Manufactured by David Spencer, an English immigrant with mechanical qualifications (1870-1958), at Haig Street, Torwood, Brisbane in the years 1905 to 1911.
At least ten of these racing machines are known to have been built, two of which survive intact - a 475cc model (restored) and a 380cc machine. He built his own engines, and the patterns for his castings have also been preserved.
"...cedar and bronze patterns for casting crankcases, flywheels, cylinders and heads, carburetors and frame lugs that survive to this day. Spencer also made from scratch his own control levers, petrol taps and oil pumps, machining and assembling the motorcycles himself."
D. Spencer on his 2 h.p. or 2¾ h.p. motorcycle is mentioned often in the motorcycle competition reports for 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1910. One such report states that he raced a 3 h.p. Spencer at the Woolloongabba Cricket Ground on Saturday 25 October 1904.
There is a record of a Krown & Spencer motorcycle from July 1905. The Krown motorcycles were fitted with Minerva engines.
Spencer died in 1958. He and his wife Alice had nine children.
The two surviving Spencer motorcycles are discussed in some detail at hmccq.org.au.
Sources: blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au (take a cut lunch); Trove NLA; Terry Parker.
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