Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546787
36 www.TrailRider.com Greeves Motorcycles Greeves Motorcycles British Ingenuity British Ingenuity By Ted Guthrie By Ted Guthrie Veteran riders, that is us old guys, take one look at a Greeves motorcycle such as the one featured in this ar cle and immediately recognize the ma- chine as one which was at one me highly com- pe ve in early Motocross and Scrambles, as well as in Desert Racing and Observed Trials. Younger riders may instead see what appears to be a crude, ungainly, heavy-looking oddity. In fact, given the era in which these motorcycles were produced, the truth lies fully in the former rather than the la er. Oscar Bertram Greeves, born in 1906 in France to Bri sh parents, grew up with a keen interest in all things mechanical, especially motorcycles. As a young man, "Bert" competed in Observed Trials and became employed as an engineering appren ce with the Bri sh firm, Aus n Motor Company. During this me, Bert became keenly aware of severe mobility issues experienced by his cousin, Derry Preston-Cobb, who was fully dis- abled. Seeking to aid Derry in achieving improved independence, Bert mated a lawnmower engine with a wheelchair, and the resul ng success of the device led to him forming Invacar Ltd in 1946. Bert's early powered wheelchairs were eventu- ally developed into a fully street-legal, enclosed, single-seat, three-wheeled vehicle, for which he was granted a contract with Britain's Ministry of Pensions throughout the 1950s and 1960's. That contract, which provided transport devices at no cost to disabled Bri sh ci zens, ensured reliable, steady revenue for Invacar, which in turn enabled Bert to pursue a personal interest – to produce his own motorcycle. Calling upon his engineering skills and personal motorcycling experience, Bert in 1951 began development of a motorcycle which was to bear the Greeves name, and by 1953, together with his