Just noticed an ad for what is called the new J. A. Prestwich motorcycle with a new engine built to look like an original. The new Brough Superior, as mentioned recently, will debut at Pebble Beach with new JAP V-Twin engines built by Cameron Racing Engines. The bike shown here, according to the website, is the new JAP motorcycle, the first JAP bike produced in 101 years. I guess that means they plan to produce them for sale, though that is not clear.
The engine has electronic ignition, ceramic coated barrels, puts out 95 bhp and can be manufactured to order.
The new bike is interesting, but I think a vintage looking but new engine could find a lot of use in re-creations of some very old motorcycles and especially Morgan 3 wheelers or new look alike trikes like the Ace Cycle Car.
Link: J A Prestwich Industries
Jim says
Am I the only one who thinks that this will be mistaken for a HD bobber?
Tin Man 2 says
Nice looking Nostalgic design, But it will take a close look not to be mistaken for a HD bobber that you see at every bike night in town. 95 HP is impressive, the whole bike is impressive, but it needs its own identidy to showcase the fine points. Maybe in person it is more noticeable as a special.
MX says
Kneeslider has it…good engine for a project. Although a ’47 knuckle would be my choice for a brass & nickle vintage look
Kenny says
Just my personal opinion but I think that JAP should be retro british cafe racer rather than an american style bobber. If thats what they’re trying to sell they might alienate the recreation and restoration crowd that Paul mentioned, and for the near future I think that would be their main customer base. Kinda like Triumph
David says
A more traditional british tank would go along way to making this look better and of course we all know where that muffler is going
nortley says
The possibility of mistaken idntity is part of the appeal. Those who wouldn’t know wouldn’t care, and those who thought they knew would do some real good double takes.
hoyt says
true about the double takes, but then you’d wonder why not something else?
nobody says
I wonder how your stereotypical Sturgis type would react to what looks like an old hardtail Harley but has an engine that says “JAP” on it.
On the other hand, maybe this is supposed to inspire others to show everyone else how it is supposed to be done.
todd says
Yeah, the motor really seems out of place. I always read of JAP as more of a performance oriented engine builder than something meant for a cruiser. Oh, well. I guess you can’t really knock someone else’s preferences.
-todd
FREEMAN says
Nice bike. Looks like a fun ride.
Steve says
Maybe a Brough-Superior like bike to do the engin justice!!
Paulinator says
That bike would be sweet with a knuckle, pan, shovel, pan/shovel, side valve…but the JAP engine looks like a nose ring on a pretty girl – i can think of better places for it.
nortley says
Alternative history – TE Lawrence enters his garage for the first time in nearly a year. The machine he took into the woods to miss the bikes is propped against a wall. Stripped of its mangled tin and made to run, it will do for a short run to the pub. Some years later, a GI who has been missing his machine spots it, and a trend is born.
Pender says
I agree with Todd, this engine is worthy of a much better format.
Rod says
The original Brough Superior was not a tank hugger, it looks to me like they have stuck closer to thier heritage. To the nay sayers buy a jap bike if that is what you want. It is good to see the jap engingine making a come back and sticking closer to its roots. There are a whole host of possibilitys for this engine , and I suppose if that is what you want, possibly a tank hugger. For the rest of us it has a great deal of possible builds and gives us a choice of powerplants other than H.D. and s+s although I have no problem with either. I have rode Harleys for years and am very pleased with the product. I just think compitition is healthy. I just hope they dont price themselves out of the market.
mikeo3o5 says
It’s a great looking bike and a welcome change to all of the clones that are out there. I doubt if anybody with any with building skills and real bike knowledge would mistake it for an H.D.
95 horses is a handful of fun for everyday street riding and can be as reliable as a Timex if set up properly.
I would buy one of those in a heartbeat if it was competitively priced. It would be a welcome addition to many garages and the power train would be nice in a variety of different formats.
Dave says
It’s a nice looking engine. Nice looking bike. BUT…
Doesn’t anyone have a general problem with using a famous name to sell a product. Unless what I’ve read is wrong, these people have NOTHING to do with the Prestwich family, or the original company. Just really has a ring of “exploitation” to me.
If I’m wrong about any connections, someone please correct me.
Duncan Moore says
“If I’m wrong about any connections, someone please correct me.”
I’ve had the good fortune to meet the famiily behind the build of this bike and they are not just using the name.
Back in the midst of time both the Brough Superior and JAP names and production rights came available and were bought by the curent owner who wanted to keep them in the UK, and who rode a Brough as a young man (he’s now in his 70s) and worked in the British bike industry in its heyday. Since acquiring the brands he and his sons have put a lot of work into developing the the JAP motors, including developing a fuel injection option and making the primary drive H-D compatible to make it easier for other builders to use with a H-D transmission. In order to make a go of the new JAP engines, the Brough name and rights were sold recently to create the necessary funding for further development work.
However, having said that, when I visited them a couple of years ago they had a part built new Brough Superior SS100 in the workshop, which had been built using the traditional techniques. The problem with that though was the costs involved in such labour intensive production meant they could not viably offer it as a production model.
Scotduke says
It’s a good looking bike and it’s good to see the famous JAP name being revived, while the engine output looks attractive. But like some of the others here I can’t help thinking that a more British styled bike would suit the revival of a JAP engine better. Triumph has done a particularly good styling job on its Bonneville models to recapture the look of the old Bonnies.
Restyling this one to look mre like a Brough for example would result ina bike more suited to the history of the engine.
But then if the firm has the US in its sights as the future target market, then maybe the bobber style is the way to go. In Europe at least the market for this style of motorcycle is limited.
Motorod says
I’d love to see that JAP motor into a featherbed cafe. something with suspension fore and aft that would put that 95hp to good twisty use.