Bert Greeves

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Bert Greeves
trials bike, 24 pounds (11 kg) lighter and with a new design front fork[1]
Born5 June 1906
Lyons, France
Died15 July 1993 (1993-07-16) (aged 87)
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Motorcycle designer and manufacturer

Bert Greeves

Invacar Ltd in 1942 and Greeves motor cycles in 1953.[2]

Early life

Bert Greeves was born in

Invacar Ltd in 1946 and won a major contract with the Ministry of Pensions for national supply of transport for the physically disabled throughout the 1950s and 1960s.[3]

The original 1957 Invacar

Encouraged by this success, Greeves decided to diversify into motorcycle manufacture and set up

2-stroke 197cc single-cylinder engine sourced from Villiers Engineering - and a Greeves badge on the fuel tank. The motorcycles were really a sideline for the main business of producing the three-wheeled invalid cars, so development of the prototypes had to be fitted in when the production schedule allowed. The first Greeves motorcycle was developed in 1951[4] and featured a massive front down member combined in a large 'I-section' cast alloy beam, cast in a new light-alloy foundry that had been added to the Greeves factory. The tubular frame member was inserted into a mould and the main frame was cast around it, making for a very strong frame. Made from LM6 silicon-aluminium alloy, it was claimed to be stronger than tubular steel and proved capable of standing up to the rough treatment of international off-road trials competition.[5] Protection was finished off with reinforced engine cradle plates which were also light alloy castings.[4]

Later life

Main articles: Greeves (motorcycles), List of Greeves motorcycles, and Invacar

The Greeves range of motorbikes, with small but powerful engines and light strong frames proved very successful in competition, beating the bigger factories heavier and larger capacity motorcycles.[2] Greeves was successful in winning an important order to supply the Royal Artillery Motorcycle Display Team with motorcycles and developed the "Greeves Griffon".[3]

A change in the safety legislation meant the end of the Invacar, which had been the mainstay of the company (even at the peak of motorcycle production. Greeves still answered the telephone as "Invacar Limited")[6] Greeves decided that it was time to retire from the business and he was soon followed by his cousin Derry Preston-Cobb. The company floundered in 1976 and after a fire at the factory were unable to resume production and went into receivership.[7]

He married twice, and had one daughter. Greeves died on 15 July 1993.[2]

Honours

Bert Greeves was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1972 New Year Honours,[8] in recognition of the work he had done for the disabled through Invacar.[2]

References

  1. Motor Cycle
    , 9 September 1965, pp.361, 364 Accessed 7 September 2015
  2. ^ a b c d Reynolds, Jim (6 October 1993). "Obituary: Bert Greeves". The Independent. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-90-366-1497-9
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-86363-010-3
    .
  5. ISBN 1-85152-250-6
    .
  6. ISBN 1-85260-033-0
    .
  7. ^ Greeves cybermotorcycle.com
  8. ^ "No. 45554". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1971. p. 14.

External links

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