeam paid him £50 for the 3½ hp, and then it cost him an additional £83 18s to take receipt of the Model 90. That was all quite a lot of money back then (£40 short of a Brough Superior SS 100!).
The Model 90 was intended as a racer for the road, however as Bob intended on using the machine for endurance events, he spec’d some additional features for practical use which, were added on by the factory. After all in the 1920s, Sunbeam would do whatever the ‘discerning gentleman rider’ wanted. This included:
- a full lighting set (not currently on the machine) with madyno
- a fully enclosed chain guard: referred to as the “Little Oil Bath” and designed to protect the chain from dirt and to keep it lubricated – ideal for the conditions to be encountered in long distance trials events
- a fully valanced front mudguard to protect from mud and water spatter
- a Bonniksen speedometer: the crème de la crème of speedos, invented by a watch maker
- a bespoke exhaust: in 1927 the exhaust pipes were returned to the works complete with lead patterns to be remade to Bob Lowe’s upswept design. This feature helped with the undulations of trial riding and prevented the exhausts from being knocked clean off the bike
We cannot say what events Bob took part in on the Sunbeam other than the 1927 High Speed Trial, 1927 London – Lands End, and the 1927 London – Edinburgh where he received a Gold Medal. If you have any more information please let us know and we can update this article. It would appear that Bob finished competing on the Sunbeam in 1933 (there is an invoice on file for an engine overhaul in April 1933) in favour of more modern machinery.
Bob passed away in 1968 and his widow Doris – also a former motorcycle competition rider and a former Vice-President of the Auto-Cycle Union – kept the Sunbeam before entrusting it in 1975 to a VMCC member. It was officially sold by Doris in 1997 when it then passed through a number of hands, before it ended up in the Bonhams Auction earlier in 2025. The bike was acquired by a well-known enthusiast and nice chap in Japan, and is currently under the watchful eye of John Oakes (aka the @classicbikeman) in the UK. John is a rider, and so Alex from the Classic Motorcycle Channel had to pay him a visit, where he was fortunate enough to be allowed a ride on an icon of a vintage motorcycle, with a bit of tuition from John.
Click on the link below to watch the full video which features the history of the machine and a ride out.
Thank you to Alex from the Classic Motorcycle Channel for the photos.
an article by The Girder Club
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