Yelverton Union was a motorcycle built in 1921 by W. G. Battershill of Tavistock, Devon.
This machine was a one-off, made by a carpenter who constructed the frame and forks of his motorcycle in wood - 7/8th inch square-section ash. The members were straight and laid out in a duplex form with girder-style forks, which were controlled by a tension spring and using bicycle hubs as link pivots.
The engine was a 292cc 2½ Union two-stroke, with the EIC magneto mounted in-line with the crankshaft on the right and a large flywheel on the left. Transmission was by direct-belt drive.
Construction began in 1919 and it was first registered in 1921. It was displayed at the London Motor Show in 1927, having completed 10,000 miles, and was retired some 2,000 miles later.
In 1955 it was purchased by John Griffith, a motorcycle journalist closely involved with the Stanford Hall Motorcycle Museum.
The machine was recently sold to a new owner by Yesterdays.
Sources: Graces Guide, Yesterdays NL, Motor Cycling Sept 3rd 1953.
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