LAURIN & KLEMENT

331cc T1 (2.5 hp) - 1903

Technical advance

France was the center of motorcycle development at the turn of the century, and it was in Paris in 1898 that two young Bohemians – Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement – met the Werner brothers, two exiled Russian journalists and inventors, who had just begun production of their "motocyclette."

First Motorcycle

The Vaclavs returned to Bohemia (part of the Czech Republic) and, with financing provided by Klement, built a copy of the Werner, with an engine on the steering head driving the front wheel, before constructing their first real motorcycle that same year of 1898.

Pioneering Ignition System

The first L&K had a 184cc (1.25 hp) single-cylinder engine mounted in the bottom loop of the frame and fitted with ignition by a shaft-driven Bosch magneto mounted between the steering head and fuel tank. The next year, the 239cc Type B (2 hp) launched the strange layout that marked every subsequent L&K motorcycle: a chain-driven magneto mounted beneath the engine and a low-set fuel tank behind. This model could also be equipped with front and back handbrakes – a remarkable feature for 1901. The L&K was uprated to 2.5 hp and the options included a telescopic front fork and a passenger trailer. In the grueling Paris-Vienna auto race in 1902, fourteen motorcycles were entered but only four finished, led by a Werner with the L&Ks of Rieger and Podsednicek second and third. Famous throughout Europe, L&K went on to build twins and then, in 1904, introduced a four-cylinder bike concurrent with the Belgian FN. But in 1908, Laurin & Klement gave up motorcycle production in favor of cars.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 331cc (75x75mm) air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke

Power Rating: 2.5 hp

Valves: automatic intake; side exhaust

Fuel Sys tem: surface carburetor

Transmission: direct-belt drive; auxiliary pedaling gear

Brakes: optional rim brake (front); contracting band (rear)

Wheels: wire clincher (front & rear)

The Laurin & Klement 331cc T1 was built for export to Germany. The magneto, protected by the loop frame, was an advanced feature for 1903.