1931 Sunbeam Lion with Watsonian Sidecar

In 3 Wheels, England, Vintage by AbhiLeave a Comment

Sunbeam developed their first OHV motors in the mid 20s, and their 492cc “Longstroke” motor was particularly successful in racing and street trims. The street bike took its name from the motor, and it was known as the Model 6 Longstroke until the early 30s, when the bike was refreshed and renamed to the Lion.

The 3.5 horsepower motor was complemented with a few updates to the rest of the bike, including Webb-pattern center-spring girder forks (replacing the previous Druid-type units) and a chrome-plated tank (replacing the previous soldered tank). 1930 was the best sales year for Sunbeam across their entire range, with around 2,500 motorcycle sold. Afterwards, there was a steady decline and the assets were sold to AMC in August 1937. For more on the later years of Sunbeam, check out this page on Wolverhampton History.

The seller of this example (VIN: 9992) doesn’t provide a lot of detail, but he/she claims it’s in excellent condition and one of the photos shows a current Colorado license plate. Find this Sunbeam for sale in Conifer, Colorado here on Craigslist for $17,500.

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